AUMA’s proven SAEx electric actuators and high-performance SIMA² Master Station provide multiple benefits for metering skids built by Krohne Oil & Gas, one of the leading manufacturers of high-precision oil and gas metering equipment.
“For Krohne as system integrator, low cost, easy installation and high reliability are the most important factors for selecting actuators,” explains Hilko den Hollander, technical manager at Krohne Oil & Gas. “Our experience with AUMA actuators has been excellent.”
Krohne recently built and commissioned three metering skids for a major oil and gas group in the Middle East, incorporating one AUMA SIMA² Master Station and 36 actuators equipped with fireproof shields. Using the SIMA² as the actuator control hub allowed fast actuator commissioning. “Setting the actuator parameters and adding the devices to the Modbus loop is easy and intuitive,” says Eric Mulder, senior system engineer at Krohne. “I completed the entire configuration for all 36 actuators in less than 30 minutes.”
The AUMA equipment ensures highest availability. The SIMA² incorporates a hot standby for system-level redundancy. Also redundant is the link between SIMA² and DCS via Modbus TCP/IP. The Modbus RTU loop between actuators and SIMA² provides integral redundancy. The standard fieldbus protocols also ensure robust high-speed communication.
“I’m very happy with the performance,” says Mulder. “The Modbus loop is running fast and reliably – just the way we like it.”
