Application · Oil in water
Oil in Condensate and Cooling Water: Detect Leaks Early
One leaking heat exchanger is enough to let oil into your condensate or cooling water. If you wait for the next lab sample, the oil may already be in the boiler or in the discharge. The FLUORImat oil-in-water sensor measures continuously, directly in the line, and reports rising oil levels immediately.
Detects oil traces in the ppm range
Inline in DN 25 to DN 50 or in a bypass
Relay alarm to your control room
Causes
Where oil enters condensate and cooling water
In almost every case, a component fails where water and oil are separated by a thin wall.
Heat exchangers and preheaters carry oil, thermal oil or oily product on one side and steam or water on the other. Oil coolers on turbines, compressors and gearboxes can leak lube and control oil into the cooling water.
Steam-heated tanks and heating coils return their condensate to the boiler house. Pumps and seals in condensate and cooling circuits are typical entry points as well.
Power plants
cooling water and condensate return
Petrochemicals
heat exchangers with oil on the process side
Food
oil in condensate, process and service water
Risk
What an undetected leak costs
In the boiler
Oil forms deposits on heating surfaces, reduces heat transfer and can cause foaming and overheated tubes.
In the condensate
Contaminated condensate has to be dumped, wasting water, energy and treatment chemicals.
In the discharge
Oil in the cooling water discharge can breach discharge limits and trigger reporting duties and clean-up costs.
In the product
In food and chemical production, you lose product and risk quality issues.
Monitoring
Why grab samples come too late
Leaks usually start small and grow. A sample per shift or per day captures a single moment, so anything that happens between samples goes unnoticed. The lab result arrives hours later.
Low oil concentrations are invisible to the eye. An inline oil-in-water analyzer provides a continuous reading instead. It shows the trend and raises an alarm the moment a limit is exceeded.
Describe your applicationIn comparison
Grab sample: one moment
——————
Inline: every moment
= alarm at the limit
The relay output reports the limit directly to your control room, at night and at weekends too.
Measuring principle
UV-induced fluorescence: how the FLUORImat detects oil
The FLUORImat illuminates the water with UV light. Hydrocarbons in the oil, especially unsaturated ones, absorb this light and emit it again as longer-wavelength, yellow-green fluorescence. The more oil in the water, the stronger the signal, so even traces in the ppm range can be detected.
A ratio measurement automatically compensates for turbidity, fouled windows and UV lamp aging. More on the method: Measuring Oil on Water Using UV-Induced Fluorescence.
Measuring system
Recommended system: FLUORImat
The FLUORImat is designed for continuous operation and calibrated for each application, using reference samples from your process if required.
0–20
ppm, typical range
0–100
ppm, typical range
DN 25–50
pipe size
PN 16
process pressure
80 °C
max. temperature
IP65
protection class
Materials
Stainless steel 1.4404 (316L), sapphire windows, application-specific seals.
Installation
Directly in pipelines DN 25 to DN 50 (1″ to 2″) or in a bypass.
Cleaning
Optional cleaning probe, CIP-compatible.
Signals
Via the C1 signal amplifier: 4–20 mA analog output and relay outputs.
Explosion protection
ATEX Zone 1 / Zone 2 on request.
Calibration
Application-specific, with one or several reference samples.
Not every oil fluoresces equally strongly. That is why we check how well your oil can be detected before we quote, using a sample if needed.
Installation
Installation and operation
Cooling water
Install the sensor in the return line downstream of the oil coolers or heat exchangers, or before the outfall.
Condensate
Measure in the condensate return, for example before the feedwater tank. The FLUORImat is rated for max. 80 °C. For hotter condensate, we agree a bypass solution with you.
Alarm and response
The relay output signals the limit to your control room. Via your control system, contaminated condensate can then be dumped before it reaches the boiler, for example.
Working together
Four steps to a running measurement
We support you from the first question to commissioning.
01
Contact
You describe your application by phone or email.
02
Requirements analysis
We review medium, oil and installation point and recommend the right system.
03
Customization
We configure measuring cell, materials, process connection and calibration for your application.
04
Installation
On request, our technicians support installation and commissioning and connect the system to your controls.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about oil in condensate
At what oil concentration does the FLUORImat respond?
Typical measuring ranges are 0–20 ppm and 0–100 ppm. The exact sensitivity depends on the oil. We check this in advance, using a sample if needed.
Can I measure directly in hot condensate?
The FLUORImat is rated for max. 80 °C. For higher temperatures, we agree a bypass solution with you.
Do turbidity or dirty windows affect the reading?
No. The ratio measurement compensates for both, as well as for UV lamp aging. An optional cleaning probe is available for heavily fouling media.
Is a version for hazardous areas available?
Yes, ATEX Zone 1 and Zone 2 versions are available on request.
What about oil floating on a water surface?
For basins, separators and open channels, non-contact surface scanners such as the IRmat and the FLUCOmat are the better choice. More on this: Floating Oil Detection.
Inquiry
Planning leak monitoring?
Briefly describe your application. We review it and get back to you with a proposal for the right measuring system.
Helpful for your quotation: medium, oil or product, required alarm limit in ppm, temperature and pressure, pipe size, hazardous area and required signals. Anything you do not know yet, we clarify together.
Prefer to talk? Call us or email info@chemtronic-gmbh.de.
+49 (0) 2173 57007