Ametek Land Introduces Near Infrared Borescope 3XR

Ametek Land releases the new Near Infrared Borescope (NIR-B) 3XR for industrial gas applications. The NIR-B 3XR provides continuous reformer tube wall temperature (TWT) measurement and furnace optimization and monitoring, allowing accurate temperature point data to be measured, stored and trended over the lifetime of the furnace, according to the company.

The high-resolution image, combined with the wide-angle field of view (90°), allows multiple reformer tubes to be imaged and measured simultaneously. This is critical to extending asset life and maximizing efficiency, as a -10°C measurement error over time can result in either 1% lost productivity or a +10°C error can result in 25% reduction in tube life, according to the company.

The NIR-B 3XR is ATEX and IECEX approved for use in Zone 2 gas atmospheres and provides a high-resolution thermal image offering real-time, high-accuracy temperature measurement of both the tube skin and the refractory surface, according to the company. NIR-B 3XR reportedly uses the shortest wavelength possible to minimize errors associated with varying emissivity.

Ametek Land partnered with leading syngas catalyst manufacturers, global operators and reformer designers to develop the NIR-B 3XR, according to the company. NIR-B 3XR reportedly reduces risk to personnel by utilizing infrared temperature measurement and removing the need for an operator or technician to be in a hazardous area on a regular basis.  With advanced digital communications, the image and data can be viewed in real time from the safety of the control room.