Cartridge Heater Withstands Abuse In Portable Crude Oil Analyzer

Problem:

Analyzing the volatile organic chlorides in crude oil requires a portable unit rugged enough to handle abuse and elements found in the oil fields. Additionally, the lack of 120VAC power requires the analyzer to operate on 12VDC. The analyzer works by placing crude oil and water in a sample chamber where a FIREROD^® cartridge heater boils the mixture. The steam and oil vapors are then condensed and the chloride content determined through chemical analysis.

Solution:

Special attention was given to the heater, since operator negligence often caused the crude oil and water mixture to boil off; leaving the heater exposed to open air and susceptible to overheating. The FIREROD's swaged construction and close proximity of its resistance element winding to the sheath proved itself to far outlast the competitive product considered for this application.