Hickman, AR. Say “gas” and “petroleum” and you are talking pipe – hundreds and thousands
of miles of it. Pipe to bring these precious commodities out of the earth, to
refine them and to transport them across continents and seas, and to bring them down the street to your house and car. Much of this pipe is produced from flat steel stock, in a continuous process that
curls the stock into a tube and welds the seam. And those seams better meet the
stringent standards of the American Petroleum Institute, ASTM, and ASME or cause disastrous consequences.
Tenaris
/ Maverick Tube is the largest producer of pipe and tube in N. America and has locations
in 9 states. Their products range in size from 1.9 inches (4.9cm) to 16 inches (40cm) diameter, and are used in high
risk applications as diverse as fossil fuels and construction. (To learn more about Tenaris / Maverick Tube, visit www.tenaris.com) At the Hickman, AR plant they are currently embarking on a project to
automate the pipe-welding process, and selected the Mikron Model MI- SQ5-TV to measure weld temperature.
The Application
The
welding process uses high frequency (150-200KHz) induction heating that literally melts the two edges of the stock together
as it travels through the curling rolls. The application conditions are among the toughest encountered in infrared temperature measuring; combining RF fields, the need
for fast response, variable emissivity and the presence of smoke, steam and sparks in the sight path.
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Fortunately,
the miraculous, technology-packed MI-SQ5-TV is an instrument that is more than equal to the task. The combination of digital, two color signal processing; integral video imaging and the option of laser
aiming, all help to provide a meaningful measurement.
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| MI-SQ5-TV monitors continuous pipe welding. |
Fans
clear away steam and smoke.
The
Tenaris / Maverick process engineers are using the air purged and cooled MI-SQ5-TV to gather temperature data, relative to
pipe diameter and metal thickness. Later, this data will be incorporated into the control algorithm. The video image output assists in aiming the sensor, and the optional laser aiming has also been used to
provide further assurance.
Model Number: MI-SQ5-TV
Representative: HOLAN Engineering
Tel: 870 862-5869
Fax: 870 863-0043
E Mail: mholan@holanengineering.com Website: www.holanengineering.com
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