Raffinerie Heide - Sampling system

The company “Raffinerie Heide”

Raffinerie Heide GmbH is a modern petroleum refinery and a versatile chemical company based in Hemmingstedt, Schleswig-Holstein. It processes around 4.5 million tons of crude oil annually and, in addition to classic mineral oil products such as diesel and gasoline fuels, jet fuels, and heating oil, also produces a wide range of petrochemical products.

Initial situation of the project

During a conversation with our sales representative, our contact person at Raffinerie Heide discussed the current challenges. It was determined that there are currently many different, partly outdated sampling points at the plant. Our customer wanted to standardize these. An identical user interface for the sampling systems was intended to make the system more intuitive and easier to operate at all sampling points with as few steps as possible. Due to analysis requirements and factory standards, it was important to our customer that the current sampling principle for volatile hydrocarbons using expansion cylinders be retained. Based on this, our engineers developed designs for the sampling panels.

Project requirements:

• Identical, user-friendly interface for 30 different sampling points
• Modular design so that different sample cylinder sizes can be used depending on the sampling point and requirements
• Sampling with expansion cylinders
• Suitable for use with various media – regardless of their chemical properties, such as propane, propylene, and butane

Technical features of the sampling systems:

At the customer's request, the sampling system uses expansion cylinders to create a gas chamber in the sampling cylinder. A gas chamber is necessary for liquid sampling to avoid hazards caused by extreme pressures that can arise from temperature fluctuations in liquid samples. The challenge was to design a sampling panel that meets the requirements for various liquid hydrocarbons and can be easily adapted and expanded. At the same time, it had to remain as easy to use as possible.

Technical features

Same base plate and pipe routing, simultaneous switching of valves:

• Ease of use
• Reduction of operator errors
• User-friendly with only 3 operating positions

Modular design accessories:

• Interchangeable sample bottles 300 ml, 500 ml & 1000 ml
• Interchangeable expansion volumes: 100 ml, 150 ml, 300 ml
• Nitrogen purge

Advantages:

• Simultaneous switching of multiple valves makes operation much easier and reduces the likelihood of operating errors
• Quick insertion of the sampling cylinder for effective sampling thanks to the use of quick couplings
• Panel can also be modularly adapted for other media
• Additions such as nitrogen purging can be added to each panel at the installation site using the connection points provided.

The development of innovative sampling systems – a joint project by our (Field & Application) Engineering Teams

Our teams worked closely with the customer from the initial concept development to the final commissioning. The end user's requirements were at the forefront throughout the entire process. Our application engineers used state-of-the-art CAD software, while the field engineers and sales team carried out extensive process analyses and on-site visits.

The sampling systems already delivered demonstrate that they meet the customer's requirements and set the foundation for further cooperation.