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Thermowell Selection and Application

If you are experiencing audio problems please call the teleconference number below 1-408-600-3600 Access code 660 637 935 Bill Bergquist, Sr. Applications Engineer Jeff Wigen, National Account Manager
Thermowell Selection and Application

Bill
Burns Engineering

Jeff

What Well Cover


The thermowell used with your temperature sensor provides critical protection, access, and measurement integrity. Well shed some light on how, why, and when to apply this important device. Thermowell basics
Purpose Types Process connection styles Materials, coatings and surface finish

Performance

Custom designs Specifying


Wake frequency & strength Immersion length Time response Definitions/codes Typical drawing Details Testing & certifications Options

Preventive Maintenance Selection Checklist


Burns Engineering Thermowell Selection and Application

Thermowell Basics - Purpose


Why use a thermowell? Protect the temperature sensor from: Excessive pressures Excessive material velocities & viscosities Corrosion Erosion Simplify maintenance Sensor replacement without draining the system Eliminate potential for contamination system stays closed Protection increases potential life of the sensor Improve temperature measurements

Athermowellsmainpurposeistoprotectthe temperaturesensortoinsurelonglifeand accuratemeasurement.Maintenanceisaidedby allowingthesensortoberemovedwithout havingtodrainthepipeortank.Sensorchanges canbedoneonthefly.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Thermowell Basics - Types


Thermowell types Stepped Tapered Straight Sanitary Protection tube Typically made from pipe Usually not suited for RTDs

Thermowelltypesaredesignatedbythestyleof stemorwettedportionofthewell.Protection tubesaretypicallyusedforthermocouplesand arenotsuitedforusewithRTDsbecausetheydo notprovideenoughsupportforthesensor. Mostthermowellsaremachinedfrombarstock toinsureintegrityforhighpressureapplications. Flangesarejoinedtoathermowellstemmost commonlybyaweldingprocess.Smallerwells maybeconstructedfromtubingandhavethe endweldedclosedandaprocessconnection weldedon.Thesearetypicallyusedinlow pressureapplications.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Thermowell Basics - Stem Types

Stepped

Stepped,sometimesreferredtoasreducedtip, wellsareusuallydiameterandstepdownto diametertoimprovetimeresponse.Tapered wellsareabalancebetweenstrengthandtime response.Straightwellsarespecifiedwhere increasedlifeisdesiredduetocorrosionor erosion.

Tapered

Straight
Burns Engineering Thermowell Selection and Application

Thermowell Basics - Process Connections

Connection styles
Flange
ANSI B16.5 Van Stone

Socket weld Weld-in Threaded Sanitary flange O-Ring

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Connectionstotheprocessareaccomplished withtaperedpipethreadsoradaptationsofpipe orsanitarytubingflangeconnections.Ablankor blindflangeismodifiedtoacceptthethermowell stemandtheneasilyattachestostandard flanges. Weldinstylesareusedforconvenienceorwhere exposedthreadsmaycollectcontaminantssuch asinfoodprocessingorpharmaceutical production. AspecialtytypeofconnectionincorporatesanO ringtosealinsideasleeveweldedtoatank. SometimesreferredtoasanIngoldfittingafter thecompanythatinventeditforphandoxygen sensors.

Thermowell Basics - Process Connections

Thesearejustafewoftheseveralstyles available.Anyimaginablepipeortubing connectionstyleeitherhasbeenorcouldbe adaptedtoathermowellprocessconnection.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Sanitary Weld-In

Asanitaryweldinstylesuchasthisoneisusedin sanitaryprocesstankswherecracksandcrevices arenotdesired.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Sanitary Flange

Thisisathermowellwithasanitaryflange connectionwhichissometimesreferredtoasa TriClampconnector.Itisthemostcommon styleofsanitaryconnection.Thehighpolishand largeradiusbetweenstemandflangeimprove corrosionresistanceandmakecleaningeasier.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Sanitary with Process & Instrument Flange

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Anotherstyleofsanitarywellusesasanitary flangeforattachmentofthetemperaturesensor.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Sanitary Process and Instrument Flange

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Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Sanitary Easy Access Tri-Clamp

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Notoolsarerequiredtoinstallorremovethe sensorwhichmakesforeasiermaintenance.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

O-Ring

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Themostcommonstyleofinstrument connectionisaNPTfemalethreadasshown hereonthisOringstylewell.Thisstylewell installsintoasleeveweldedtoatankwhich acceptsthewellandthethreadednutholdsitin place.AtightfitinsuresthattheOringseals securely.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Thermowell Basics - Process Connections

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Process connection selection


Thread size
Typically tapered pipe thread

Flange size and rating


Gasket surface type
Raised Flat RTJ

Lag length
Added thermowell length outside process to reach through insulation

Brass or SS plug for test wells


Burns Engineering Thermowell Selection and Application

Whenselectingaprocessconnectionthereare severalthingstoconsider.Threadedconnections aretheeasiest,flangeconnectionrequirea flangesize,pressurerating,andgasketsurface style. Laglengthisanextensionofthenonwetted portionofthewelltoreachthroughinsulationor otherobstaclestoprovidewrenchaccess. Typicallyspecifiedforthreadedwells. Testwellsthatsitemptyforlongperiodsoftime shouldhaveaplugintheinstrumentconnection topreventdebrisfromentering.

Materials

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Factors to consider
Define the conditions
Corrosion/erosion Temperature Pressure Fluid Properties

Match the pipe or tank materials Refer to corrosion charts

Materialselectioncanbeassimpleaschoosing thesamematerialasthetankorpipewhereitis tobeinstalled.Thisworksmostofthetimebut thereareexceptions.Inthecaseofcorrosionor erosionanobjectplacedintoaflowismore susceptibletothoseeffectsandadifferent materialwillbenecessarytoprovidelongerlife. Therearecorrosionchartsavailablefrom thermowellmanufacturersthatlistthepreferred materialforchemicalsatdifferentconditions.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Materials Corrosion

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Chemical

Condition

Material

Materialselectiontablesareavailablefor numerouschemicalsandconditions.Notethat concentrationandtemperaturehavean influenceontherecommendedmaterial.The higherthetemperatureand/orconcentrationthe morecorrosivethechemicalcanbe.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Corrosion

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Choosingthewrongmaterialcanresultinfailure ofthewell.Herethetiphascorrodedawayand allowedtheprocessfluidtoleakinsidethewell.

Photo courtesy of Alloy Engineering http://www.thermowells.com/library.html

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Corrosion

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Thisisaviewinsidethetipsectionshowing corrosionontheinsidefromtheleakingprocess fluid.

Photo courtesy of Alloy Engineering http://www.thermowells.com/library.html

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Materials - Erosion
Materials Cobalt-Chromium (Stellite) Cobalt-Nickel (Wallex) Tungsten Carbide Silicon Carbide (Hexoloy) Alumina
Photo courtesy of Lisa Danielson

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Particlessuspendedinafluidorpowdered materialscancauseerosionofthewellover time.Thereareseveralmaterialsavailableto slowdowntheerosion.Mostarehardmaterials thatareappliedthroughaweldingorspraying process.Sometimesjustpickingthecorrect thermowellmaterialissufficienttominimizethe erosionaffects.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Materials - Selection Materials


Metals Plastic Ceramic Surface coatings
Teflon Tantalum Ceramic Hard facing

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Surface finish
Improved corrosion resistance Sanitary applications
Electropolish Passivation
Burns Engineering Thermowell Selection and Application

Avarietyofmaterialscanbeusedtoconstruct thermowells.Surfacecoatingscanbeusedto improvecorrosionanderosionresistance. PlasticssuchasTeflonarehighlycorrosion resistantandceramicsofferhightemperature capabilitiesandcanbeagoodchoiceforerosive applications. Tantalumisusedforacidresistanceandcanbe appliedasasleeveoritcanbebondedtothe surfaceofnearlyanythermowellstyle. Improvingthesurfacefinishwillincrease corrosionresistanceandmakeiteasiertoclean. Fewerridgesandcrevicesmeansasmaller surfaceareaforthecorrodenttoattack. Electropolishingorpassivatingthesurface furtherincreasescorrosionresistance.

Materials

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Sometimeslessexpensivematerialsturnoutto bethebestchoice.OriginallyaTeflonplated metalwellwasusedformonitoringthe temperatureofanacidicwasteproduct.Teflon platingiseasilydamaged(thinkofyourfrying pan)andtheacidquicklyateawaythemetalwell causingittoleak.Thesolutionwastouse standard3PVCpipetoconstructthewellwhich wasabout10ftlongandattachedwithaflange connection.Aninternalwellwasmadewith PVCtohousethetemperaturesensorallowingit tostickoutacoupleinchesforbettertime response.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Positive Material Identification (PMI)

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Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

PositiveMaterialIdentification(PMI)referstothe identificationandanalysisofvariousmetalalloys basedontheirchemicalcompositionin nondestructivetesting(NDT).Measurement resultsareshownintheformofelemental concentrationinpercentageorbyspecificalloy namesuchasSS316LorInconel625.PMIisa fieldtestingmethodmadepossiblebythe portabilityofmostPMIanalyzers.These instrumentsalsocanbeusedinthelaboratory TheXRayFluorescenceTechniqueXRF XRFinstrumentsworkbyexposingasampletoa beamofXrays.Theatomsofthesampleabsorb energyfromtheXrays,becometemporarily excitedandthenemitsecondaryXrays.Each chemicalelementemitsXraysataunique energy.Bymeasuringintensityandcharacteristic energyoftheemittedXrays,anXRFanalyzercan providequalitativeandquantitativeanalysis regardingthecompositionofthematerialbeing tested.

Performance

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Measurement accuracy
Wake frequency and strength calculations
ASME PTC 19.3 TW-2010

Immersion length
Elbow well

Time response
Heat transfer paste Bore and probe diameter

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Measurementaccuracycanbeadverselyaffected byathermowellunlessafewprecautionsare taken.Wakefrequencyandstrengthcalculations areprobablythemostimportant.These calculationswilltellyouhowlongthewellcanbe immersedintoyourprocessbasedontheflow conditions(moreonthislater).Thishastobe balancedwiththeaccuracyneedsofthesensor tobeimmersedsufficientlytopreventstem conductionorimmersionerror. Finally,timeresponseisslowerwiththeaddition ofathermowellandforprocessesthatchange temperaturerapidlythiscanbeasignificanterror source.

ASME PTC 19.3 TW-2010


ASME PTC 19.3 TW - 2010

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The long awaited PTC 19.3 TW-2010 is a completely new standard that establishes the practical design considerations for thermowell installations in power and process piping. This code is an expanded version of the thermowell section contained in the PTC 19.3-1974, and incorporates the latest theory in the areas of natural frequency, Strouhal frequency, in-line resonance and stress evaluation. ASME responded to changing industry demands for a more comprehensive set of thermowell evaluations. Key enhancements over the 1974 edition include: Expanded coverage for thermowell geometry Natural frequency correction factors for mounting compliance, added fluid mass, and sensor mass Consideration for partial shielding from flow Intrinsic thermowell damping; Steady state and dynamic stress evaluations Improved allowable fatigue limit definition. Excerpted from ASME website:
Burns Engineering Thermowell Selection and Application

Thenewreleaseofthethermowellsectionofthe PowerTestCodeincorporatethelatesttheoryfor wakefrequencyandstrengthcalculations.If youreapipingdesignerallthisprobablymeansa lottoyou.Forsomeoneselectingathermowell itmaybealittlelikelearninghowtobuilda chainsawtocutdownatree.Interestingbutnot reallynecessary.Yourthermowellsupplierwill providethecalculationsbasedyourprocess conditionsanddesiredthermowellconfiguration. Youneedtoknowthatyouwantthecalculations donetothenew2010versionofthestandard.

http://staging.files.asme.org/Catalog/Codes/PrintBook/25750.pdf

Von Krmn Vortex

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Von Krmn vortex street, by [http://www.mcef.ep.usp.br/staff/jmeneg/cesareo/Cesareo_HomePage.html Cesareo de La Rosa Siqueira

Whenacylindricalobjectisplacedinaflowthere isadisturbancecreatedonthedownstreamside thatoscillatesbackandforth.Thefrequencyof theoscillationincreasesastheflowrate increases.Iftheresonantfrequencyofthe thermowellmatchesthefrequencyofthe vorticesthewellwillstarttovibrateandwillfirst damagetheRTDandthenthewellwillfail. Therearealotofgoodillustrationsofthis phenomenaontheinternet.Asearchforvon karmanorwakefrequencywillreturnseveral.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Thermowell Selection

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Thisgraphshowstheacceptableflowratesfor variousthermowelldesignsandadiameter directimmersionRTD.Notethatashortincrease inimmersionlengthhasalargeaffectonthe allowableflowrate.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Information Required

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Thisistypicaloftheinformationthatisneeded toperformthecalculations.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Stress Crack

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Anexampleofwhatcanhappenifthewake frequencyandstrengthcalculationsarenot done.Thiswellincorporatesasupportpartway downthestemtoprovidesupportbutitwasnt enough.Acrackformedasoutlinedaroundthe stem. ASMEPTC19.3doesnotrecommendtheuseof supportssuchasthis.Shorterimmersionor largerdiameterarethepreferredsolutions.

Photo courtesy of Alloy Engineering http://www.thermowells.com/library.html

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Alittlebetterviewofthecrackthatformed.
Stress Crack
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Photo courtesy of Alloy Engineering http://www.thermowells.com/library.html

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Immersion Length
Direct immersion RTDs require 10 x probe diameter plus sensitive length to avoid stem conduction errors. Thermowells require about 4.5.

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25C

Aruleofthumbforminimumimmersionlength toavoidstemconductionerroris10timesthe probediameterplusthesensitivelengthofthe probe.MostRTDshaveasensitivelengthof approximately1.0.SoforadiameterRTDthe minimumrecommendedimmersionis3.5. Thermowellsrequireabout4.5asaminimum forbestaccuracy.

200C

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Immersion Error

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Immersion Error for 200L05ANN135TT302


40.00

35.00

30.00

Indicated Error (% Delta T)

25.00

20.00

Ice Bath 100C Oil Bath

Athermowell/RTDassemblywasimmersedina bathtodeterminethestemconductionat variousdepths.At4.5inchesmostoftheerror hasdisappeared.Asyoucanseetheerroris mostlyindependentofthebathtemperature used.Theerrorisexpressedasapercentageof thedeltaTbetweenambientandprocess conditions.

15.00

200C Oil Bath

10.00

5.00

0.00 0 -5.00 Im m e rs ion De pth (Inche s ) 2 4 6 8 10 12

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Specialty Elbow Wells

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Whenlinesizedoesntallowforalongenough immersionlengthaspecialtythermowellsuchas thiscanbeused.Notetheflarearoundthe internalthermowellwhichavoidsflow restriction.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Elbow Well Drawing

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Forthoseapplicationsthatrequireathermowell, theelbowstyleworkswellifsizedcorrectly.An immersionlengthofatleast4formost applicationsisnecessarytoprovideanaccurate measurement.Shorterimmersionlengthsmay workforsomeprocessfluidsandflowrates.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Installation in a Tee

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SENSOR INSTALLED PERPENDICULAR TO FLOW SENSOR INSTALLED PARALLEL TO FLOW

Good
SENSOR INSTALLED PARALLEL TO FLOW

Better

Best
Fluid

Insmalldiameterlinesthereistypicallynot enoughroomtogettheproperimmersionlength toavoidstemconduction.Thisillustratesthree methodsofmodifyingthepipingtoprovideextra room.Theoneontherightisthebestmethod becauseitprovidesfortheflowcomingdirectly atthetipofthesensorforlessstressonthe probeanditalsowashesoutthedeadlagportion ofthetee.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Anti-Immersion?

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Anotherinstallationmethodwhichwedont recommend.Theresprobablyajokebehindthis suchasitsforroomairtemperatureorit makesanicehandhold.Likelyjustthe2ndshift crewhavingfunwiththe1stshiftcrew.Inany case,aremindertoalwaysdoublecheckyour installation.

Photo courtesy of Alloy Engineering http://www.thermowells.com/library.html

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Performance - Time Constant


Adding heat transfer paste cuts these times nearly in half.

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TimeConstantisdefinedasthetimeittakesfor thesensortoindicate63.2%ofastepchangein temperatureinwatermovingat3fps.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Specialty Fast Response Tip

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Afewspecialtywellssuchasthisonecan improvethetimeconstantsignificantlywitha smalldiametertip,heattransferpaste,anda specialdesignRTD.

Time constant is about 4 seconds


Burns Engineering Thermowell Selection and Application

Specialty Flow-Through Design

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Thiswellprovidesprotectiontothesensorbut allowsflowintothesensorforimprovedtime response.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Specialty Large Diameter Elbow

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A3tubesanitaryelbowthermowellisshown hereandrevealstheinternalthermowellwhichis 3/8diameterandhasa.260borediameter.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Specifying - Definitions/Codes
Process connection P Immersion length U Lag length T Bore depth A usually overall length minus Tip diameter D Root diameter Q Stem style Instrument connection Material
Coatings

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Standardvariablelettersareusedtodescribe thermowelldimensions.

Bore diameter Surface finish Plug Testing Certifications

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Specifying Typical Drawing

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OfthesetheimmersionlengthUandthebore depthAaremostcommonlyusedforspecifying thelengthofthesensor.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Specifying Some Need to Know Details


Thread size 1/2, 3/4, or 1 NPT Socket weld 3/4 refers to O.D. of connection based on pipe size. 3/4 = 1.05 OD of fitting Flange 2.0 x 150 LB or class 150 1.5 x 300 LB Sanitary flange 1.5, 2, 2.5 etc. Flange size refers to the tube size it is used to connect and not the actual flange diameter. For example: 1.5 sanitary flange measures 2.0 diameter

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Someknowledgeofthevarioustypesofprocess connectionsisrequiredtochoosethecorrect size.ThreadedconnectionsareNPTandfairly straightforward.Flangeconnectionsizesreferto thesizepipeortubewhichtheyconnect.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Specifying - Testing and Certifications


A few of the available certifications: Hydrostatic internal or external pressure testing per ASTM Dye penetrant testing per ASTM X-ray examination per ASTM Material certification Wake frequency and strength calculations Mechanical Surface Finish Certification Canadian Registration Number (CRN) Material Certificate of Conformance No ADM (Animal Derived Material) Certification that no polishing compound was used Certification of NACE Approval Electropolish and Surface Finish Certification Positive material identification (PMI) Inspection Certificate (ISO 10474, EN 10204, DIN 50049) 3.1B Passivation Weld Map - location & numerical identification of every weld

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Thesearejustafewofthepossibleteststhatcan beperformedonathermowell.Ofthese,the mostcommonarematerialcertification,wake frequencycalculations,andpressuretesting.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Specifying - Options Some available options:


Plug and chain Marked with tag number (customer specific information) Open ended thermowell 1/8 Diameter weep hole Full weld penetration on flanged well, includes certification British Standard Pipe process threads (BSP) Deep Tap threads (for explosion proof applications) Velocity collar (not recommended per the ASME standard) Coatings for corrosion or erosion resistance Flange facing options Cleaned for oxygen service Root and tip Q and D dimension options

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Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

An ounce of prevention
Preventive maintenance
Thermowell
; ; ; ; ; Bore cleaning Heat transfer compound Product buildup on wetted portion Cracks in flange weld or leaky gasket RTD bottoms in well and spring loads

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Thermowellstypicallyneedonlyminimal maintenance,keepingthemcleaninsideandout isusuallyallthatisrequired.Heattransferpaste shouldberenewedifthesensorisremovedfor calibrationorreplacement.

Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

Thermowell Selection Checklist


Thermowell selection Material selection Corrosion Erosion Strength Process connection style Flange Threaded Welded Sanitary Stem style Wake frequency and strength calculations Immersion length Surface finish Time response
Burns Engineering Thermowell Selection and Application

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Summary
Thermowell basics Purpose Types Process connection styles Materials, coatings and surface finish Performance Wake frequency & strength Immersion length Time response Custom designs Specifying Definitions/codes Typical drawing Details Testing & certifications Options Preventive Maintenance Selection Checklist

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Burns Engineering

Thermowell Selection and Application

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Thermowell Selection and Application

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Thermowell Selection and Application

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