APPLICATION NOTE
Impulse Line Blocking Diagnosis in DP Transmitters
Industry: Oil & Gas, Refinery, Petrochemical, Chemical
Product: Differential Pressure Transmitter (EJX)
Introduction
Differential pressure (DP) flowmeters composed of an orifice plate,
a DP transmitter, and other components are widely used in many
applications because they are reliable and require no wet calibration.
The simple design of orifice plates and modern DP transmitters make
them extremely reliable. However, the impulse lines which transmit
process pressure to the DP transmitter are vulnerable to blockages
caused by fluid condensation, freezing, or corrosion. Impulse line
blocking is a problem that must be addressed to ensure efficient
operation and maintenance.
Yokogawa’s EJX series DP transmitter is equipped with a silicon resonant
sensor that can rapidly detect both static pressure and differential
pressure. These features enable the development of a diagnostic
technique which detects fluctuations in static and differential pressures.
By using a digital communications network such as fieldbus, operators
can determine whether an impulse line at a specific installation site has
been blocked. Such information can significantly reduce maintenance
workload and cost.
EJX
Figure1. Connected to impulse lines
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Expected Benefits
 Informs operators/maintenance engineers that a blockage is forming
in an impulse line before the process is disrupted.
 Predicts when the impulse line will be blocked and suggests a
corrective action, based on blockage thresholds.
 Blockage thresholds are determined based on blocking substance,
flowrate variation, and the time required for taking corrective action.
Impulse-line-blocking Diagnostic
Technique
(1) Fluctuation of differential, static pressures
Fluctuating components of differential, static pressures generally
decrease when an impulse line is blocked.
Fluctuating components are calculated as the square summation of
the difference of differential and static pressures that are sampled at
very short time intervals. The amplitudes of fluctuating components
are derived from the root of the square summation. Since these
components are affected by flowrate changes, they are provided as
fluctuation components through flowrate compensation.
Table1 shows the value of the fluctuating components when blocking
occurs on the Hi-side, Lo-side, and both sides. The values for when
no blocking occurs are also shown. When both sides of impulse lines
are blocked, all fluctuating components decrease. When one side of
an impulse line is blocked, the corresponding fluctuating component
decreases. In this case the fluctuating component of differential
pressure is larger than when no blockage occurs.
Table1. Fluctuating component values in impulse lines
H/L side
H side
(bothsides) L side blockage No blockage
blockage
blockage
PH
(static pressure
H side)
PL
(static pressure
L side)
DP
(differential
pressure)
 APPLICATION NOTE

(2) Blocking diagnosis using water flow test rig

Blocking factor F is determined as the correlation function between side blocking and -1 for low side blocking. Figure2 shows the Blocking
the amplitudes of fluctuating components. It approaches +1 for high factor F for each blocking type.

Blocking Factor F Normal --> H side Blockage(0:10) --> H and L Blockages(0:15) --> L side Blockage(0:22)
1.00
0.80 H side blocking
0.60
0.40
0.20
0.00
-0.20
-0.40
L side blocking
-0.60
-0.80
-1.00
0:00

0:01

0:02

0:03

0:05

0:06

0:07

0:09

0:10

0:11

0:12

0:14

0:15

0:16

0:17

0:19

0:20

0:21

0:23

0:24

0:25

0:26

0:28

0:29

0:30
Time [min.]
Figure2. Blocking factor F with H and L side blocking

Conclusion Note:
Operators must receive diagnostic information before a line block leads This diagnostic function is currently available for low viscous liquids
to a malfunction. Yokogawa provides predictive diagnostics based on only.
trend analysis of the blocking factor, which improves maintenance
efficiency and reduces maintenance costs.

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All Rights Reserved, Copyright © 2007, Yokogawa Electric Corporation