Papers

The National Electrical Code (NEC) defines hazardous locations as those areas “where fire or explosion hazards may exist due to flammable gases or vapors, flammable liquids, combustible dust, or ignitable fibers or filings.” A substantial part of the NEC is devoted to the discussion of hazardous locations. That’s because electrical equipment can become a source …

Basic National Electric Code Applicable to Measurement Read More »

The speed of sound in natural gas is the velocity a sound wave travels in the gas. There are a number of gas properties that affect the speed of sound and they include the composition of the gas, the pressure of the gas, and the temperature of the gas. The American Gas Association (AGA) Report …

Understanding AGA Report No. 10 – Natural Gas Speed of Sound Read More »

There is no substitute for well maintained, properly installed, and properly performing measurement equipment. Provisions for measurement equipment installation, operation, and maintenance deliver the raw data required for those dealing with natural gas liquids (NGLs) to transact business. Then, this raw data can be adjusted or converted to values suitable for transactions to take place …

Calculation of Natural Gas Liquid Quantities Read More »

This paper is directed to ultrasonic natural gas meters using transit time across the gas pipe as the measurement variable. Custody transfer meters using sensors wetted with gas are the more familiar meter format. Clamp-on meters are quite similar.

With the proliferation of horizontal drilling allowing access to tight oil formations, liquid production in the U.S. has significantly increased over recent years. Consequently, there is renewed interest in accurate measurements for both custody transfer and allocation purposes. Advances in measurement automation have yielded operators’ savings in the millions of dollars annually. Over the last …

Considerations for Liquid Measurement in Production Applications Read More »

There are many in our industry who would consider the advancement of the ultrasonic meter to be the greatest improvement in gas measurement in the past twenty years. It’s my opinion that the immense improvement in gas measurement is not so much the ultrasonic meter itself. Instead, I believe it is the meter’s ability to …

Continuous Monitoring of Ultrasonic Meters Read More »

In today’s competitive gas market, utility companies must meet aggressive market strategies or suffer the consequences. All industries have cash registers, and gas distribution is no exception. Our measuring stations are our cash register. The problem is, these stations were designed 10, 20, 30 or even 50 years ago, and are now performing tasks they …

Coping with Changing Flow Requirements at Existing Metering Stations Read More »

A mass flowmeter is a system that provides a measurement of fluid flow in units of mass; pounds, tons. The Coriolis flowmeter is a type of flowmeter which measures the mass of the fluid flow directly. Coriolis mass flowmeters were first introduced more than 30 years ago. Global acceptance has spread across all industries where …

Coriolis Mass Flow Meters for Gas and Liquid Measurement Read More »

Cone meters differ from other differential pressure type meters, such as orifice meters and Venturi meters, basically, by design only. They are all required to meet American Petroleum Institute (API) Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards (MPMS), Chapter 22.2 (entitled “Testing Protocol for Differential Pressure Flow Meter Devices”) test criteria developed and published in 2005 and …

Differential Meters Other Than Orifice Read More »

One of the most common measurement errors and the most difficult to identify in natural gas metering systems is that caused by pulsating flow. It is important to understand the effects that pulsations have on the common types of flow meters used in the gas industry so that potential error-producing mechanisms can be identified and …

Effects and Control of Pulsation in Gas Measurement Read More »