Flow Level Pressure V-Cone Flowmeter Improves Efficiency and Reduces Costs in Gas Lift Applications
Process engineers responsible for crude oil production from wells that employ gas lift systems to increase oil production will find that the rugged, highly accurate V-Cone Flowmeter from McCrometer (USA) features a wide turndown, small footprint and virtually no maintenance, which reduces total installed costs and operating lifecycle costs while improving crude oil production efficiency.
Gas lift systems employed for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) increase crude oil production by injecting gas into the well bore casing to reduce the density of the oil being produced. The injected gas mixes with the oil in the casing and the low reservoir pressure in the formation is then sufficient to allow production without the need for pumps. Some oil wells produce natural gas that is separated from the oil stream once it reaches the surface. The well operator then re-injects a portion of this byproduct gas, in turn maximising production from the well. Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or engineered chemical solutions can also be employed in gas lift wells.
Through EOR techniques such as gas lift, oil producers can increase recoverable reserves from 10 to 40 percent to 30 to 60 percent. Reliable, accurate flowmeters that are virtually maintenance free, such as McCrometer’s V-Cone flowmeter, are ideal for these EOR applications. McCrometer’s V-Cone flowmeters feature accuracy of ±0.5% of rate and repeatability of ±0.1% ensuring accurate measurement and control of the injected media. Accurate measurement of the injected media maximises crude oil production while greatly reducing costly over-injection that can be found when other flowmeter technologies wear and begin under-reading. A minimal 0.5% under-read can result in wasted over-injection costs in the range of $500 to $5,000 per well per year, depending on the specific application.
With its no-moving parts design, the V-Cone flowmeter is proven to remain accurate in installations for 25 years or more in the toughest of applications, all but eliminating the need to shut down production for calibrations, inspections, or regular replacement of the primary element, saving not only through production up-time, but also in parts and labor. McCrometer’s differential pressure V-Cone flowmeter provides built-in flow conditioning, which nearly eliminates the up and downstream straight pipe runs required by other flow meter technologies, reducing typical straight pipe run by 70% or more requiring only 0-3 straight pipe diameters upstream and 0-1 downstream for precise operation.
Unlike traditional dP instruments such as orifice plates and venturi tubes, the V-Cone flowmeter’s design is inherently more accurate because the flow conditioning function is built into the unique sensor design. The V-Cone flowmeter’s centrally located cone interacts with the fluid steam, reshaping the velocity profile to provide a stable signal that increases measurement accuracy. The pressure difference exhibited between the static line pressure and the low pressure created downstream of the cone is measured via two pressure sensing taps, one placed slightly upstream of the cone and the other located in the downstream face of the cone itself. The pressure difference is then incorporated into a derivation of the Bernoulli equation to determine the fluid flow rate.
Engineers in the oil/gas industry rely on the versatility of McCrometer’s V-Cone flowmeter available in line sizes from 0.5 to greater than 120 inches in materials and flanges compatible with any application. The flowmeter operates over a wide flow range of 10:1 which typically covers the entire flow range required for injection in gas lift applications.
McCrometer’s versatile V-Cone flowmeter is well-suited for the demanding standards set by the oil/gas production and refining industry. The V-Cone flowmeter conforms to the American Petroleum Institute’s API 22.2 Testing Protocol for Differential Pressure Flow Measurement Devices as well as other international certifications such as Measurement Canada and Brazilian INMETRO when allocation and even custody transfer measurements are required.
Reader Reply Card No Level Solution For Difficult North Sea Application
When a leading oil and gas exploration and production company asked Able Instruments (UK) to assist with an urgent and difficult measurement requirement on two of their platforms in the North Sea, Able Instruments stepped up to meet the challenge.
Two manned production and drilling facilities required replacement of the existing pneumatic level transmitters on the NGL knockout drums. The original level shutdown system was made up of float switches, which had been historically problematic and unable to cope with varying Specific Gravities of the liquids. The float switches can be subject to unknown failures which only become apparent when a shutdown demand is placed on the instruments.
Due to Able’s competitiveness and ability to meet challenging target delivery dates on previous projects, Able was commissioned to find a reliable solution to the problem with strict target dates in mind.
The plant operators are required to monitor and control the level in the NGL condensate knock out drums to avoid overspill of water to the system, which has caused plant upset in the past. The operators must be able to gain confidence with the instruments, allowing them to concentrate on more critical systems during plant start up. It is essential that the instruments used are reliable and can cope with the demanding process conditions and accurately measure the level in the vessels. Notwithstanding this, the solution must stand up to the normal rigors of offshore life in the North Sea, to include extreme cold weather, saline atmosphere, strong winds etc.
Nucleonic measurement was discounted as it was considered too expensive and required support steel works to install. Magnetic level gauges alone, on liquids with varying SG’s, had previously failed in reliability and displacement methods were discounted due to process requirements.
ABLE deduced that the ABLE Fusion system would be the most reliable and accurate solution to this measurement problem. ABLE Fusion is a level measurement system which combines the operation of a float operated magnetic level indicator with guided wave radar to offer two independent proven level technologies in one system.
The magnetic level indicator offers a clear visual level display and can be supplied with a reed chain transmitter, magnetostrictive transmitter or switches for high and low level alarm requirements, operating in conjunction with the level indicator float.
The guided wave radar offers an independent level measurement based on high frequency microwave pulses that are transmitted along a guide rod. The pulses are reflected back by the liquid surface to a receiver, providing a level measurement accuracy of +/-3mm.
The visual indication or transmitter output from the magnetic level indicator can be compared to the guided wave radar to provide the confidence of accurate liquid level measurement, either locally or in a control room.
The combination of technologies provide the operator with a fault tolerant, reliable level system suitable for applications where critical level measurement and redundancy is required, particularly in the offshore, petrochemical, power and pharmaceutical industries.
Reader Reply Card No 199 Reader Reply Card No 200 198
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Annual Buyers’ Guide 2011
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