MEASUREMENT REPORT

Proper orifice meter test must include

plate, tube inspection
Error-producing conditions can be overlooked by routine focus on
secondary instrument calibration
James N. Witte, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, an El Paso Energy Company, Houston,
Texas

proper orifice meter test must include close inspection of the primary element to guard
against orifice plate and tube irregularities caused by abnormal operating conditions.
Often, the meters secondary instruments get all the technicians attention on meter test day. This
practice can ignore costly bias errors that occur independently of how well the secondary
elements are performing.
Orifice meters are the most commonly used measurement device in the natural gas industry. The
American Gas Associations Report No. 3, "Orifice metering of natural gas and other related
hydrocarbon fluids" (AGA 3)1 describes the assumptions and conditions necessary for accurate
measurement using orifice meters.
Abnormal operating conditions can affect the orifice meters primary measurement elements, the
tube and plate, creating bias errors. These errors can be generally categorized as pipe effects
and plate effects. Detailed knowledge of these effects is necessary to identify and eliminate the
measurement errors they can produce.

Debris. Bias errors can result if debris is

trapped upstream of straightening vanes.

Plate. Bent orifice plates also can

produce bias errors. This plates inner
edge, which should be flush with the
tabletop, has become elevated, or bent,
about 3/8 in. from flatness.

Pipe effects. This includes conditions that produce non-axisymmetric distorted velocity profiles in
the meter tube before reaching the orifice plate.
The three main pipe effects are swirling pipe flow, pipe misalignment, and pipe roughness.
Swirl. The term swirl refers to gas molecules traveling in a spiraling motion down the longitudinal
axis of the meter tube. Specifications for installing orifice meters outlined in AGA 3 require
sufficient lengths of straight pipe, tube bundles (straightening vanes), and flow conditioners to
eliminate swirl.
Measurement errors due to swirling flow are a function of the swirl angles magnitude. These
errors cannot be reliably predicted.
Several diameters of straight pipe are required for swirl decay. McManus, et al.,9 defines the
relationship between swirl decay and pipe length in Eq. 1:
% Decay = 0.965 EXP (0.014 3 X/D)

(1)

where:
X = distance along the pipe
D = inside pipe diameter
(valid only for high Reynolds Number).
Swirl may be introduced in the meter tube through pipe configurations. Examples would be
undersized headers on a multi-tube meter station, or two out-of-plane elbows at the meter tubes
entrance. Combinations of pipe arrangements with reduced port or pinched valves also can
produce or contribute to swirling flow.
Upon visual inspection, swirl may be recognized by a rifled appearance of the pipe wall. It is
important to know that flow straightening vanes and flow conditioners are in good condition, and
are located in their originally-installed position.
Misalignment. When meter tubes are assembled, attention must be paid to proper tube
alignment. Out-of-alignment pipe sections can cause errors of several percent, depending on
which way the tube is misaligned relative to the location of the metering taps. On newlyassembled meter stations, it is important to check for gasket protrusion into the pipe interior.
Roughness. AGA 3, Part 22 states that the average pipe wall roughness for beta ratios less than
0.6 must not exceed 300 microinch. It further states that the average roughness for 0.6 and
greater beta ratios be no more than 250 microinch.
When meter tube pipe roughness meets the AGA 3 specifications, and beta ratios are less than
0.5, there is no significant error.3 For beta ratios greater than or equal to 0.55, and an average
tube roughness of 150 microinch or greater, flow can be under-registered by as much as 1%.3
Plate effects. These are events that occur at the orifice plate and its mounting system which alter
the intended operating configuration.
Some of the plate-effect information presented here is intended to indicate possible magnitude of
error for that condition. This information should not be used for metered volume adjustment
without consulting the literature and metering experts. Plate effects can be divided into the
following subcategories:

Seal ring leaks

Valve lubricant and debris on plate

Nicked orifice plate edge

Metering-tap obstruction

Light oil effects

Reversed beveled plates

Plates bent in flow direction

Plates bent against flow direction

Orifice plate eccentricity

Pulsating flow.

Leaks. Intentionally-produced4 seal ring leaks have been shown to cause under-registration of up
to 3.3% at 90 from the metering taps, and 6.1% when next to the taps. Other bypass conditions,
such as incomplete seating of the plate carriage, may result in greater errors.
Lubricant, debris. Tests run7 with valve lubricant on the plate face have shown a bias error as
great as 15%. Lubricant collection on the orifice plates downstream surface shows a lesser
error of about 3%.
Lubricant on both plate sides can produce errors greater than the previous cases, depending on
accumulation thickness.
Debris accumulation on the orifice plate surface changes the shape of the vena contracta, which
is formed as the gas moves through the orifice. This change, relative to the metering tap
locations, causes erroneous meter readings.
Nicked edge. Tests have shown4 that a plate that does not have a sharp upstream edge can
produce between a 1% and 13% metering error. Determining the exact error is a function of
beta ratio, and extent to which the plate edge is dull or nicked.
Obstruction. Debris collection in metering taps will cause bias errors. Blockage of the upstream
tap will cause a negative error. On the other hand, blockage of the downstream tap causes a
positive error.
Each errors magnitude is determined by how much the tap hole is blocked, and the systems flow
dynamics.
Light oil. Positive and negative bias errors can be caused by light oil flowing down the meter
tube. Whether the error is positive or negative depends on if accumulation occurs at the orifice
plate.
Oil in quantities sufficient to form wave action may act as an increased surface roughness effect.6
Oil collection on the orifice plate can produce an effect similar to a dull upstream edge. Without
significant pooling in the meter tube, the observed effect of light oil on the orifice plate is undermetering.12
Reversed plates. Beveled orifice plates incorrectly installed with the bevel upstream will produce
significant under-registration of flow. The error is strongly correlated with beta ratios. Bias errors
between 9% and 20% are to be expected.13

Bent plates. Orifice plate bending usually happens when demand loads exceed anticipated
flowrates. Flow measurement errors occur during elastic flexing of the plate. Greater errors exist
when the plate is plastically deformed.
Elastic deformation of orifice plates has been addressed by Jepson and Chipchase.5 Their
research indicates that flow under-registration of up to 6% can occur. This conclusion was later
confirmed by Norman, et al.11
Plates which are plastically deformed in flow direction will produce negative measurement errors,
which may be as high as 20%.8, 5 Error amount is a function of beta ratio and the plates amount
of axial deflection from flatness.
When plates are bent against flow direction, a greater contraction of the jet takes place as the gas
passes through the orifice bore. This produces flow over-registration.
If the plastic deflection of the plate is great enough, the bore will be enlarged, once again
producing flow under-registration.
Plate eccentricity. Orifice metering theory assumes the orifice plate is positioned for axial
symmetry in the pipes center.
Eccentric placement of the orifice plate, relative to the metering taps, may produce flow underregistrations of up to 2%.1011 AGA 3, Part 2 defines the acceptable tolerances for plate
eccentricity. Those tolerances are expressed in Eq. 2:
E 0.0025 Dm/(0.1 + 2.3 Bm4)

(2)

where:
E = orifice eccentricity
Dm = meter tube diameter
Bm4 = beta ratio raised to the fourth power.
Pulsating flow. Theory also assumes that flow through the orifice is at a steady state. Given
unsteady flow, the assumption that differential pressure is directly proportional to the square of
the flowrate is not true. The resulting measurement error will always produce over-registration.
The over-registrations magnitude is dependent on the performance of the secondary
measurement equipment being used, and how the differential pressure is being averaged. This
error is often called the square root error.
In an unsteady state, the calculated and assumed steady state density will introduce additional
error.
Conclusions. Several abnormal operating conditions will produce flow measurement bias errors.
Most can be determined by direct observation.
It is routine to pay attention to secondary instrument calibration with each meter test. However,
the bias errors presented here occur independent of secondary instrument performance.
A proper meter test must include a thorough inspection of the orifice meters tube and plate to
eliminate these error sources.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Based on a paper presented at the Appalachian Gas Measurement Short Course, Aug. 1820, 1999, Robert Morris
College, Moon Township, Pennsylvania.

LITERATURE CITED
1.

American Gas Association Report No. 3, "Orifice metering of natural gas and other related
hydrocarbons fluids," Part 1, General Equations and Uncertainty Guidelines, Third Edition, October
1990.

2.

American Gas Association Report No. 3, "Orifice metering of natural gas and other related
hydrocarbons fluids," Part 2, Specification and Installation Requirements, Third Edition, February
1991.

3.

Brennan, J. A., et al., "Effect of pipe roughness on orifice flow measurement," National Institute of
Standards and Technology Report No. 1329, July 1989.

4.

Burgin, E. J., "Factors affecting accuracy of orifice measurement (primary element)," presented at the
International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement (ISHM), 1971.

5.

Jepson, P., and R. Chipchase, "Effect of plate buckling on orifice meter accuracy," Journal
Mechanical Engineering Science, Vol. 17, No. 6, 1975.

6.

Johansen, B., et al., "The effects of oil coating on the measurement of gas flow using sharp-edged
orifice flowmeters," presented at the AGA Operating Section Conference, Montreal, Quebec, May 19
22, 1996.

7.

Lansverck, N. B., "Effects of abnormal conditions on accuracy of measurement," presented at ISHM,

1984.

8.

Mason, D., et al., "Measurement error due to the bending of orifice plates," American Society of
Mechanical Engineers publication 75-WA/FM-6, August 1975.

9.

McManus, S. E., et al., "The decay of swirling gas flow in long pipes," presented at the AGA
Operating Section Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, May 22, 1985.

10. Norman, R., et al., "Buckling and eccentricity effects on orifice metering accuracy," presented at the
1983 International Gas Research Conference, London, England, June 1316, 1983.
11. Norman, R., et al., "An experimental investigation into the effects of plate eccentricity and elastic
deformation on orifice meter accuracy," presented at the International Conference on Metering of
Natural Gas and Liquefied Hydrocarbon Gases, London, England, Feb. 12, 1984.
12. Ting, V. C., "Effects of nonstandard operating conditions on the accuracy of orifice meters," Society of
Petroleum Engineers Production and Facilities, February 1993.
13. Witte, J. N., "Orifice meter error with reversed beveled orifice plates," presented at the AGA
Operating Section Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, May 19, 1997.

The author
James N. Witte is a principal engineer with Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, an El Paso Energy Company,
Houston, Texas. With over 20 years experience as a measurement engineer, he has served as chairman of the AGA
Transmission Measurement Committee and advisor to the GRI Technical Advisory Group. Witte holds a MS degree in
engineering from Louisiana Tech University.