CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Ultrasonic Flowmeter Design

T o accurately measure merchantable natural gas downstream of

onshore gasplants, the connecting party may elect to use orifice,
multipath ultrasonic (MUSM),turbine, or rotary displacement flow-
meters. To accurately measure merchantable natural gas upmeam of
onshore gas plants, the connecting party is limited t o using orificeflow-
meters due to the presence of excessive pipeline rouge, condensate,
and retrograde condensate.

15.1 General
The measurement system should be designed, operated, and main-
tained to provide measurements within *0.50% or &1.00%overall
uncertainty. (Note: To achieve an uncertainty of *0.50%, the multi-
path ultrasonic flowmeter must be linearized as a function of MF
versus qvg, or MF versus qav.) The multipath ultrasonic flowmeter
consists of three or more chordal paths using invasive transducers
design, an high-performance flow conditioner, and associated
upstream and downstream pipe spools (flowmeter run). The ultra-
sonic flowmeter must comply with A.G.A. Report No. 9, latest

361
362 Natural Gas Measurement Handbook

edition, the Federal Gas Pipeline Safety Regulations, and all other
applicable codes and standards. Failure or removal of one pair of
the transducers should not cause the flowmeter to lose all measure-
ment functions.
The flowmeter and direct mount electronics should be designed
for an environmental temperature range of -13°F to 131°F in the
presence of condensing humidity. The ultrasonic flowmeter(s)
should be leak-tested by the manufacturer after final assembly and
prior to shipment to the dynamic calibration facility. The leakage
test uses nitrogen gas at 200 psig for a minimum of 15 minutes with
no leaks detectable using a noncorrosive liquid solution (soap test).
Ultrasonic flowmeters are calibrated in two steps: (1) a static
(or zero flow) calibration using pure nitrogen as the test medium at
the manufacturer’s facility and (2) a dynamic calibration of the
flowmeter assembly(s) using natural gas as the test medium at an
approved flow laboratory as close as practical to the normal operat-
ing pressure of the facility. The flowmeter assembly should be
recalibrated dynamically at an approved flow laboratory at a mutu-
ally agreed-on interval (i.e., every five years).
Where the delivery is required to be continuous and it is im-
practical to shut down in the event of a flowmeter failure, a spare
flowmeter@)is installed, complete with associated accessories, and
symmetrical with the initial flowmeter assembly.
Where it is likely for parallel flowmetering to occur, special
consideration must be given to balanced flow and pressure control.
For parallel flowmetering installations, the design must be symmet-
rical with and of similar size to the other flowmeter assemblies.
Automated valve sequencing is installed to provide for accurate
measurement, turndown, and flowmeter failure. For parallel
MUSM flowmeters, flow control valves should be installed in a sta-
tion control valve manifold to allow for control valve maintenance.
The pressure regulation or flow control valves should be installed
downstream of the flowmeter assemblies.
Bidirectional flowmeter facilities are designed with dedicated
totalization for each direction of flow, piping spools, HPFCs, com-
plex instruments, and directional meter factors for the MUSM.
 Ultrasonic Flowmeter Design 363

All LACT/ACT units must shut down any flowmeter assembly

that exhibits a flowmeter or critical secondary instrumentation fail-
ure (static pressure transmitter, temperature transmitter, and flow
computer).

15.2 Velocity and Piping Insulation

The ultrasonic flowmeter assembly should not operate at above
6 5 f p s under normal conditions due to accelerated erosion rates, audible
noise generation, and fatigue considerations (thermowells, sampling
probes). If normal operation is below 7 f p s , then insulation of the
entire flowmeter assembly may be required to ensure thermal
homogeneity along the radial and axial coordinates of the flowmeter
and adjacent pipe spools. Insulation of the entire flowmeter assem-
bly may be required due to climatic variations in light of the flowing
gas conditions.

15.3 Acoustic Filter

To ensure that control valves do not confuse the ultrasonic flowme-
ters through the generation of ultrasonic noise, an acoustic filter is
installed in each flowmeter assembly such that proper maintenance
can be accomplished without a station shutdown. An acoustic filter
element also should be installed in each flowmeter assembly, between
the control valve and the ultrasonic flowmeter, consisting of parallel
tubes and a flow-through design to minimize the ultrasonic noise ef-
fect on the MUSM technology. If necessary, multiple tees or elbows
may be required between the control valves and the flowmeter assem-
bly to eliminate the “line of sight” issue with the noise source.

15.4 Flowmeter Assembly

The flowmeter assembly (see Figure 15-1) consists of the upstream
meter run with a HPFC, the flowmeter body, and the downstream
meter run with appropriate sensing taps (9,
Tf) and sampling
connections.
Figure 1 5 1 Ultrasonic flowmeter assembly: (1) multipath ultrasonic flowmeter; (2) isolating flow conditioner, consisting of an
antiswirl device, a setting chamber, and a profile device; (3)spacer plate with paddle handle, 0.500-in. thick; (4) large female-
faced weld neck to match raised face on MUSM raised-face flange; (5) thread-0-let, 1.OOO in., welded vertical on top center-
line of tube (venting/filling connection); (6) stud bolts for RFWN flanges; (7) stud bolts for MUSM flanges; (8) nonasbestos ring
gasket; (9) API 5L line pipe in conformance with API MPMS Chapter 14.3 (A.G.A. Report No. 3), latest edition; (10) thread-o-
let, 0.75 in., welded vertical on top centerline of tube (for thermowell); (11) RFWN flange; (12) raised-face, spiral wound
metallic gasket; (13) tee, weld; (14) raised-face blind flange.
 Ultrasonic Flowmeter Design 365

The required flowmeter assembly dimensions in a conservative

design are based on the following criteria:
A minimum of 15 nominal upstream straight unobstructed
pipe diameters between the flowmeter assembly inlet and the
ultrasonic flowmeter body inlet.
Upstream straight unobstructed piping containing a HPFC
ten nominal pipe diameters upstream of the ultrasonic flow-
meter inlet.
A minimum of five nominal upstream straight unobstructed
pipe diameters between the ultrasonic flowmeter body outlet
and the first thermowell.
A minimum of two thermowells (Tf and master) installed
approximately five nominal pipe diameters downstream of the
ultrasonic flowmeter outlet on each flowmeter assembly. If
additional thermowells are needed, a maximum of four may be
installed.
At least two static pressure taps(5)
installed in each flowmeter
assembly. The pressure tap locations are on the flowmeter
body and approximately five nominal pipe diameters down-
stream of the MUSM.
Sampling probes located downstream of any thermowells (pri-
mary flowmeter assembly).
A valved 1-in. tap should be provided on both ends of the flowme-
ter assembly(s) to allow for proper venting and filling operations.
For RF flange installations, a spacer plate should be located at
the end of the flowmeter assembly(s) for ease of replacement and
maintenance. Alternatively,an inspection tee design may be installed
to allow for ease of replacement and maintenance. For RTJ flange
installations, an inspection tee design should be required to allow for
ease of replacement and maintenance.
The flowmeter assembly(s) should be designed for ease of
visual or optical internal inspection of the flowmeter body, HPFC,
and adjacent pipe spool surfaces (foreign matter, rouge, condensate
and so forth).
366 Natural Gas Measurement Handbook

15.5 Flowmeter, Mechanical

The flowmeter body's average internal diameter (ID) is calculated
from 2 8 internal diameter measurements. Seven ID measurement
locations are at
1. At the inlet flange of the flowmeter body.
2. At the girth (or butt) weld of the flowmeter or, for cast bodies,
halfway between the inlet flange face and the first ultrasonic
transducer.
3. Near the set of upstream ultrasonic transducers.
4. Near the set of downstream ultrasonic transducers.
5. Halfway between the upstream and downstream transducer
sets.
6. At the girth (or butt) weld of the flowmeter or, for cast bodies,
halfway between the outlet flange face and the last ultrasonic
transducer.
7 . At the outlet flange of the flowmeter body.
The flowmeter body's ID measurements should be measured along
four axes equally spaced around the circumference at the locations
just specified. No individual measurement should exceed the pub-
lished or specified flowmeter body value by ~ 0 . 2 5 %at 68"E
The internal diameter should be the mean of all ID measure-
ments reported to the nearest 0.0001 in. and conform to the pub-
lished or specified value within *O. 10% at 68"E
The roughness of the flowmeter body should not exceed 250
microinch at any point.
If practical, the individual path angles are measured to ensure
compliance to the manufacturer's specifications and tolerances.
The mechanical measurements should be performed using
devices of sufficient precision and traceable to National Institute of
Standards and Technology.
T h e dimensional measurements and calculations should be
documented on a certificate, along with the name of the manufac-
turer, flowmeter model, flowmeter serial number, flowmeter body
temperature at the time the dimensional measurements were per-
 Ultrasonic Flowmeter Design 367

formed, date, name of individual making the measurements, and

name of inspectors or witnesses present.

15.6 Piping Spools, Mechanical

The adjacent pipe spools (three SD long spools) must comply with
the following criteria:
Conform to the published or specified flowmeter body internal
diameter value within *0.50% at 68°F.
The internal diameter of the piping spools should be measured
along four axes equally spaced around the circumference at
four locations-the inlet flange, the girth weld of the inlet
flange and pipe, the outlet flange, and the girth weld of the
outlet flange and pipe. No individual measurement should
exceed the published or specified flowmeter body value by
+O.SO% at 68°F.
All girth welds between the HPFC exit and the exit of the
downstream 5D long pipe spool should be internally ground
smooth. Alternatively, the pipe spools can be internally bored to
ensure smooth girth welds and diameter tolerance compliance.
No part of the upstream or downstream gaskets should pro-
trude into the pipe internal diameter.
The piping spools carefully aligned to the flowmeter body to
minimize the creation of any flow disturbances. For proper
alignment, unique flange alignment pins should be installed at
three flanged pair locations: the outlet of the isolating flow con-
ditioner, the inlet of the MUSM, and the exit of the MUSM.
The roughness of the adjacent pipe spools should not exceed
250 microinches at any point.

15.7 Flowmeter: SPU, Electrical, and Software

T h e flowmeter’s signal processing unit (SPU) should be direct
mounted or closely mounted to the flowmeter body. The flowme-
ter’s SPU should operate on 12 or 24 Vdc power supply. The SPU
368 Natural Gas Measurement Handbook

should be protected from power overload as well as from transients

(lightning). The flowmeter should remain powered in the event of
ac supply failure. The system should contain a watchdog timer to
ensure automatic restart of the SPU in the event of program failure
or lockup.
Flowmeter parameters and factors established in the electronics
should be retained in nonvolatile memory and secured to ensure
unauthorized changes are not possible. Configuration software and
firmware should be provided with the flowmeter. An historical ar-
chive of the configuration at the time of flow calibration is required
to provide a proper audit trail. A licensed version of SonicWareB
should be provided with the flowmeter to assist the operator’s field
technician in maintenance and SOS calculations.
Cable jackets, rubber, plastic, and other exposed parts should
be resistant to ultraviolet light, flames, oil, and grease.

Flowmeter Output Signal Specifications

The SPU should be equipped with the following outputs:
Serial interface (RS-232, RS-485, or equivalent).
Frequency representing average flowing velocity ( vvJ
in f p s or
uncorrected volume (qav)(Note: The frequency scaling should
be 0-5,000 Hz equipped with a low-flow cutoff function).
For bidirectional applications using complex instruments, two
separate flow rate outputs and a directional output should be
provided to separate accumulations of volumes by direction.
All outputs should be separated from ground.

Flowmeter Alarms
The following alarms should be provided in the form of digital
communications or fail-safe, dry, relay contacts, or voltage-free
solid-state switches isolated from the ground:
Output invalid (when indicated flow rate at line conditions is
invalid).
Partial failure (when one or more of the path results is not
usable).
 Ultrasonic Flowmeter Design 369

Trouble (when any of the several monitored parameters fall

outside normal operations for a significant period of time).

15.8 Secondary and Tertiary Devices

T h e facility should be equipped with microprocessor-based flow
computers that accept the following inputs: ultrasonic flowmeter
velocity(v,,>, flowing temperature (Tf), and flowing pressure (9)
to
generate the mass flow and standard volumetric flow computations.

Secondary Devices: pf and Tf

Smart transmitters (static pressure and static temperature) should be
utilized to ensure accuracy as follows: a smart temperature transmitter
(Tf) should be installed on each downstream flowmeter assembly. If
additional transmitters or probes are needed, a maximum of two
probes may be installed. A common temperature measuring point
for all flowmeter assembly(s) is not acceptable. A ma^ staticpresmre
transmitter (9) should be installed on each flowmeter assembly or
flowmeter body. A common static pressure measuring point for all
flowmeter assembly(s) is not acceptable.

Secondary Devices: Sampling Probes

Gas sampling probes should be installed as follows:
A properly sized sample probe should be installed for the con-
tinuous sampler in accordance with API MPMS Chapter 14,
Section 1, preferably in the primary flowmeter assembly.
A properly sized sample probe should be installed for the man-
ual spot sampler in accordance with API MPMS Chapter 14,
Section 1, preferably in the primary flowmeter assembly.
A properly sized sample probe should be installed for the gas
chromatograph (GC) and moisture monitor in accordance
with API MPMS Chapter 14, Section 1, preferably in the pri-
mary flowmeter assembly (if applicable).
If liquid (pipeline condensate, free water, oil, methanol, glycol)
is anticipated or experienced, then installation of a static mixer
370 Natural Gas Measurement Handbook

upstream of the sample probes is required to ensure accurate

mixing at the sample probe@)location(s).
For this application, the sample probes should be installed in
the common pipe entering or exiting the parallel flowmeter
arrangement.
If two or more gas streams are combined upstream of the
flowmetering facility, then a static mixer should be installed to
ensure thermal and compositional homogeneity through the
measurement facility.

Tertiary Devices: Flow Computer

The flow computers should be programmed with the latest edition
of A.G.A. Report No. 8 for the computation of natural gas density
in the gaseous and dense phase region. The flow computers should
comply with API MPMS Chapter 2 1.1, “Electronic Gas Measure-
ment,” latest edition as a minimum.