Papers

Electronic flow measurement as applied to the natural gas industry has advanced considerably over the last 30 years. Applications to address Upstream, Midstream and Downstream gas measurement technologies have become more complex. Over time it has become necessary to understand the fundaments that make up this ever-changing environment.

The first gas company in the U.S., The Gas Light Company of Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1816, struggled for years with financial and technical problems while operating on a “flat rate” basis. Its growth was slow with the charge for gas service beyond the pocketbook of the majority.

This paper will discuss pycnometers and there uses during densitometer provings. The primary objective will be to provide guidance in the operation and maintenance of a densitometer and pycnometer (pyc) uses, as well as common issues found during normal conditions.

Since the early 1980s, Coriolis meters have gained worldwide acceptance in gas, liquid, and slurry applications with an installed base of more than one million units.

The basic geometric configuration for rotary positive displacement meters was originally conceived for pumping water in the mid-1800’s and was patented as a rotary blower in 1860 (US Patent 30,157). The original design used wood for the rotors and understandably had issues with excessive wear.

Flow conditioning is one of the most critical aspects dealing with any type of volumetric flow metering. Flow conditioning is the final buffer between the flow meter and the upstream piping layout and is responsible for eliminating swirl, restoring flow symmetry and generating a repeatable, fully developed velocity flow profile.

With the recent release of the Green House Gas Regulations, the increased visibility of flaring natural gas and increased awareness of royalty owners, the ability to accurately measure and account for the amount of product flared from a facility has become increasingly important to regulators, royalty owners and operators.

Pressure calibration is as important today as it has been for a very long time, but the way calibration is done and the equipment used to do it has changed drastically.

Measurement requires the highest level of ethical integrity in an industry that relies on ethical integrity at every level. A measurement professional is the provider of data to all the other professionals involved in the petroleum industry.

Electronic gas measurement auditing or EFM auditing is a very important process in the natural gas industry. Within the last twenty years, the natural gas industry has changed from the dry flow chart recorder to the Electronic flow Computer(EFM) as the primary method of recording the measurement data for custody transfer.