Fluke 754 Ing Application Note Calibration And Ation For Process Manufacturing

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Automated field calibration for

the oil and gas industry

How to save time and money and reduce risk:

White Paper

Technicians that maintain and

troubleshoot process automa-

tion systems used in refineries,

pipeline custody transfer appli-

cations, or pumping operations

know that there are thou-

sands of sophisticated devices

required to perform countless

critical operations ceaselessly,

accurately, and reliably. Those

devices require regular inspec-

tion, testing, calibration, and

repair to protect the health and

safety of the public. Businesses

and governments require highly

specific documentation of those

maintenance and calibration

tasks performed on these critical

assets.

Traditional calibration and

documentation practices are

labor-intensive and in today’s

downsized environment there

simply aren’t the resources to

keep up. However, automated

calibration practices are prov-

ing a practical alternative

because they require smaller

teams, increase productivity and

operational reliability at a lower

overall cost.

Increased safety and

productivity. Reduced costs

Whether you’re installing a

new device, changing the set-

tings of an existing device, or

reinstalling a repaired device,

calibration is the only way to

ensure that the device meets

performance requirements. This

is important for:

• Safety. When valves and

gauges are not regularly cali-

brated, they can fail, cause

an unsafe condition possibly

leading to an explosion, loss of

life and cause great damage to

infrastructure.

• Quality. To perform at the

highest efficiency and quality,

equipment must be well main-

tained and adjusted.

• Revenue. Calibration of the

devices that make custody

transfer measurements, are nec-

essary to insure that purchased

products, such as gasoline or

natural gas, are measured and

taxed correctly.

• Compliance. Government

regulation and enforcement

agencies often require cali-

bration and documentation to

verify that devices conform

to rules and standards. Poor

calibration documentation can

put the manufacturer at risk of

government fines and loss of

production.

• Cost savings. With automated

calibration and documenta-

tion a lean team can complete

twice as many calibrations in

the same amount of time, which

lowers the cost per calibration

significantly. Regular calibra-

tion can also reduce the risk

of lost revenue from accidents;

if a disaster strikes, good cali-

bration records can support a

strong defense against legal

action.

Dispelling myths

In the oil and gas industry there

is a widespread belief that field-

bus (digital) field devices do not

require calibration. This is not

true. A fieldbus signal provides

diagnostic information; it does

not provide information about

the accuracy of the device, nor

does it verify that the device is

reporting the process accurately

and precisely.

For example, a Foundation

fieldbus differential pressure

transmitter can report diagnostic

information about the transmit-

ter, but it cannot report on the

physical condition of the orifice

plate across which it is mea-

suring pressure. Consequently,

even if the electronics are oper-

ating perfectly, the flow reading

transmitted may be inaccurate.

Calibration is required to ensure

the flow reading is accurate.

Addressing documentation

challenges

Traditionally, documenting a

calibration has meant hand

writing the results on a clip-

board or in a log book. Pencil-

and-paper documentation both

produces and perpetuates

errors. The data in handwrit-

ten records is often illegible

or insufficient. And, facilities

that use a computerized main-

tenance management system

(CMMS), must allot additional

time to manually enter the

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Specifications subject to change without notice.

Printed in U.S.A. 5/2014 6002161A_EN

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handwritten data into the sys-

tem, which creates additional

possibilities for errors.

Another challenge is that

many facilities store field data

in more than one database.

Calibration data entered in the

operations database may not

be populated into or accessible

by the maintenance database.

These challenges are being

addressed by:

• Installing more digital instru-

ments and valves

• Using interconnected asset

management software to help

manage documentation

• Using handheld documenting

process calibrators to auto-

mate field calibrations and

upload digital documentation

to a CMMS

• Using route-based calibration

Doing more with less

Budget cuts and the retirement

of experienced workers, sub-

stantially reduced engineering,

maintenance, and operations

staffs. Those leaner staffs make

it harder to have a large group

of technicians to do rounds. As

a result, calibration rounds often

fall by the wayside.

Those reductions in team size

also mean that experienced

team members have less time

for mentoring and on-the-

job-training. This means that

equipment and system-specific

knowledge is not being suc-

cessfully transferred from the

individual to the institution. As

older operators and engineers

retire, they take this knowledge

with them.

Automating calibration and

documentation

You can mitigate losing the

benefit of that experience and

knowledge by using multi-

function documenting process

calibrators and a new gen-

eration of handheld pressure

calibration tools. Most of these

devices feature recording and

memory functions so you can

log measurements and upload

them to a PC for reporting

and analysis. Multifunction

calibrators consolidate multiple

calibration steps and functions

into a single handheld device

that sources, simulates and

measures pressure, temperature,

and a wide variety of electrical

and electronic signals. Likewise

handheld pressure calibrators

combine pressure and tempera-

ture measurements and in some

cases an integrated electric

pump, which saves hand pump-

ing and extra baggage.

These multifunction tools are

instrumental in:

• Reducing the number of tools

you have to carry and learn to

use

• Collecting multiple data sets

with one tool.

• Replacing many manual cali-

bration steps with automated

procedures

• Allowing just one person to

perform calibrations in most

cases

• Limiting the calculated error

to a single tool rather than

multiple tools

• Isolate a device from the

process, verify that it’s

depressurized, and apply sig-

nals with an electric pump.

Using calibration routes

The biggest savings from using

a documenting calibrator comes

in the route management tool

built into the device. The tech-

nician can load up a ‘round’

of calibrations that walks the

techs consistently through the

steps of each procedure. Using

a single set of permits and

paperwork for an entire route

of calibrations for maybe 20

instruments reduces the cost

per calibration considerably

compared to performing one-off

calibrations.

Reducing maintenance costs

and risk

Because documenting process

calibrators automatically record

the as-found and as-left state

of each field device, in situ, and

can be operated by a single

technician, route-based docu-

menting calibrators can save as

much as 50% of the time and

cost of traditional manual, sin-

gle-device calibration methods.

Besides saving maintenance

costs, this process can help

companies avoid the legal costs

and lost revenue from accidents.

Good calibration maintenance

practices help reduce the prob-

ability of accidents that can

exceed $100 million per inci-

dent. And, if a disaster strikes,

good calibration records can

be a part of a facility’s legal

defense.

The big picture

In summary, implementing

route-based calibration, paper-

less documentation, and CMMS

data management:

• Makes it more practical and

affordable for companies to

perform calibrations more

consistently

• Reduces risk and liability

exposure

• Supports knowledge transfer

from the individual to the

team and to the institution

• Helps to increase both produc-

tivity and quality