Winter Weather and how it affects Air Flow Measurement - Freezing Flow Measurement Issues
Even though it does not feel like it here in the Eastern US, it is definitely winter in many parts of the world. And something happens every winter at process plants all around the world, namely instruments and instrumentation begin to have issues due to the temperatures, moisture, and the winds of winter. These issues send Instrumentation Techs, Engineers, and Maintenance people scrambling to get them back online and functioning properly. One of the biggest issues is when an instrument that is crucial to the proper operation of the a plant gives erroneous readings or stops working all together. This is especially the case with flow measurement devices and instruments. Having a transmitter or moisture in the differential pressure lines freeze up will cause the transmitter to stop responding or give incorrect flow measurement readings. These can be handled sometimes (depending on the temperatures) by putting the transmitters inside a building or under a covering, protecting th