Custody Transfer Flow

Metering

Alick MacGillivray
Consultant
 Contents
Introductory slides:

Why is measurement important?

The UK National Measurement Office (NMO) and the National
Measurement System (NMS)
Main presentation:
Custody Transfer
Meter Types
Meter Proving
Density Determination
Secondary Instrumentation
Why is measurement important?

Each year in the UK

342 BILLION
worth of goods, gas and
electricity
are sold on the basis of
the measurement of
their quantity to
consumers.
 NMS

National Measurement System

The NMS is responsible for

stimulating good measurement
practice and enabling business to
make accurate and traceable
measurements, for the benefit of
the nation
 NEL

UK National Standards for Flow Measurement

Oil
Water
Gas
Multiphase
Research
Joint Industry Projects
Flow measurement consultancy
MAIN PRESENTATION

CUSTODY TRANSFER
FLOW METERING
 Why Measure?

Taxation or custody transfer

Allocation
Reservoir management
Well testing
Meeting specifications or requirements
Environmental reporting
 What is Custody Transfer?

Transactions involving transporting a fluid

from one operator to another.

Metering point where the fluid is being

measured for sale from one party to
another.

Accuracy is of great importance to both

the company delivering the material and
the eventual recipient
 Turn Down Ratio

Max Flow

Min Flow

Ratio of max flow to min flow in effective range

Gross Standard Volume

Gross Standard Volume (GSV)

The total volume of petroleum
liquids, sediment and water at
standard temperature and
pressure
 Some Facts

88 Million barrels of Oil per day

The total cost was approximately 2011
$9.9 Billion

Uncertainty was 0.25%

Financial exposure

$25 Million per day

 What is uncertainty?

An INTERVAL either side of the measurement

result within which we expect the true value to lie
(with a given confidence)

UNCERTAINTY

True Value Indicated value

 Uncertainty Targets

For Custody Transfer (Fiscal) metering the following uncertainty

limits are typical (quoted at 95% confidence) for gross standard
volume (GSV)

LIQUID GAS
0.25% 1.0%
 Typical Components
When metering to low uncertainty: a meter placed in a line is
NOT enough.
Other components are required to reduce uncertainty
The components include:
A meter prover
Density measurement instruments
Sampling systems
Composition measurement for gas
Temperature measurement
Pressure measurement
Flow conditioning
Flow computers
 Oil Export Meter Package
Stream 1 PT TE
Stream 1
Turbine Meter Flow
FE Computer
From Stream 2 PT TE

booster
pumps Turbine Meter
FE

Stream 3 PT TE

Turbine Meter
FE

Stream 4 PT TE

Turbine Meter
FE
PT

Densitometer TE Prover
& Control
Sampler Computer
fast loop
METER TYPES
 Meter Types

The main meter types used in Custody transfer metering are:

Orifice plates
Turbine meters
Positive displacement meters
Ultrasonic meters Stream 1

Coriolis meters
Stream 2

Stream 3

Stream 4
 Orifice Meters

Most common type of p

meter
Flow d2 Machined plate held between
two pipes
Plate has a hole in the centre
Medium uncertainty
+ -
Low turndown
Gas and liquid flow
 Orifice Meters

Advantages
Low cost
Easy to install h1
h2
Comprehensive Standards
A1
A2
Disadvantages
Flow
High Pressure Loss
Erosion to edges causes error
Very sensitive to upstream installation (especially large beta
devices)
 Turbine Meters

Free rotating rotor with flow in pipe

Rotor has multiple blades
Rotor driven by flow
Flowrate proportional to rotor speed
Count the rotations total fluid volume
Medium uncertainty
Medium turndown
Versatile (measures natural gas and crude oil)
 Turbine Meters

Advantages
Very good repeatability
Easy to install
Average cost

Disadvantages
Susceptible to mechanical damage
Installation effects
Bearing wear
Can be blocked by contaminants
 Ultrasonic Meters

d Speed of propagation of
the ultrasonic signal
depends on the speed of
L
the fluid through which it
Flow D
travels
Analogous to a boat
travelling with or against
the current
Very low uncertainty
High turndown
 Ultrasonic Meters

Advantages
Non-intrusive and non-invasive
No moving parts
Diagnostic and secondary measurements
Bi-directional measurement

Disadvantages
Expensive
Susceptible to installation effects
Deposition in transducer ports
Coriolis Meters

Tubes vibrate at natural

frequency
Frequency gives a
measure of fluid density
Flow causes twist
Twist causes phase
difference
Can measure phase
difference very accurately
Difference proportional to
mass flow
 Coriolis Meters

Advantages
Insensitive to fluid Parameters (density, viscosity)
Non-invasive
High accuracy
High Turn-down
Disadvantages
Zero Stability
Limited Size
High Cost
Vibration and stress effects
Introduces pressure drop
 Positive Displacement

Fluid mechanically displaces component to measure flow

Like repeatedly filling a bucket to a fixed level
Time the rate at which the bucket is being filled
Total number of buckets for total volume
 Positive Displacement

Advantages
Accurate
Repeatable
Fast response
A direct method
Good for batching
Insensitive to installation effects
Disadvantages
Susceptible to mechanical damage
Bulky and complicated
Expensive
METER PROVING
 Meter Proving

Its the same as calibration but:

Done on-site
Usually more often
Often included as part of liquid metering systems
Compares the meters registered throughput to a known
reference volume
Types of prover:
Pipe provers
Tank provers
Compact provers
Master meters
 Meter Proving

Meter proved on a number of consecutive runs

Meter must show repeatability below given tolerance
Maintenance is important
Temperature variations can cause problems
Fluid can be different temperature to prover
Allow time to stabilise if possible
 Pipe Provers

Basically a length of pipe, part of whose internal volume has

been determined accurately
Capable of calibrating meters with pulsed output

Provers used where lab calibration not possible

The known volume is contained in a specific length of pipe between

two detector switches
Number of meter pulses (or volume) is then counted between a
displacer tripping first one switch then a second
 Types of Pipe Prover

There are four main classifications of pipe provers

Uni-directional ball provers

Bi-directional ball provers
Piston provers
Compact provers
 Uni-directional Ball Provers
Displacer travels in ONE direction along the pipe
Displacer is a elastomer (neoprene, polyurethane etc which is
hollow
Detector 2

Sphere handling valve

Meter

Detector 1
000000000
 Master Meters

A Master Meter is simply a meter that has been proven

against displacement or tank provers
By running the master meter in series with the meter being
proved a comparison can be made
Reliable and repeatable
Does not adversely alter the flow profile
Positive displacement used for years:
When checking petrol pumps
Ultrasonic used as master meters
No pressure drop through the line
 Master Meter Z Configuration

Configuration to allows one meter to act as duty meter

while the other is used as the master
The master meter and duty meter to be tested in series
It has compact design normally uses less space than a
prover
DENSITY DETERMINATION
 Density Determination

Density measurement is a fundamental requirement for

upstream oil and gas production
The most commonly used technique is an oscillatory
densitometer
Oscillatory densitometers are very good devices provided that
they are
Installed correctly
Calibrated properly
 Density Determination

Densitometer: Spring Mass Oscillating System

Vibrating test section
Fluid contained in it
As liquid density changes
Changes the total vibrating mass
Detected by a change in the resonant frequency
Resonant frequency depends on the stiffness
and the mass of the element.
 Density Determination

The stiffness depends on k factor constants

These are used with the oscillation period to
calculate the density of the fluid
Density is measured at a reference temperature
and pressure
 Density Determination

Advantages
Simple and easily automated
Can be used over a wide temperature and pressure range
Can be used in-line
Commercially available
Potentially very accurate 0.1%
Disadvantages
Expensive to purchase
Careful calibration required - NEL
 Fluid Sampling
When taking a crude oil sample
Fluids must be completely mixed
Flow must remain representative and stable throughout
sampling period
Sample analysed must be the same as that sampled
Each sub-division must have exactly the same composition
as original sample
 Static Mixer

A static mixer is a device for the continuous mixing of fluids.

Normally the fluids to be mixed are liquid, but static mixers can also
be used to mix gas streams
Situated in the pipe in which the fluid is flowing

Static Mixer
 Jet Mixer

A jet mixer are jet pumps to mix and circulate models. Used
in a bypass system
The mixer will not introduce a pressure drop into the pipeline

Jet Mixer
 Types of Sampling Method

Composite Sampling

Composed of a number of smaller samples taken over a

number of time or flow intervals
Flow Proportional Sampling
Samples collected at defined volume interval
Time proportional Sampling
Samples collected at defined time interval
 Types of Sampling System

In-line installations
By-pass installations or fast-loop systems

Sample
receiver Sample probe

Static Mixer
 Secondary Instrumentation

Pressure and pressure measurement

Capacitance Diaphragm Transmitters
Differential pressure transmitters
Pressure sensing elements
Temperature measurement
Resistance temperature detectors
Temperature transmitters
 Pressure Measurement

Static Absolute:
Pressure relative to vacuum

Static Gauge: Absolute Gauge

Pressure Pressure
Pressure relative to atmosphere Atmospheric
Pressure
Differential:
Vacuum

Pressure relative to another pressure

Standard pressure (101,325 Pa)

 Differential Pressure Measurement

Very often used for the measurement of flow rate in Orifice and
Venturi Meters
These flowmeters have a primary and secondary element
The primary element is designed to produce a difference in pressure
as the flow increases (e.g. Orifice Plate)
The secondary element of the flowmeter is the differential pressure
transmitter
It is designed to measure the differential pressure produced by the
primary element as accurately as possible
 Differential Pressure Transmitter

Senses the difference in pressure between two

ports
Produces an output signal with reference to a
calibrated pressure range
Industrial differential pressure transmitters are
made of two housings
Pressure sensing element is housed in the bottom
half
Electronics are housed at the top half
It has two pressure ports marked as high and low
 Resistance Temperature Detectors

A sensor used to measure temperature by correlating the

resistance of the RTD element with temperature.
Most RTD elements consist of a length of fine coiled wire
wrapped around a ceramic or glass core.
The RTD element is made from a pure material, typically
platinum, nickel or copper
 Temperature Transmitters

Works by connecting to some form of temperature

sensor
For example an RTD (Resistance Temperature
Detector)
Typically, temperature transmitters isolate, amplify, filter
noise, linearise, and convert the input signal from the
sensor
Then send (transmit) a standardized output signal to
the control device.
 What is a Flow Computer?

A flow computer is
An electronic computational device
Implements the required algorithms
using the analogue and digital
signals received from
flow meters
Temperature
Pressure
density transmitters
Converts into volumes at base
conditions.
 Flow Computer Functions

INPUT FLOW COMPUTER OUTPUT

Mass Flow

Temperature, Pressure
and Density Corrections
Raw Temperature
Conversion to Actual Standard Volume
Volume Flow Flow

Raw Pressure
Conversion to Standard
Volume Flow

Raw Density
 Summary

Custody transfer measurement is defined as a metering point

(location) where the fluid is being measured for sale from one
party to another.
Requires low uncertainty (1% on standard volume with gas and
0.25% on standard volume for liquid)
Metering to this standard requires a full system with
Flow meter
A prover (depending on metering technology)
Density determination
Temperature, static and differential pressure measurement
Mixing and sampling devices
Flow computers
Thank you for listening

Any questions?
Email: [email protected]

Website: www.tuvnel.com
 NEL Contact Tel: + 44 (0) 1355 220222

NEL Contacts
Audit & Allocation Alick MacGillivray [email protected]
CFD Neil Bowman [email protected]
Densitometers Norman Glen [email protected]
Erosion John Peters [email protected]
Flow Consortium Phil Mark [email protected]
Heavy Oil Chris Mills [email protected]
Craig Marshall [email protected]
Measurement Consultancy Chris Mills [email protected]
Alick MacGillivray [email protected]
Measurement Uncertainty Alick MacGillivray [email protected]
Meter Diagnostics Craig Marshall [email protected]
MeterVue Phil Mark [email protected]
Multiphase Terri Leonard [email protected]
PPDS Norman Glen [email protected]
Single Phase Metering Sarah Pedley [email protected]
Hazel Hampson
Training [email protected]
Susan Tough
Umbilicals John Dods [email protected]
Valve Testing John Dods [email protected]
Wet Gas Emmelyn Graham [email protected]

For general queries contact the sales team on [email protected]