Flow meter performance, validation and compliance to 40 cfr. Different parts of the natural gas delivery chain require different instruments, such as differential pressure dp, ultrasonic, and coriolis flowmeters. Ultrasonic clampon gas flow meters and liquid flowmeters as. This page introduces the process for selecting a flow meter or flow sensor. This com plicates gas flow measurement because, with the exception of thermal mass and. Coriolis flowmeters for gas measurement flow control network. Various types of flow meters and flow sensors are available, and only by selecting the appropriate device according to the targeted fluid and purpose will the.
Pdf this tutorial covers equipment types, selection criteria, and operating principles regarding flow instruments that are frequently used for oil. Natural gas meter meter placement national grid plc. Natural gas flow meter types, natural gas flow meter types. The ability to clamp ultrasonic flow meters onto the outside of pipes makes them ideal for certain applications. Here, we present a brief overview of some of these technologies to understand how flow meters work.
Natural gas is a primary source of electricity generation and heating, accounting for around of 30% of energy usage in the united states for a total of around 22 trillion cubic feet of gas. Failure to control energy costs cuts deeply into the bottom line. Flow refers to the motion of a gas, liquid or steam through a pipe or other mechanism. Pdf flow measurement and control system in oil gas industry. Flow meter performance, validation and compliance to 40. We have a variety of high and low flow switches that are suitable for many types of applications and environments. Industrial flow meters gas flow meters smartmeasurement. While our meters serve a variety of applications, there are additional devices that excel in other gas flow measurement areas. Before requesting a new meter installation, please be sure the following items have been completed. There are 4 main gas flow meter types for gas measurement. Gas flow meter types and styles for measurement sage metering.
A flow meter is a test device used to measure the flow rate of process fluids and gases in industrial plants and facilities. Excess flow valves efv, which are safety devices installed on natural gas distribution pipelines to reduce the risk of accidents, are currently required for new or replaced gas service lines servicing singlefamily residences sfr, as that phrase is defined in 49 cfr 192. As the technology and market leader in the field of clampon ultrasonic flowmeters and real time concentration and density monitoring as well as advanced process analytics using clampon ultrasound and inline refractometry, flexim offers the best measurement solutions for any application and media in. Nists primary flow standards to the working standards used for flow meter calibration at pipeline conditions. The valve directs the flow of gas into the center port that leads to the meter outlet. Coriolis flow meters are used in a wide range of critical, challenging applications, in industries including oil and gas, water and wastewater, power, chemical, food and beverage, and life sciences. The cartridge assembly makes replacement and inspection of parts easy. Aga gas measurement manual revised, general part no.
Whether your application is for a gas flow meter, where a thermal flow meter, vortex flow meter, or differential pressure flow meter technology may be suitable, or a liquid flow meter where choices would include ultrasonic flow meters, magnetic flow meters, variable area flow meters, positive displacement flow meters or turbine flow meters, the. Coriolis is primarily a singlephase flowmeter, although promising. Sizing a meter for a gas other than air, or for your specific application pressure andor temperature. Sonic max is a multipath ultrasonic gas flow meter utilizing the most accurate acoustic path configuration available to the market. Not only does this define profit or loss, but consumer and worker safety are at stake as well. The flow rate refers to the speed at which a process fluid is moving through pipelines, orifices, or vessels at a given time. In the oil and gas industry, the flow of liquids and gases must be measured during every phase of exploration, production and transportation.
Installation requirements for orifice plates, meter tubes, thermometer wells, flow condi tioners, and upstreamdownstream meter tube lengths are presented. Mcs measurement control systems is the number one distributor of the number one gas meter in the world. Nov 08, 2019 gas mass flow meter, are the thermal mass flow meter, which is best choice for gas flow rate measurement. Flow measurement is the quantification of bulk fluid movement. A wide variety of natural gas flow meter types options are available to you, such as free samples. These applications demand the highest oil and gas meter accuracy and reliability, as well as longterm stability and a low costofownership. Differential pressure flow transmitter also work for gas flow measurement. These different types of meters are either inferential meters or positive displacement meters. Flow switches are often used as a lower cost alternative to a flow meter for measuring flow if all that is needed is indication of flow beyond above or below a particular value. There are various natural gas meter types used in the natural gas industry, each having its benefits and purpose. How to select a flow meter flow knowledge keyence america. A similar process occurs when the diaphragm contracts. A gas meter is a specialized flow meter, used to measure the volume of fuel gases such as natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.
Furthermore, the measurement instrument must be configured to use the particular gas. If the flow is high, the pressure will decrease, if the flow is low, the pressure will increase. Nov 03, 2015 flow refers to the motion of a gas, liquid or steam through a pipe or other mechanism. There are many different types of flow meters available on the market. Combining the best out of two worlds to maintain the lowest uncertainty with high robustness to meet the individual operational demands. Flowmeters are used in fluid systems liquid and gas to indicate the rate of flow. Flow meters for every industry and medium by use of ultrasound and without media contact. And the meter is designed for installation between two flanges. These types of flow meter apply to flow in closed conduits and work on the principle demonstrated by the bernoulli equation. Many types of flowmeters are used to measure gas flow, and each type has its own advantages and disadvantages.
To calculate the energy flow, the flow computer needs information. Applications with low to high flow rates fiscal custody transfer. In certain applications, a manual reset feature is desirable. Computation of natural gas flow rate using a spreadsheet ayoade kuye and uzoma ezuma butane, pentane, hexane, heptane and octane as well as traces of gaseous impurities and non combustibles. Sierra designs and manufactures a wide range of todays most advanced analog and digital gas flow meters, mass flow meters, controllers and switches across three core technologies. A flow meter or flow sensor is an instrument used to measure linear, nonlinear, mass or volumetric flow rate of a liquid or a gas. Common types of flow elements are orifice plates, flow nozzles, venturi tubes and averaging pitot tube. Ultrasonic flow meters also tend to be fairly durable and low maintenance. Measurement of highpressure natural gas flow using ultrasonic. Measurement control systems water, gas, mass flow and. Brief description of thermal flow meter technology. The operating principle of transit time ultrasonic meters is such that the longer the path over which the ultrasonic pulse travels, the greater the accuracy potential of the meter. Coriolis for gas flow although coriolis flowmeters have been used very successfully in a wide variety of gas flow measurement applications for the past 20plus years, and the american gas association aga published the first coriolis standard for custody transfer of natural gas approximately 10 years ago, this technology is oft overlooked for gas flow measurement applications.
The main four types are diaphragm meters, orifice meters, rotary meters, and turbine meters. The common types of flowmeters with industrial applications are listed below. Computation of natural gas flow rate using a spreadshee on. About 95% of these are flow meters, 1% are water treatment, and 1% are gas meters. Typical analysis of natural gas is given by perry and green 1. Fundamentals of ultrasonic flow metering of natural gas. Our blog usually explores thermal mass flow meters because that is our business. The orifice p late is a differential pressure meter frequently used for natural gas measurement. They are mass flow, velocity, differential pressure, and positive displacement. Unlike coriolis mass flow meters, ultrasonic natural gas flow meters and those designed for crude oil can be used inline for pipes that are 20 inches and larger. This is in a flow market that is approximately onefourth 26% gas, not including steam process gas is thought to be approximately 16% with natural gas being 10%, and steam being 10%. How hydraulic fracturing is influencing the price of oil. The use of ultrasonic meters for custody transfer is governed by aga9 and isodis 170891 see figure 6. Limitations of this meter include poor low flow sensitivity.
Dec 16, 2019 different technologies types of flow meters. Industrial flow metersflow transmitters introduction flow meters are an integral tool for measuring the flow of liquid, gas, or a mixture of both in applications used in the food and beverage industry, oil and gas plants, and chemicalpharmaceutical factories. The flow computer receives volumetric flow measurement data from dp or ultrasonic gas meters, along with temperature and pressure, and calculates the flow rate. In this chapter, the flow measurements of liquids and gases will be discussed in detail rather than that of solids. Natural gas is often considered to be a cleaner and more environmentally friendly alternative to oil. When choosing flowmeters, one should consider such intangible factors as familiarity of plant personnel, their experience with calibration and maintenance, spare parts availability, and mean time between failure. Jul 09, 2014 in part three of this series on natural gas flow meter types, here we discuss the coriolis flowmeter. As the diaphragm expands, it forces the gas in the case compartment up through the case port. Common methods used for the validation or calibration of thermal flow meters. In addition, the digital pulse output generated by the gas turbine flow meter can be fed to companion readout devices capable of providing direct measurement of flow rate and accumulated throughput.
A flow meter is a device used to measure the flow rate or quantity of a gas or liquid moving through a pipe. Flow capacities ranges for the flowmeters described in this catalog are given for air at standard conditions t 14. While temperature, pressure, and analytical devices all play an important role in gas measurement, gas flow measurement is one of the most critical of all the measurements made. They usually are mandatory for custody transfer applications. Gas flow meter types since different flow meter designs exhibit different sensitivities to installation effecterrors discussed in more detail later, it is important to understand how each meter design or type is influenced by the various flow field distortions that may occur at a meter station. Some common applications for coriolis flow meters include. Based on the principle of thermal diffusion, gas mass flow meter measure the flow rate of gas. Overview of flowmeter models matheson offers a complete line of variable area flowmeters to meet your application requirements. We have a complete range of products including water meters, gas meters, electricity meters and more that help you build intelligence into every point of your infrastructure. Water meters, gas meters, electricity meters and more sensus. Curious to know what a flow meter is, the types of flow meters, and how they work.
Selecting flow meters for natural gas fiscal measurement emerson. Energy costs are one of the highest expenses in commercial and industrial operations. Accurate measurement of flow rate of liquids and gases is an essential requirement for. Different technologies types of flow meters proteus. In industrial work settings, the accurate measure of flow is highly critical. In both venturi and orifice meters the flow is passed through a constriction in the pipeline causing the velocity to increase. Ultrasonic meters for natural gas custody transfer are generally best suited to pipes larger than 6 inches. It is also a reference guide for customers looking for specific information about operational aspects of nists natural gas flow calibration service e. This flow then impels the switch to act accordingly. Measurement elements and fluid flow calculations common flow measurement elements and related flow calculations used in natural gas measurement a. Gas meters are used at residential, commercial, and industrial buildings that consume fuel gas supplied by a gas utility. Residential gas meter and various natural gas meter types. Therefore, by measuring the pressure at the orifice, one can calculate the flow of the gas. In order to measure mass flow, one must know the exact gas composition.
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