The steam reforming process uses a huge furnace that heats a large number of tubes containing a catalyst. When steam and natural gas are passed through the tubes, over the catalyst, a catalytic reaction occurs that produces the synthetic gas (syngas) made up of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This syngas is used to produce the desired product.

Understanding the temperatures of the tube walls is necessary for controlling the reforming reaction. It also significantly affects the lifespan of the tubes, since this can be rapidly diminished by overheating.

Finding a balanced temperature that does not place undue stress on the tubes while being high enough to deliver the most efficient process is critical and can have a significant impact on the profitability of a plant.

The best method for meeting the demands of improved safety and production is to implement regular temperature monitoring. This guide covers three technologies that are used to meet this requirement: infrared pyrometers, thermal imaging borescopes and the Gold Cup.

Each of these methods uses a non-contact temperature measurement technique, which, while providing highly accurate and repeatable temperature data, requires an understanding of this challenging application.

Inexpensive, easy-to-use handheld pyrometers have traditionally been the industry standard for steam reformer tube measurements. Although they need to compensate for emissivity and reflected radiation, they deliver precise results at high speed.

A method to verify the portable pyrometer readings is to use the Gold Cup pyrometer, which is held against the tube surface to eliminate background, sight path and emissivity effects.

Thermal imaging technology can now be housed in water-cooled jackets, which means reformers can be monitored continuously, patterns can be observed, and alarms can be set to automatically detect concerning temperature rises and falls.

This guide looks at how tube wall temperature (TWT) measurements can benefit a variety of applications, the technology behind the measurements and a range of solutions that help reformer operators achieve safer, more efficient production.

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