Application
Gasifiers are large vessels lined with several layers of refractory brick to contain the high operating temperatures within. They produce syn-gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, from oil, coal or waste materials with the help of steam and oxygen. Syn-gas is used in synthesis of oxo-chemical compounds like alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, etc.

Internal conditions in a gasifier are extreme with temperatures reaching 1300°C and higher, and pressures of 300 bar. The outer skin of a gasifier is made of a relatively thin layer of steel which would melt instantly if exposed to the internal operating temperatures of the vessel, so the integrity of the lining is absolutely crucial to the safe operation of the gasifier. Deterioration of the refractory results first in hot spots on the outer shell of the reactor, and ultimately in catastrophic failure of the outer shell if they are not detected in time. LIOS OTS 2^nd generation technology is used as STSS-system (Skin Temperature Sensing System) to detect hot spots at an early enough stage to take corrective action and prevent total failure of the reactor.

Material+Concept

• 2 x OTS20P , 1 channel, full redundancy
• 1580 m high temperature sensor cable “reactor pp”
• 200 m supply cable
• RS232 to RS485 conversion
• Charon_02 software used for visualisation and data logging

Commissioning
April 2003

Miscellaneous
During the commissioning of the first POX-reactor an unexpected hot spot occurred at the dome of the gasifier due to an insufficient lining. The fast detection of the hot spot and immediate shut down of the reactor avoided serious damage of the apparatus.