Condensate and Cooling Water Monitoring and Aromatics Detection

For over 30 years, optek has focused on measuring process liquids through their interaction with light in facilities all over the world. Although global, optek remains a family-owned company with a team of more than 100 qualified, customer-oriented professionals.

optek’s confidence is born from experience. With the expertise of more than 30,000 installations worldwide, our value to the customer resides in providing a superior product that pays back. High quality materials withstand the toughest process conditions including aggressive media, high temperature, and high pressure applications. Cleanability is ensured using high quality wetted materials, superior design, as well as sapphire optical windows.

Heat Exchanger Leak Detection

Heat exchanger leak detection is an important measurement for many processors. Companies in all industries increasingly demand the measurement of oils, aromatics, or undissolved hydrocarbons in the ppm range. For this purpose, optek inline photometers have been proven worldwide as a reliable solution.

Trace oil in water detection provides advanced warning of oil contamination in water or condensate streams. optek TF16-N scattered light sensors can easily detect trace contamination in heat exchanger cooling, heating and reclaim lines (e.g., preventing oil build-up on the heat exchanger plates, resulting in a less efficient cooling process or inefficient heat transfer in the heating process, increasing energy costs).

By using optek photometers in heat exchanger cooling/heating lines, a pinhole leak can be detected and repairs can be made before an expensive breakdown occurs. Also, operating costs are reduced because heat exchanger maintenance can be scheduled to minimise process downtime.

Condensate

optek photometers can monitor condensate streams to determine if they are free from contaminants, allowing it to be reused for boiler feed or other processes. This has proven to be an extremely beneficial process improvement, reducing water usage, treatment chemicals, and wastewater costs.

Carryover

There is a chance of carryover in any area where water is used to heat or cool the process stream. An optek inline photometer is an excellent tool for immediate detection of process contaminants.

In applications where the process stream contains undissolved oil or solids, an optek TF16-N scattered light turbidimeter can detect the total contamination present. By measuring in the Near Infrared (NIR) the measurement will not be affected by colour or colour changes.

Detecting contamination in other ways, such as UV or colour (yellowness) may also be advantageous for dissolved/non dissolved hydrocarbons, oils or aromatics. This is especially true for processors who are reusing condensate or reboiler to conserve energy, water and chemical usage.

Aromatics Detection

At times the leaked medium in condensate and cooling water comes from a group of hydrocarbons called aromatics. Aromatics have a unique property which makes them absorb ultraviolet (UV) light very well, allowing optek to monitor for their presence to very low ppm levels. The most common aromatic is benzene, but others include toluene, phenol, aniline and xylene. Often, the presence of these aromatics is an undesirable consequence and they need to be removed because of health or environmental concerns. Using real-time monitoring for the presence of aromatics in liquid streams allows plants to control product manufacture, increase product quality and ensure environmental compliance.

UV- Absorption Monitoring

optek has two UV absorption sensors which can make these measurements. In process streams containing background turbidity, a dual wavelength AF46 is used where one wavelength is used to detect the aromatic and the second wavelength is used to detect background turbidity. By determining the difference in the photocurrent of these two wavelengths, the amount of aromatic can be determined. In clean process streams a single wavelength AF45 is used where the aromatic is detected without the need for background compensation. Regardless of the particular process conditions, optek has a solution for aromatic hydrocarbon detection by UV absorption.

Typical applications:

• Monitor wastewater streams for aromatic content (environmental).
• Monitor refined hydrocarbon streams for benzene content.
• Monitor potable water for aromatic content.
   

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