One of the most challenging temperature measurement applications in the process industries is tubeskin temperature monitoring inside of fired heaters. Operators rely on this data to help safeguard tube integrity and to accurately schedule decoking events; however, the extreme service conditions in this application pose a great challenge to thermocouple performance and long-term reliability. For this reason, it is absolutely critical to carefully follow instrument design [Daily Thermetrics TSTC Guide] and instrument installation best practices in order to maximize performance and longevity of these temperature sensors.
In our decades of experience providing and installing heater tubeskin thermocouples (TSTCs), we have found that in most cases the primary driver of premature instrument failure is improper installation. TSTCs are commonly designed with expansion bends, precisely machined sensing tips, heat shields, and weld clips, and if any one of these design components is installed incorrectly the expected outcome is premature instrument failure. For this reason most end clients rely on TSTC installation experts to lead this scope of work during their outages, and the Daily Thermetrics Field Services team leads the industry in exactly this domain.
Let’s walk through a typical TSTC installation project so that you can better understand this scope of work and more successfully plan your next outage that involves TSTC replacement.
Phase 1:
- Coordination meeting to establish contacts, schedule, contractors, etc
- Inventory and verify instrument specifications
- Pre-job walk of heater(s)
- Discovery item support
Phase 2:
- Installation of tubeskins [View Detailed Installation Process]
Phase 3:
- Gold Cup temperature verification
- Post-installation documentation submittal (As-Installed Drawings, Final Inspection Reports, etc.)
Our service team is on standby to fully support your next heater tubeskin thermocouple installation project. Please contact us at [email protected] to begin planning your next fired equipment maintenance event.