Reactor
Chemical reactor monitoring with thermal cameras reveals damage to the refractory lining before the steel shell is affected. Operators shut the reactor down only when there is an actual defect.
Reactor at a glance
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Chemical reactor monitoring with thermal cameras and process control
In the solution example, seven industrial Prometheus thermal cameras from TTS Automation watch the upper, hot half of the reactor: two sets of three cameras arranged radially, plus one looking down on the vessel from above. The camera software runs on the WAGO IoT Box, and anomaly calculation takes place at PLC level on the WAGO PFC200 from the 750 Series. Values go straight into the Yokogawa process control system, which shows maximum and minimum values by sector and raises alarms at fixed thresholds. Modbus TCP, OPC UA and MQTT are available for connecting to SCADA or the cloud. Cameras, gateway and control system are linked by optical fibre.
The example comes from the chemical industry and covers early damage detection and temperature measurement in condition monitoring. In Stade, Air Liquide operates a partial oxidation plant whose 16-metre, 58-tonne reactor runs at around 30 bar and over 1000 °C and is lined with firebricks. Inspections on suspicion or by schedule would have meant stopping the process. With the solution from WAGO and TTS Automation, the system warns long before the shell could burn through. Small damaged areas are repaired within a few days instead of relining the vessel over months. Installation required neither scaffolding nor field distribution boxes.
Chemical reactor monitoring: frequently asked questions
How can the condition of a reactor's refractory lining be checked during operation?
Thermal cameras make the condition of the lining visible from outside: if the protective layer thins inside, the shell temperature rises at that spot. Air Liquide was looking for exactly such a method because other approaches were expensive, inconclusive or both. Seven cameras monitor the reactor in Stade around the clock. The system warns long before the outer metal shell could burn through.
How does reactor thermal imaging data reach the process control system?
The data runs through a gateway that speaks the camera's language straight into the control system. At Air Liquide, the camera software runs on the WAGO IoT Box, so no translator or additional wiring is needed. The Yokogawa control system displays maximum and minimum values by sector, and operators communicate with the camera electronics directly from there. This removes manual work and its sources of error.
Why is continuous monitoring worthwhile for a partial oxidation reactor?
Because every shutdown is expensive and a replacement takes a very long time. Air Liquide's POx reactor in Stade is 16 metres tall, weighs 58 tonnes and has delivery times of more than a year. Restarting after a shutdown is inefficient and costly. With continuous monitoring, the process is no longer stopped for inspections but only when there is an actual defect.
What happens in the syngas plant when the system reports an anomaly?
If the system reports an anomaly, Air Liquide shuts down the process in a controlled way. The reactor is purged and the inner protective layer repaired. Because the warning comes early, the damage is usually small or localised and can be repaired within a few days. A complete relining would take months, and a damaged outer shell would require a new reactor.
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