By Keith Larson, Group Publisher/Vice President of Content
More than just a new pressure transmitter launch, the 2001 introduction of the 3051S Series by Emerson's Rosemount division represented a first in its field. "Our aspiration was to develop a scalable field instrument architecture that could deliver significantly more value for our customers," says Rosemount Vice President, Worldwide-Pressure, Scott Nelson.
Ten years on, the ability to continue to innovate on that architecture is apparent in its latest award-winning iteration, the 3051S ERS. For electronic remote sensors, the ERS model effectively eliminates problematic capillaries and wet and dry legs often used in differential pressure (DP) level and flow measurement applications. But the real technical breakthrough here is the ability to power the two pressure sensors (for the top and bottom of the tank), as well as their supervisory electronics—all on a single 4-20mA loop. This allows the 3051S ERS to function as a drop-in replacement in decades-old DP cell installations. One chemical company beta-tester installed a 3051S ERS System on a 30-ft (9-m) outdoor tank and realized over two years of maintenance-free operation and better level control.
Also key to the initial and ongoing success of the 3051S is its "super module" design, which packs all of the instrument's electronics into a single, hermetically sealed stainless steel module. "We tried to design out many of the installation, commissioning and operational issues that end users struggle with," Nelson adds.
The 3051S also was the first scalable WirelessHART (IEC 62591) pressure transmitter introduced to the marketplace. WirelessHART allows new measurement points to be added without the hassle and cost of wiring, which reduces deployment time by 75%. Proven success has occurred in applications such as greenhouse gas emission monitoring, optimization of compressors and heat exchangers, and monitoring steam injection flow for enhanced recovery oil fields across the globe. "It took only three hours to install all the instruments, configure and establish the network IP address, and make the Ethernet connection to the control room," says Paul Kinne, head operator at Chevron. "We have eliminated the excess steam usage and now have a reliable steam injection measurement at eight stations."
Advanced diagnostics, another 3051S innovation, allows users to analyze changing process conditions and take corrective action for abnormal situations, such as plugged impulse lines or unstable furnace flames. At one ethylene plant, advanced diagnostics have allowed the company to detect abnormal process conditions and track equipment health 24 hours a day. "Peak production performance has improved with an estimated operational savings for the plant of $20,000 to $30,000 (USD) per day," says the team leader of company's instrumentation group.
More recent 3051S advanced diagnostics can monitor the integrity of the electrical loop, including detecting water in the housing, ground loop issues or an unstable power supply. "The loop integrity monitoring capability of the 3051S will help to increase the overall integrity of our safety system loops in the harsh and humid offshore environments," says Deon Rae, technology manager of process automation at Chevron.
The Rosemount 3051S MultiVariable Transmitter provides differential pressure, static pressure and process temperature measurements along with advanced compensation techniques to provide fully compensated mass and energy flow outputs. The 3051SMV provides full compensation of over 25 different parameters to achieve a 5x improvement in flow performance compared to an uncompensated differential pressure flow measurement. By using 3051SMV technology, a natural gas distributor saved $80,000 in installation and calibration costs when upgrading a storage facility to improve operations.
"The 3051S raises the bar significantly regarding the expectation for pressure, DP flow and DP level instrumentation," adds Mark Schumacher, president of Rosemount Pressure. "The level of security, reliability, performance and features brought forth in the 3051S allows our customers to push their processes harder, with more time between maintenance and outages. Our customers are safer and more profitable. With our continued focus on research and development, we are committed to ensuring our customers' future success."
