Leak-Free Instrumentation Systems
A comprehensive product range for minimizing potential leak paths in process instrumentation was unveiled at Offshore Europe by the instrumentation products division of Parker Hannifin. Innovative solutions for all standard connectivity and functional requirements from the process line to the instrument are available in Parker’s range, as a result of an intensive innovation-driven development program.
A foundation of the range is the elimination of leak-prone taper thread connections, and with it any need for PTFE tape or anaerobic sealant – another common cause of problems in the field. Parker’s solutions in this area extends the scope of reliable compression tube fittings throughout the instrumentation chain, by integrating compression tubing ends onto valves and manifolds. Combined with accessories such as threadless piping interfaces, that convert a standard flange to a compression tubing connection, plant engineers have the means of eliminating NPT threads in any standard instrumentation application.
Parker has now developed a comprehensive range of innovative solutions for instrument interfacing in the form of integrated and close-coupled manifolds. For standard double-block-and-bleed requirements, Parker offers manifolds in monoflange and flange-ended forms, providing ‘one-piece’ solutions that eliminate any need for system building using discrete valves (and all the additional connections and potential leak paths of that approach). These manifolds are now optionally available in new, ultra-low-emission, ISO 15848 compliant forms.
Parker’s newest integrated manifold solution is the highly innovative CCIMS close-coupled instrument mounting system. CCIMS provides a novel means of directly attaching a differential pressure flow measurement instrument to a process line. Parker is now releasing CCIMS variants for differential pressure level measurement applications, and for static pressure measurement as well.
“Process instrumentation connections have evolved over a hundred years, and inevitably, tube connections and valve and manifold techniques are steeped in tradition,” says Parker Hannifin’s Sheldon Banks. “There’s enormous scope for rethinking how things are done to provide more reliable leak-free systems, and this innovation-based approach underpins our instrumentation product range.”