3/15/2015

VSL Training course

“From flow metering to the kilogram (Grand K) in Paris!”

Flow metering: Keep flow meters

within tolerances!

Jos Verbeek
Erik Smits

Content

- Liquid Flow traceability

- From design to sustainable traceability
- Measurement units and measurement
- Liquid flow calibration
- Calibration methods
- Selecting a calibration/traceability for your flow meter
- Liquid flow measurements
- Examples

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From design to sustainable traceability

 Inception,
brainstorming,
 Feasibility of projected
uncertainty/accuracy
 Reviewing functional
and technical designs.
 Factory acceptance tests
 Initial calibrations
 Training and guidance
 Commissioning and
determination of
achieved uncertainty
 Final Report
 Operational start, SAT
 Maintaining traceability
over life span

Flow measurement back to basics

7 base units in SI: m, kg, s, A, K, mol, cd

All flow measurements units traceable to one or
more base units (m3/s, kg/s, m/s, kg/m3
mm2/s, kg, m3, mol, etc).
The kilogram is the last remaining base unit of the SI that is still defined by a
material artifact.
The meter is the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time
interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second.
The second is the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation
corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the
ground state of the cesium 133 atom.
The mole is the amount of substance of a system which contains as many
elementary entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon 12.

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Liquid Flow Calibration

Gravimetric (weighing) Volumetric tanks

Pipe prover Master Meter(s)

Liquid Flow measurements

- Volume
- Traceable directly to Length
- Traceable to mass and density
- Volume at reference conditions
- Temperature and Pressure corrections to fixed chosen
temperature and pressure. For example 15°C and 0
Pa(g) or 60°F and 0 psi(g)
- Mass
- Traceable directly to Mass
- Traceable to Length and density
- Don’t forget time for flow rate!

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Traceability

All units possible Volume,

Mass, etc…

In all steps temperature,

pressure, viscosity, density
etc.. Can be/is an important
factor!

Other routes are possible

for example a pipe prover
can be calibrated with a
master meter in
combination with a master
pipe prover.

Uncertainty grows with

each step!

Calibration onsite or at a calibration

facility/laboratory

- Onsite advantages
- Real conditions
- Some possible mistakes will cancel out
- Laboratory advantages
- Lower measurement uncertainty
- Well controlled flow and conditions
- Onsite disadvantages
- Less control in general in and outside of the pipe
(environment)
- Laboratory disadvantages
- Liquid is different from liquid onsite

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An example

- LACT type system

- Crude oil
- 3 metering runs
- Minimum flow 5000 bbl per day (1 run)
- Maximum flow 27500 bbl per day (1 run)
- PD meter in each run
- 100 USG prover

The LACT system in API and OIML

Watch movie

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Calculation in the flow computer

Calculation in the flow computer

𝜌𝑝 1 𝐷𝑝 × 𝑝𝑝
𝑉𝑝𝑟𝑡 × × × 1 + 𝛾𝑝 × 𝑡𝑝𝑟 − 𝑡𝑝𝑟𝑡 × 1+
𝜌𝑟𝑒𝑓 1 − 𝛽 × 𝑝𝑝 𝑑𝑝 × 𝐸𝑝
𝑀𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 =
𝑁𝑈𝑈𝑇 𝜌 1
× 𝑈𝑈𝑇 ×
𝐾𝑈𝑈𝑇 𝜌𝑟𝑒𝑓 1 − 𝛽 × 𝑝𝑈𝑈𝑇

𝑚𝑈𝑈𝑇 = 𝑚𝑝

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Possible influences on measurements?

Pipe Prover
- Calibration
- Sphere detectors
- Sphere inflation
- Temperature
- Pressure
- Other like
- Damage to pipe
(internal leaks)
- etc

Possible influences on measurements?

Temperature
- Calibration
- Correct placement
- Outside temp
- Contact
thermowell
- Rapid variations
- Time stability
- 4-20 mA Span
- Etc…

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Possible influences on measurements?

Pressure
- Calibration
- Correct placement
- Outside temp
- Air pocket
- Time stability
- 4-20 mA span
- Etc…

Let’s have a look at a real example

- Master turbine meter

- Compact prover 120 Liter
- Liquid Exxol D80
- Density 795 kg/m3 at 15°C

MS Excel workbook >>>>

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Watch the VSL Video

For Liquid Flow Remember

- Keep traceability chains as short as possible

- Location of calibration is important
- Every extra step leads to extra uncertainty
- Each measurement can lead to uncertainty
and accuracy loss
- Choose the correct calibration, interval etc..
- Accuracy loss and uncertainties could come
from other sources than calibration alone!

Use your knowledge about the system!

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VSL
PO Box 654
2600 AR Delft
The Netherlands

T +31 15 269 15 00
F +31 15 261 29 71
E info@vsl.nl
I www.vsl.nl VSL group:
http://lnkd.in/Bif3Sy
Erik Smits VSL Fluid Flow Metrology group:
E fsmits@vsl.nl http://lnkd.in/DF2zJx

Jos Verbeek
E jverbeek@vsl.nl

Questions ?

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