The reasons high-temperature calibration is vital in industry

In the world of manufacturing, extreme conditions can make accurate temperature measurement a daunting task. However, no matter the scenario, accurate and reliable temperature monitoring is vital for production and paramount for safety.

A number of industrial processes key to fabricating many of the everyday products on the modern market require high temperatures on the production line. In fact, Australia’s top exports involve a lot of processed heat, including iron ore, coal briquettes, gold, and petroleum gas – more commonly known as propane or butane. For example, the petroleum refining process requires crude oil to be heated to more than 400 degrees Celsius.

That is precisely why maintaining temperature-measurement instruments is essential for maximum reliability. This is never more crucial than in heavy industry and manufacturing.

A very particular process

Crude oil is broken down through a distillation process. Inside a distillation unit, the liquids and vapors separate into petroleum components. Those petroleum components are called fractions, defined by their weight and boiling point. Heavy fractions are on the bottom, light fractions are on top. You may know the lighter fractions by their common names: gasoline and butane. The medium-weight fractions include kerosene and diesel oil distillates, and stay in the middle of the distillation tower. Finally, the heavier liquids, also known as gas oils, separate lower in the distillation tower while the heaviest fractions – with the highest boiling points – settle at the bottom.

As you can see, the process is fairly complex and requires very specific temperature differences to correspond to the various boiling points. Therefore accurate temperature checks are required to produce high-quality products.

Measurement instruments used in a process like this are exposed to extreme conditions, day in and day out. Under these circumstances, even the highest-quality instrument can be compromised. Therefore it’s important that instruments be frequently and properly calibrated to ensure issues are alleviated before they become too difficult to manage.

Measurement instruments used in a process like this are exposed to extreme conditions.

Calibration and testing of these instrument solutions on a regular basis enables technicians to catch problems before or shortly after they begin, allowing the problem to be cut off at the knees before production or safety are compromised.

It’s important to develop a servicing roster based on well-tested standards. The only way to accurately define those standards is to maintain a service cadence that is as robust as necessary.
Maintenance time can be seen by some as difficult to justify, but when a piece of equipment becomes faulty, the downtime affects not only operational costs but also worker inactivity. Money is ultimately wasted waiting for a solution to a preventable problem. Calibrating temperature measurement solutions ensures they are working at the highest level and can therefore be relied upon to determine future maintenance needs.

Reproducing results when measuring extreme temperature in industrial and manufacturing environments is crucial to the accuracy of the product and safety of the process. If technicians aren’t able to accurately record the same data readings in controlled testing conditions as they do on the factory floor,there may be a fundamental issue with the temperature monitoring solution itself.
Defining the “true” value of what is being measured is paramount in every aspect of production and enables technicians the ability to record accurate data – which, in turn, generates important insights into operations.

Why Testo’s high temperature Calibration Services are industry leading

Testo stands out in the calibration services sector. Our state-of-the-art equipment is capable of generating controlled temperatures from -20 up to 650 degrees Celsius.

From blast chillers to industrial ovens, accurately measuring industrial processes has never been easier thanks to Testo. We take pride in our enterprise partners working in the heavy industry and manufacturing sector. Our calibrating and analysis are essential to your enterprise instruments and can make the difference in your market.

Our calibration technicians help in three simple steps: