Pressure Measurement of Smart Pressure Transmitter in the Vapor Recovery Industry

Pressure Measurement of Smart Pressure Transmitter in the Vapor Recovery Industry

• Long-term stable and reliable pressure measuring in inflammable and explosive environments

• Rapid and accurate data response and transmission for real-time process monitoring

• High-accuracy pressure measurement for low-range applications

Industry Background

Vapor recovery collects the vapors generated during gasoline loading/unloading at stations, evaporation from storage tanks, and tanker truck loading. Through absorption, adsorption or condensation, this process reduces pollution from these hydrocarbon vapors by converting them from gas to liquid, enabling the recovered gasoline to be reused.

According to the Atmospheric Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic of China, storage tanks, fueling stations, crude/refined product terminals, transportation vessels, and tanker trucks should be equipped with Vapor Recovery Units (VRUs) and maintained in normal operation.

Several important components make up a VRU. It usually consists of several subcomponents for each of the three recovery equipment stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The downstream processing recovery equipment, dispenser recovery equipment, and storage tank recovery equipment are the major parts.

Smart pressure transmitters are necessary for the VRU to precisely measure and regulate the pressure and flow, guaranteeing the unit is steady and appropriate operation.

Customer Needs

The main supplier of units and solutions for online vapor recovery monitoring and treatment is a customer of Micro Sensor in Beijing, specializing in treating and monitoring volatile organic compounds. Tens of thousands of gas stations and storage tanks all around China are where the item is primarily used.

Gasoline stations experience vapor emissions and leaks during product receipt, storage, and dispensing. A vapor recovery system is required to collect and recover these leaked vapors. Pressure transmitters are used to measure, calculate, and analyze the vapor recovery volume, fueling volume, and gas space pressure within the vapor recovery system. This enables monitoring of key performance indicators like the vapor-to-liquid ratio at each dispenser and the integrity of the system's seal.

In the VRU, pressure transmitters are installed at the start of the vapor return piping to monitor the liquid resistance, i.e. the fluid friction as gas and liquid flow through the pipes. This allows an understanding of the degree of resistance to the gas flow, helping assess the impact on vapor recovery capacity.

Pressure transmitters are also installed at the gasoline station's vent valves. They evaluate the seal integrity of the vapor recovery system by tracking variations in back pressure, guaranteeing the equipment's safety and effective operation.

Given the flammable and explosive nature of the hydrocarbon vapors, and the need to monitor the real-time pressure in the -0.03 to 0.03 bar range within the piping, the customer requires a smart pressure transmitter that is certified for hazardous areas, capable of measuring the low pressure range, and ensures long-term safe and stable operation.

Solution

• Micro Sensor offered smart pressure transmitters with high accuracy, safety, and infallibility to satisfy customer needs. The product uses advanced monocrystalline silicon sensing technology with a fully isolated pressure module.

• It has Chinese intrinsically safe and explosion-proof certificates, as well as international ATEX, IECEx, and EAC certificates, meeting hazardous location requirements for applications like gasoline stations and storage tanks, ensuring safe on-site use. 

• For low range measurements of -0.03 bar to 0.03 bar in vapor recovery pipelines, Micro Sensor's smart pressure transmitter offers an accuracy of up to 0.075%, ensuring accurate on-site pressure monitoring.

• The customer's vapor recovery online monitoring system requires continuous pressure monitoring of tanks and pipelines, demanding long-term stability. This transmitter provides stability of ±0.1% SPAN/5 years, guaranteeing reliable long-term measurements.

Value

Using Micro Sensor's smart pressure transmitter, staff can monitor real-time pressure and reliably track VRU pressure, ensuring no system leaks, no vacuum valve blockages, and normal operation of after-treatment equipment. The smart transmitter ensures equipment sealing, preventing leaks, improving recovery efficiency, and ensuring safety. 

For customers, the high accuracy, reliability, and stability of the smart transmitter mean efficient recovery, environmental protection, and enhanced on-site safety.

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