Gauge Practice

Gauge Your Best Practices
WIKA - Part of your business
Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 1

When Everything’s at Stake
Gauges Serve as System Indicators
When gauges are functioning

properly, and when they seem to
function improperly, they can point
to an even larger issue or
impending disaster.
“The pressure gauge would have shown that

the cement was failing and that pressure was
building as oil and gas was rushing into the
well. But they got a reading of ‘no pressure’ on
that gauge. Another gauge was showing
pressure building…They made the wrong
judgment call about whether the pressure was
or wasn’t building, looking at these two pressure
gauges. And that was the blowout.”
A Sea in Flames:
The Deepwater Horizon Blowout
Carl Safina
Random House, 2011

Safety Incidents
Can Lead to Hefty Fines
EPA OSHA

Why Your Company Cares About Safety

Rethinking Instrumentation
What Do Pressure Gauges Have to Do With Safety?

Pressure and Temperature Instruments
 Myth
 Mechanical pressure gauges are not a
safety concern
 Reality
 The wall thickness of the internal Bourdon
tube is usually the thinnest barrier between
the process media and the environment
 Impact
 The right gauge will help you keep people
safe, avoid costly spills and ensure
operational reliability

Pressure and Temperature Instruments
 Myth
 Mechanical pressure gauges do not help
me increase productivity or reliability
 Reality
 Pressure and temperature gauges are
cost-effective alerts that tell you what’s
happening in your process…or about to
go wrong
 Impact
 The right gauge will help you keep people
safe, avoid costly spills and ensure
operational reliability

Failing Pressure Gauges
Why Take the Risk?
More than 250 WIKA Instrument Reviews have shown that almost 25% of
instruments in typical processing plant required corrective action.

Ignore Gauges at Your Employee’s Risk
And, any failed gauge can be a ticking time bomb and release media at any
moment, creating a safety hazard for employees.
Source: WIKA Instrument Corporation Instrument Audits

Why Gauges Fail

Gauge Failure
The most common gauge failures (from most common to least common)
Mechanical Vibration Pulsation Spikes / Overpressure Temperature
Steam Corrosion Clogging Mishandling and

Improper Use

Gauge Failure – Vibration
Mechanical Vibration

Vibration
MAIN CAUSES
■ Vibrating equipment near the gauge, usually from pumps or similar type equipment
SYMPTOMS
■ Increases wear on movement and components
■ Damage occurring to internal components may be difficult to determine
■ As movement wears, the Bourdon tube can vibrate or even crack
CONSEQUENCES
■ Difficult to read pressure and failed gauges
■ Loss of containment (LOC)
■ Fugitive emissions

Signs of Vibration
Pointer has fallen off due to severe vibration
Dust on inside of window from wear of

internal components
Signs of Vibration
■ Failing gauges don’t always show symptoms

externally, but they are not giving you proper
readings
■ Cracks in tubes lead to the worst scenarios,

including potential loss of containment
Crack in Tube
Worn Normal
Link Link
Worn Pinion Gear Worn Segment Gear
Vibration Solutions – Liquid Fill
■ Liquid-filled cases dampen vibration and reduce wear on internal components

Vibration Solutions - Field-Fillable Case Design
■ Designed to be liquid filled
■ Easy to fill case
■ Dampens tube and movement
■ Fill acts as lubricant/coolant
■ Fill fluids includes:
 Glycerin
 Silicone
 Halocarbon®
 Fluorolube®

Gauge Failure - Pulsation
Pulsation

Pulsation
Main Causes
■ Caused by the pump rapidly cycling or large pressure swings
Symptoms
■ Difficult to read pressure measurement due to pointer flutter
Consequences
■ Increased wear on Bourdon tube and components
■ Gauge will not indicate within published accuracy
■ Overpressure will not be indicated due to compromised gauge accuracy

Pulsation: Good Solution
Socket Restrictor
■ Socket Restrictor – keeps a constant pressure

across the orifice and dampens the effects of
pulsation, which helps prevent internal damage to
the Bourdon tube and movement, extending the life
of the gauge
■ Economical – low-cost solution
■ Available in brass, stainless steel or Monel®, the
socket restrictor reduces the size of the internal
bore

Pulsation: Good Solution
Liquid Filled Case
■ Benefits:
 Adds lubrication to movement
 Glycerin fill is inexpensive
 Will help dampen the system
 Will not stop pulsation by itself
■ Fill fluids include:

 Glycerin
 Silicone
 Halocarbon®
 Fluorolube®

Pulsation: Better Solution
Accessories
Needle Valve
■ Needle valves isolate a pressure instrument
from the application
■ Soft seat versions are ideal for gaseous media Needle Valve
where a bubble tight seal is required
Adjustable Snubber
■ Adjustable needle valve design
Adjustable
■ Stainless steel & brass construction
Snubber
Porous Metal Pressure Snubber
■ Uses a porous metal disc to provide restriction
■ Low cost
Porous Metal
■ Effective on clean service
Pressure
Snubber

Pulsation: Best Solution
All-Welded System - AWS
■ Eliminates potential leak paths

■ Tamper-proof design
■ Extends gauge life
■ Meets fugitive emission demands
■ Qualifies as dual-containment device
■ Excellent for process applications
■ Available from inventory for immediate delivery
M93X.D1

Gauge Failure – Overpressure/Spikes
Overpressure / Spikes

Overpressure & Spikes
Main Causes
■ Caused by system running at full rate of capacity of the pressure gauge
■ Opening and closing valves while the system is running
■ Pressure surges or impulses
Symptoms
■ Pointer pegged against stop pin, or bent from spike in pressure
■ Pressure gauge is operating at either full scale or past full scale value
Consequences
■ Overpressure conditions can cause the Bourdon tube to rupture and release media
■ May cause movement gears to disengage in gauges that do not have
underload/overload stops which can cause permanent movement damage

Fishtail Pointers

Bourdon Tube Warped & Split

Overpressure: Best Solution
Overpressure Protector
 At a predetermined pressure, the overpressure

protector "shuts-off" pressure to the gauge, preventing
damage to the sensing element and protecting the
calibration
 The set-point is externally adjustable
 WIKA overpressure protectors also feature a piston

valve that is designed to dampen system pulsation
 Overpressure safe up to 14,500 psi (1,000 bar)
 Vacuum safe

Gauge Failure – Temperature
Temperature

Temperature
Main Causes
■ Ambient & media temperatures that exceed instruments allowable temperature
limits
Symptoms
■ Pressure system joints either sweat or loosen
■ Pressure system alloy cracks
■ The dial turns grey, brown, or discolored
■ In liquid filled gauges, the case fill can turn brown or black in color
Consequences
■ Can cause other components to break down or erode
■ Loss of containment

Temperature
Melting dial and discolored fill fluid from excessive process media temperatures

Temperature
Ambient temperatures are just as important to consider as process media

temperatures

Temperature: Best Solution
Cooling Element
■ Ensure that the media temperatures are within allowable

temperature limits
■ Excessive process temperature applications may require
the use of diaphragm seal solutions
 Diaphragm Seal (300ºF)
 Diaphragm Seal + Cooling Element (500ºF)
 Diaphragm Seal +Cooling Tower or Capillary (750ºF)

Gauge Failure – Temperature
Steam

Steam
Main Causes
■ High pressure steam reaching the internal gauge components, which exceeds the
instrument’s allowable temperature limits
Symptoms
■ In liquid filled gauges, the case fill can turn brown or black in color
■ O-ring heats and deteriorates, causing a liquid fill leak
■ The window becomes misshapen or begins to bulge
■ The dial turns grey, brown or discolored
■ Gauge case cracks
Consequences
■ Can cause main components to break down or erode
■ Pressure system fatigue and cracks

Steam: Good Solution
Mini-Siphon
Steam- WIKA Exclusive “Mini-Siphon”

■ Suitable replacement for pigtail and coil siphon
■ Compact design reduces gauge whip and vibration to
gauge
■ Internal chamber cools hot gases and reduces surges
and “water-hammer” to gauge
■ Working pressure and temperature surpasses 316 SS
standard siphon

Gauge Failure – Corrosion
Corrosion

Corrosion
Main Causes
■ Pressure gauge materials are not compatible with the media they are
measuring or the surrounding environment
■ Media attacking the wetted parts of the pressure gauge
Symptoms
■ Case, pointer, lens, connection, or dial erosion or discoloration
Consequences

Corrosion
Case, pointer, dial & lens completely eroded from media corrosion

Corrosion
Corrosion from atmospheric conditions

Corrosion Solution
Let WIKA gauge experts develop a custom seal depending

on your system’s media
■ WIKA offers a variety of custom materials, such as Teflon, precious

alloys (e.g., gold and silver), or carbon steel
■ WIKA’s Metal Bonded Diaphragms work for processes requiring

Hastelloy®, Monel® and Tantalum flush diaphragms

Gauge Failure - Clogging
Clogging

Clogging
Main Causes
■ Measurement instruments are not compatible with the process media
■ Not using the proper accessories to protect against clogs
Symptoms
■ Inoperable gauge
■ Shows no pressure when the system is operating
Consequences
■ No way to measure pressure in the system to avoid overpressure issues
■ Pressure system to gauge becomes clogged from solids in the process media
■ Pressure system can be clogged from highly viscous and crystallizing media

Clogging
Clogged gauge connection

Clogging: Best Solution
Let WIKA gauge experts help you determine

the best solution to prevent clogging for your
system
 Good solution: All-Welded System
 Best solution: High Pressure Seals reduce the number

of connections within the process, thus providing a built-
in anti-clogging feature by eliminating internal cavities

Gauge Failure – Mishandling or Improper Use
Mishandling or Improper Use

Mishandling/Abuse
Main Causes
■ Gauge is placed on an application it is not designed to handle
■ Lack of knowledge, improper training
■ Workers accidentally dropping the gauge
Symptoms
■ Cracked case
■ Broken window lens
■ Crooked/bent gauge
Consequences

Mishandling/Abuse
Cracked Case Broken Window

Mishandling/Abuse Solutions
 WIKA’s Instrument Safety Training helps you improve plant safety

 Use the proper installation methods
 Do not tighten by grabbing the case & turning
 Always use the wrench flats to install the gauge properly
 Install the correct gauge every time

A New Way Forward
Ensuring Safety

Full Audit Service Team
Let us be the gauge experts…so you don’t have to be.
 Gauges, if used properly, can be

effective alarms for your process…or
they can malfunction and create unsafe,
unproductive environments
 Our Full Audit Service Team (FAST) will

take care of your gauges to help
o Lower costs
o Make you safer
o Reduce downtime
 And best of all, FAST is the only solution

you need—a total care services
program at no additional cost to you

FAST Expertise
Full Audit Service Team (FAST)

52
FAST Programs
A Full Suite of Services

Instrument Audit Turnaround Instrument Failure Instrument Safety
Instrument Analysis Training
Planning
Provides expert Our team performs an Send us your failed Our FAST engineers can
analysis and solutions Instrument Audit, gauge, and our train your team to look
from our FAST standardizes what engineers will conduct a for signs of instrument
engineers, who help you instruments you need root cause analysis. By failure when completing
put the right gauge in and sends the product to understanding the mode a scheduled evaluation
place for your you when your really of failure, our FAST of your instrumentation.
application to curtail need them... before your engineers can
potential safety issues. turnaround begins so recommend a solution to
you can avoid delays. prevent further safety
issues.

53
FAST Instrument Audit
We can check your plant and storeroom to make sure you have the right gauges for
your applications, taking the hassle out of dealing with instrumentation while making
your plant safer and more cost efficient.
Investigate: Diagnose: Recommend: Consolidate: Compliance:

Find the critical issues Discover the cause of Provide solutions to Audit storeroom to Furnish dependable,
facing the plant—the any current or potential correct issues before eliminate any sure-fire processes
problems you see and ticking time bombs that they become costly redundant or and products to avoid
the ones you don’t pose threats to safety incidents inappropriate SKUs so misapplying
or productivity that you only instruments in the
have the right future
products for your
applications

Best Practices Internet connection required to play videos

www.WIKA-FAST.com 55
Internet connection required to play videos
Best Practices Internet connection required to play videos

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FAST Turnaround Instrument Planning
 WIKA’s FAST engineers can help

streamline and improve the rapid
success of your plant turnarounds
 Our team performs a full Instrumentation

Audit and standardizes what
instruments you need...before your
turnaround actually begins
 With this advanced preparation, we

ensure that the right instruments are at
your plant at the exact time you need
them – eliminating the risk of delay
Best Practices 57
57
www.WIKA-FAST.com
FAST Turnaround Instrument Planning
Benefits
Reduce Increase safety, Have Bring needed Create

discovery reliability and instruments skills and documentation
during project, runtime by delivered to knowledge to for instrument
cost over-runs, replacing worn work site when project team, change (part#,
scope creep, or broken needed, which freeing plant ID tag, location,
and leaks upon gauges with a eliminates parts resources to unit, etc.)
start-up new instrument, being lost or concentrate on
specifying the delivered late more important
correct tasks
instrument,
and/or using
new designs
and technology
Best Practices 58
58
www.WIKA-FAST.com
FAST Instrument Failure Analysis
Getting to the Root of the Problem
 If you have gauges that are continually

failing, then send them to us
 Our FAST engineers will perform a root

cause analysis
 Reduces likelihood of gauge causing LOC,

fires, explosions, fugitive emissions
 Can alert you to problems with more

expensive equipment
WIKA’s Instrument Failure Analysis is also democratic:
you can send us your problem gauges for analysis even
if it is one of our competitor’s products.

FAST Instrument Safety Training
FAST Instrument Safety Training

FAST FACT
U.S. process plants lose more than $10 billion per year
from abnormal situations caused by human error.
Source: Abnormal Situation Management Consortium
 Education and training are best tools to

maintain operational efficiency and
employee safety in your plant
 Our Instrument Safety Training will teach

your team to look for warning signs
 Held at your site or ours
Best Practices
60 www.WIKA-FAST.com 60
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Gauge Your Best Practices

WIKA - Part of your business

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 1

When gauges are functioning

“The pressure gauge would have shown that

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 2

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 3

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 4

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 5

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 6

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 7

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 8

Source: WIKA Instrument Corporation Instrument Audits

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 9

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 10

Mechanical Vibration Pulsation Spikes / Overpressure Temperature

Steam Corrosion Clogging Mishandling and

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 11

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 12

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 13

Pointer has fallen off due to severe vibration

Dust on inside of window from wear of

■ Failing gauges don’t always show symptoms

■ Cracks in tubes lead to the worst scenarios,

■ Liquid-filled cases dampen vibration and reduce wear on internal components

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 16

■ Designed to be liquid filled

■ Easy to fill case

■ Dampens tube and movement

■ Fill acts as lubricant/coolant

■ Fill fluids includes:

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 17

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 18

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 19

■ Socket Restrictor – keeps a constant pressure

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 20

 Adds lubrication to movement

 Glycerin fill is inexpensive

 Will help dampen the system

 Will not stop pulsation by itself

■ Fill fluids include:

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 21

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 22

■ Eliminates potential leak paths

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 23

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 24

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 25

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 26

Bourdon Tube Warped & Split

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 27

 At a predetermined pressure, the overpressure

 The set-point is externally adjustable

 WIKA overpressure protectors also feature a piston

 Overpressure safe up to 14,500 psi (1,000 bar)

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 28

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 29

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 30

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 31

Ambient temperatures are just as important to consider as process media

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 32

■ Ensure that the media temperatures are within allowable

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 33

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 34

Best Practices www.WIKA-FAST.com 35