KROHNE is highlighting its portfolio of process instrumentation designed for sustainable aviation fuel production, with measurement technologies aimed at improving reliability and efficiency as SAF facilities scale up production.

SAF production combines conventional refining processes with renewable feedstocks such as used cooking oil, edible oils, ethanol and biogas. According to KROHNE, the combination creates measurement challenges throughout feedstock pretreatment, hydrotreatment and isomerization, hydrogen management and custody transfer.

“The SAF industry brings together two very different worlds,” said Yannick Farine, industry manager for biofuels and bioenergy at KROHNE. “Success depends on understanding the behavior of renewable feedstocks upstream while also meeting the demands of downstream refining. Our goal is to help customers optimize processes, reduce maintenance and build SAF plants they can rely on for years to come.”

KROHNE offers instrumentation for flow and level measurement as well as specialized equipment for more demanding SAF applications. The company is applying its experience in edible oils, ethanol, biogas and oil and gas to help producers select instrumentation for different stages of SAF production.

Among the technologies being deployed are ultrasonic flowmeters, which have no internal restrictions, capillaries or moving parts. KROHNE said the equipment can be used with abrasive feedstocks, hydrogen-rich streams, high-pressure steam and other challenging applications. Certain ultrasonic meters can operate at temperatures up to 600 C and at high pressures for both liquids and gases.

The company also offers straight-tube Coriolis mass flowmeters for applications requiring high accuracy and direct mass measurement. The full-bore design is intended to reduce wear when handling abrasive feedstocks, while entrained gas management technology supports measurement under two-phase flow conditions at temperatures up to 400 C.

KROHNE said the instrumentation can help SAF producers manage feedstock variability, hydrogen utilization and maintenance requirements while supporting mass-balance and yield monitoring.

In addition to individual instruments, KROHNE supplies integrated systems for SAF facilities, including custody transfer metering skids, leak detection systems and blending skids.