The History Of Condumax

Condumax was originally designed by Michell Instruments in partnership with Shell Research in 1984 to measure the hydrocarbon dew point of natural gas with optimum reliability and accuracy.

Condumax was originally designed by Michell Instruments in partnership with Shell Research in 1984 to measure the hydrocarbon dew point of natural gas with optimum reliability and accuracy.

In the 20 years since its development, Condumax is still recognised by many national and multinational companies involved in the production, storage and distribution of natural gas as the benchmark instrument with which to reliably record the hydrocarbon dew point of natural gas.

The launch of Condumax II marks the climax of a three year development programme to enhance the existing Condumax and create the most advanced hydrocarbon dew-point analyser available today.

Extensive customer research pin-pointed the areas where the original Condumax could benefit from improvement, and new technologies have given Michell the opportunity to incorporate exciting new features in an instrument that is simple to install and operate.

How does it work? Typically Condumax II will be installed next to a natural gas pipeline in a hazardous area.

It will take a sample of gas from the pipeline and condition the gas at a preset pressure, and filter out any contaminating particulate matter or hydrocarbon liquids.

Using Michell's patented cooled mirror Dark Spot technique Condumax II will cool the gas to determine the effective hydrocarbon dew-point temperature.

Condumax II - what's new? Easy installation and low cost operation * Condumax II is housed in a compact EExd enclosure so it can be installed on location rather than in an analyser house.

* No compressed air or natural gas coolant feed is required, making Condumax II a single utility system.

* EExd site wiring only is required for installation.

* No instrinscally safe or fibre optic wiring is required for operation of the Condumax II.

* Hydrocarbon and water dew-point measurement can be combined in the same analyser.

Data collection and analysis * Condumax II has a local display and touchpad to allow data collection and changes to be made on-site within a hazardous area.

* Condumax II can be connected to a Modbus communications network.

* Advanced Condumax II datalogging software can be viewed on the Condumax remote display unit or via a PC.

Certification * Ex II 2 G Eexd IIB + H2 T4 * Temperature range of Tamb -40 to +60 and an IP rating of IP66 What stays the same? The fundamental measurement techniques used so successfully in the original Condumax have been transferred to Condumax II.

* Hydrocarbon dew-point measurement Michell's patented "Dark Spot" principle has been proven time and time again to give unparalleled accuracy and repeatability in the measurement of hydrocarbon dew point, to the extent that many global companies now specify this method when ordering a new analyser.

* Water dew-point measurement Michell's patented and proven Ceramic Tile technology will continue to be used in the new combined hydrocarbon/ water dew-point analyser.

Successful testing At the moment, Gasunie is carrying out a research project to investigate the relationship between the potential hydrocarbon liquid content (according to ISO 6570) and the hydrocarbon dew point.

The Condumax II was selected for this project because of its simple design and easy installation in hazardous areas compared to its predecessor Condumax.

So far, Gasunie Research did not experience a single failure during the laboratory tests and the long term measurements at some field locations (from December 2003 until June 2004).

The results of the tests carried out show a high reproducibility of the measured hydrocarbon dew point.

During periods of time with stable gas quality the dew point remained within * 0.1 C.

Making the best even better.

From off-shore dehydration and hydrocarbon reduction plant, to fiscal metering at transfer points and end user measurements of consumer gas moisture and superheat control in gas turbines, Condumax has proven its worth time and time again, giving years of reliable service with minimal maintenance.

Condumax II builds on this record of success and delivers unequalled technical and operational excellence combined with ease of installation and use.

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