To work with liquid asphalt cement, one must monitor temperature. This is vital at the tank farm. While the plant is closed for winter maintenance, check the tank farm temperatures to ensure everything is a-okay. If you’re seeing temperature variations among dial thermometers on tanks, you know there’s a problem somewhere—and it’s a problem you need to solve before season startup.
Start by making sure you have hot oil in the tank wells where thermometers and thermocouples are installed. Ensure this oil has no bubbles in it.
Next, check the PLC. You want it to be set up so its 4-to-20 mA input matches the 4-to-20 mA signal from the temp controller.
Do some testing with a quality thermometer that has perfect accuracy. Use it to check the temperatures at the spots where your thermometers, thermocouples and capillary bulbs are installed.
Think about where you are. You could improvise testing out a temperature sensor by sticking it in some boiling water, but what’s the boiling point of water at your elevation? Variables affect temperature readings, so your plant manager needs a fine-tuned skill set.
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