Water in oil measurement. Sales Training Notes- New markets in heavy oil
Trainer- Leroy Lai
Hilton Hotel
Determination of applicability
Detection of water contamination in heavy oils from tank trucks
It is was the client’s intention to use the EASZ-1 water in oil detector at the heavy oil delivery stations because they suspected that truck drivers have been compromising their profits during transportation and filling up the empty tank spaces with water that has been dyed dark yellow in order to avoid detection. Before permanent installation they required a repeatable test to determine the feasibility of product installation on a permanent basis. Previous capacitance type probes from other manufacturers were not capable of producing stable results and in addition were not able to detect smaller amounts of water contamination due to their probe design and electronics. The previous vendors were not able to produce acceptable results on site, results that corresponded with their published specifications. Our representative was invited to conduct controlled tests using the EASZ-1 water in oil sensor . The viscous oil was semi-solid at lower temperatures and required heating to enable the test pump to freely circulate.
The EASZ-1 was manually set for a 0-1% range of water content in the oil. A custom curve was uploaded into the electronic PCB through a serial connection. These were custom curves pertaining to the heavy oil relating to picofarad resistance at zero water content and at several points 0.05%, 0.3% and 1% . The hydraulic bypass test loop was purged several times with oil that did not contain any moisture and the picofarad resistance and water content were viewed using a terminal emulator during flow and no flow conditions.
Tests showed that dry oil maintained a stable 4 milliamp output through the duration and a 0.00% reading on through the laptop display.
Additional tests were then performed with oils of known water content supplied by the client.
All tests were conclusive and the stability of the EASZ-1 PCB card and sensor cell accepted as a means of low water in oil content determination. The EASZ-1 was immediately installed at the truck outlet and put into use.
Sales application notes:
This is a typical application for the EASZ-1. It is a known fact that clients need to feel confident about something they are purchasing. Their experience with other brands and technologies and failure of previous instruments and over zealous competitors unable to meet claims in their specifications influence their current opinions on the product.
It is wise and necessary for the representative to invest in demonstration units and perform tests on site to win back client confidence in the company and in the technology. It must be stressed and also demonstrated that newer electronics based on digital techniques have far more stability than low cost analog circuitry . The EASZ-1 has had more than 7 years development costs. It is not a new technology but the technique has been remarkably improved due to new circuit techniques and quality manufacturing.
Remember that the EASZ-1 was designed to measure water contamination in oil. It is important to make content with end users and consultants when supplying to lubrication applications and generally not suppliers of water removal systems who might have their sales situation compromised if the EASZ-1 detects water is still present.
Allow the client to purchase test units and let them run for several weeks and contact them on a regular basis to see if assistance is required on either understanding of how the technology operates or updates on designs.
Always be cheerful and patient when engaging end users and especially patient. Some clients may accept the EASZ-1 as the proper solution but may require time to set aside budgets and approvals for instrumentation, especially for multiple installations. It may require you to engage several personnel before an actual purchase depending on the client’s purchasing structure.