NATIONAL OIL CORPORATION

GENERAL DEPARTMENT OF INSPECTION AND

MEASUREMENT

ES-SIDER INSPECTION AND MEASUREMENT REPORT

Prepared by: FERAS SALMAN
 INTRODUCTION INTO ES-SIDER OIL
TERMINAL

ES-SIDER or SIDRA oil port is one of the main and largest Libyan oil

terminals shipping about 7.5 million barrels per month, it is located about
180 km east of Sirte and 07km west of RA’S LANUF. It is used to export
Libyan crude oil that is received through pipelines coming from the
oilfields located in the south, with a distance of about 1400 km. Its facilities
were completed in 1962, ES-SIDER terminal is owned by WAHA OIL
COMPANY.
Among its facilities are 2 berths equipped for cargo ships , and 9 tanks
with the capacity of 2.6 million barrels currently.

MAIN FACILITIES OF ES-SIDER OIL TERMINAL

1. Tank farm area
2. Meter bank
3. Shore area
4. Powerhouse

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 TANK FARM AREA
ES-SIDER tank farm receives crude oil from oilfields and stations located
in the south, some of these oilfields are:
1. GIALO field 59 W, which consists of GIALO 1, GIALO 2,
MESRAB and HARRACH. The production of GIALO is about 113
thousand barrels per day.

2. Al-WAHA field 59 W, which consists of the Al-WAHA station, Al-

DAFA and AL-ZAQOUT, and its production is about 125,000
barrels per day.

3. Al-SAMH field consists of Al-SAMH, BELHAIDAN, KHALIFA

and Al-Blat stations, with a production of 137,000 barrels per day.

4. Al-DHAHRA field consists of PL5 - PL7 and Al-BAHI, with a

production of about 20 thousand barrels per day.
5. Al-FAREGH field has a production of about 12,000 barrels per day.

Other companies also have fields connected to the lines of the Al-WAHA
Company, such as the station Latif – Al-MABROUK – AL-NNAGA –
Al-KHAIR, with a total production of about 10,000 barrels per day.

Figure 1 (THE NETWORK OF PIPLINES CONNECTING OIL FIELDS QITH ESSIDER PORT )

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 The tank farm of ES-SIDER gets its feed through the three
main pipelines 1 & 2 coming from DAHRA oilfield, and by
the third pipeline coming from ZAGGOUT oilfield other
sources of feed are GIALO, ALFAREGH, SAMAH, WAHA
and the lines from these oilfields join in the DAHRA and
ZAGOUT lines.

Figure 2 (DAHRA LINES)

 AL-DAHRA 1&2 LINES

1- DHAHRA MINELINE, is the line connecting the DHAHRA field

and ES-SIDER port with a distance about 140 km with a diameter of
30 inch.

2- AL-DHAHRA LOOP LINE that branches off from the main

DHAHRA line from half the distance between the Sidra port and the
DHAHRA field to relieve operational pressure and connects the
BAHI and MABROUK fields. 30 inches.

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 Figure 3 (ZAGGOUT LINE)

3. ZAGGOUT LINE
Which is the link between WAHA field 59 and the ES-
SIDER port, with a distance about 270 km with a
diameter of 24 inch.

THE MANIFOLD

Figure 4 (PIPLINE MANIFOLD)

The main lines from ZAGOUT and AL-DAHRA are branched

into 5 lines that works as a distribution pipeline system called the
manifold which is used for filling the tanks and for the shipping
process, each one of the lines is used to fill a single group of
tanks.

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 TANKS
There were 19 operating tanks all FLOATING ROOF type, but now
only 9 operating tanks remain due to the damage caused to the tank
farm area in the previous years, and they’re:
2 4 5 7 10 11 12 15 18 19

TANK 2 is under maintenance since 17 April 2021 and

Now it’s finished and being calibrated.

TANK 5 & 18 are slightly damaged and used for storage only.

 TANK GROUPS
GROUP-1TK-15 TK-1 TK-2
GROUP-2TK-14 TK-3 TK-4
GROUP-3TK-5 TK-6 TK-7
GROUP-4TK-17 TK-16 TK-8 TK-9 TK-10
GROUP-5TK-19 TK-18 TK-11 TK-12 TK-13

The tank farm overall capacity is 2,662,652 million barrels (net)

 The tanks 3, 6, 8, 9, 13, 14 were removed because they were heavily
damaged.

 The construction of three new tanks with a capacity of half a million

barrels each is underway and they’re:
1- tank 1
2- tank 16
3- tank 17
 TANK 16 owned by al WAHA Oil Company (capacity 500,000
barrels) is being constructed by the national oil construction
company (NPC), in cooperation with al SAWARI oil Services
Company.
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Figure 5 (TANK 16 UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Tank 1 and 17 owned by AL WAHA OIL COMPANY (capacity

500,000 barrels each) is being constructed by ENGINEERING,
PROCUREMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMISSIONING
(CPPE) in cooperation with (CPPE-LIBYA)

Figure 6

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Figure 7 (TANK 1 UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Figure 8 (TANK 17 UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

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  TANK GAUGING IN ES-SIDER TERMINAL
1.Manual tank gauging.
2.Automatic tank gauging.
 MANUAL TANK GAUGING the manual measurement process is
carried out by an operator using a tool called the hand tape it
consists of a non-corrosive metal tape and a weight at its end.
The tape is equipped with a scale in feet and inches on one side and
meter on the other side.

 HAND DIP Is a common method for measuring the amount of

crude oil in a tank using the “hand dip” it is achieved by lowering
the tape into a tank until the tip of the plumb bob reaches the
bottom, when you reel in the tape, simply read the depth of the
liquid in the tank by seeing where the tape is wet, it’s like using a
dip stick in a car.

Figure 9 (electronic hand dip)

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 Automatic tank gauging

1.AUTO Gauge.
2.Radar Tank Gauging (RTG).
 AUTOGAUGE
Float operated automatic tank gauges are instruments that
continuously measure fluid levels by means of a float connected to
a mechanical level indicator.

Figure 10(float type tank gauge)

 RADAR TANK GAUGE

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 The radar level indicator is an instrument used to measure the
amount of crude oil in a tank it is installed at a known point at the top
of the tank called a” reference point “the radar unit works by
emitting a high frequency pulse from its antenna. The pulse travels
through the air gap, reflects against the liquid or solids surface and
returns to the antenna. The radar level sensor determines the pulse
time of flight and converts this into level height or distance.
The radar measurement system measures the level in the tank and
calculates the tank data for custody transfer, inventory management,
oil produced, and mass balance, Loss control and operational control,
as well as leak detection and overfill prevention.

RADAR SYSTEM IS USED FOR:

1. Measure tank level.
2. Calculate the flowrate.
3. Calculate free water level “FWL”.
4. Measure the liquids temperature at 8 different spots.
5. Calculate the crudes pressure.
6. Measures the density.
7. Calculate the net volume according to API. Standards.
 THE ADVANTAGES USING THE RADAR SYSTEM
1.it is better, more accurate and more reliable than the auto-gauge.
2.it does not require any kind of direct contact with crude oil

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3.is easy to install.
4.provides continues level measurement.
5.is not affected by most of operating conditions.
6.has a wide measurement range.

 DISADVANTAGES OF RADAR TANK GAUGING

1.it is very sensitive to build-up on the sensor surface.
2.very expensive, their prices increase with accuracy.
3.Foaming, splashing, vapor and humidity can affect measurement
performance.

 Emerson’s Rosemount radar is the product officially used on

sidras tanks to measure the level and its system consists of the
following:

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 1. Rosemount 5900s radar level gauge.
2. Rosemount 2410 tank hub.
3. Rosemount 2240s multi-input temperature transmitter.
4. Rosemount 3051s pressure transmitter.
5. Rosemount 2160 field communication unit.
6. Rosemount 2230s graphical field display.

Figure 11(ROSEMOUNT RADAR SYSTEM)

 radar level gauge 5900

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 This is used to measure the level of crude oil in the tank, by
sending and receiving waves, depending on the distance and time
taken for the waves to travel, a special equation is applied to
calculate the amount of oil in the tank.
 Rosemount 2240s multi-input temperature transmitter
The ultra-stable high performance 2240S Multi-input Temperature
Transmitter is approved for demanding custody transfer
applications, which require very accurate level and temperature
measurements for net standard volume calculations. 2240S can
connect to 3- or 4-wire temperature spot elements and an
integrated water level sensor.

 Rosemount 565/566 multiple spot or average

temperature sensor
Up to 16 spot elements but only 8 are used in ES-SIDER, placed at
different heights, provide a tank temperature profile and average
temperature. The sensor can be integrated with a water level sensor.

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 Figure 13(ROSEMOUNT 565/566)

 Rosemount 3051s pressure transmitter

The 3051S Rosemount pressure transmitters are the industry leader
in differential pressure measurement and measuring absolute
pressure. The 3051S Rosemount pressure transmitter is composed of
transmitters and a flange suitable for all types of applications it
includes crude oil tanks, pressurized tanks, ceiling, and floating
tanks, etc.

Figure 14(ROSEMOUNT 3051S)

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 Figure 15(ROSEMOUNT 2410)

Rosemount 2410 handles communication between the field devices

and the control room via the intrinsically safe Tank bus. It also feeds
power to the units on the Tank bus.

 Functions of Rosemount 2410 Tank Hub

1. Collects and transfers tank data.

2. Calculates average temperature, observed density etc.
3. Provides power to the field units on the Tank bus.
4. Communicates with devices on one or several tanks via the
intrinsically safe Tank bus.
5. Features several control room communication possibilities.
6. Supports emulation and wireless communication.
7. Supports auto configuration of the Tank bus.
8. Includes write protection functions.

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 Rosemount 2230s graphical field display
Rosemount 2230 presents inventory tank gauging data such as level,
temperature, and pressure. This display is designed for tough
environments, and can be installed in hazardous areas, on the tank
roof or at the bottom of the tank, the four soft keys allow you to
navigate through the different menus to provide all tank data,
directly in the field.
It is approved for legal custody transfer.

Figure 16(ROSEMOUNT 2230S)

 Rosemount 2160 field communication unit

Rosemount 2160 is a data concentrator that continuously polls data
from field measuring devices via the 2410 hub and stores the values
in a buffer memory, it can immediately send data from a group of
tanks from the updated buffer memory to the TANK-MASTER in
the control room via optical fibers.

Figure 17(ROSEMOUNT 2160)

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 Tank master (IMS)
Rosemount is a powerful and easy-to-use inventory management
software package based on Windows. Tank Master Rosemount
collects real-time tank metering data such as level temperature,
water level and pressure. And it automatically calculates the volume
and mass for stock transfer. It also provides an operator overview,
configuration, setup, and service for metering systems.

 ADVANTAGES OF THE TANK MASTER:

1.Increasing the efficiency of laboratories by obtaining a

comprehensive view of the reservoirs.
2.Get real time stock calculations with standard volumes standard
API.
3.Improve safety with robust alert management.
4.Increase reliability with smart redundancy features.

 METER BANK

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 A meter bank or metering station is single meters arranged in
parallel configuration, they’re so relevant in the transfer of
ownership (custody transfer) they provide the required precision for
this process, metering stations allows operators to monitor and
manage the oil exported from the terminal, these meters measure the
oil as it flows through the pipeline without impeding its movement,
measurement equipment has to be tested and calibrated at regular
intervals.

 The old meter bank of ES-SIDER has been removed and a new
ultrasonic meter system is under construction by PETRO COMET
SRVICES CORPORATION.

Figure 18(METER BANK SKIND 1)

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 The meter bank consists of:
1.Double strainers
2.Two-meter Bank skids
3.Bi-directional prover
4.Water with draw tank
5.Shore manifold
6.Density Meter

 Double Strainers
Strainers are designed to provide protection to the system by
capturing solid particles and other contaminants and stopping
them from continuing through the system.

Figure 19(BASKET STRAINERS)

Strainers are equipped with:

1. Differential pressure transmitters
2. Thermal relief valves
3. Air lease heads
4. Double offset butterfly valves
5. Drain piping.

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 Applicable operational and design specifications for
double strainers:
Flow rate 4000BPH
fluid CRUDE OIL
viscosity 37.3 - 50.9SSU
API gravity 36.7 - 37.5 AT 60 DEG F°
Design pressure 285 PSIG
Operating pressure 50 - 80 PSIG
Design temperature 130 DEG F°
Operating temperature 60 - 139 DEG F°
Corrosion allowance 1.6 MM

 Meter bank skids

Figure 20(METERS WRAPPED FOR PROTECTION)

Each meter bank skid consists of five fmc6 ultrasonic meter

assembled on a steel frame. One of them is a master meter that may
work as a duty meter and can be used to prove the other four meters,
the skid is equipped with a density meter at the end and a flow
conditioner upstream of the measuring elements.

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 Flow conditioner is used to stabilize a flow in pipe upstream of the
meter thus reducing disturbance in the flow and improves meter
performance by ensuring it doesn’t get influenced by flow
perturbations.

 Bi-directional prover

Figure 21(bi-directional prover)

A bi-directional prover is one of the most reliable means available to

verify meter readings and establish meter factors, it’s an accurate
way to calibrate meters in the field, to ensure exact measurement of
liquid flow,
Its principle of operation based on positive displacement with flow
and displacer travelling in both directions by means of 4-way
diverter valve.

 Water draws tank.

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 Water Draw Calibration is a procedure used to determine the
volume of a prover by displacing water from the prover into field
standard test measures.

 Shore manifold
It’s like the manifold of the tanks; it allows the loading process to
be carried out from any skid to any berth.

 SAMPLING
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 The object of crude oil sampling is to determine the quality of the
oil at the custody transfer point.  The amount of basic sediment
and water in the oil, the process must be accurate. A 1% error is
worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and frequently over a million
dollars on one single ship load, there are two types of oil sampling
and they’re manual sampling and Automatic sampling.

 MANUAL SAMPLING
IS Carried out by taking a sample from different spots in each tank
(upper, middle, bottom) which represents the whole quantity in the
tank using a sample bottle called Thief sampler it is an old way of
taking samples and isn’t as functional as the auto sampler.

 THE AUTO-SAMPLING SYSTEM

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The purpose of a crude oil sampling system is to withdraw from a
pipeline a small representative portion of the product that contains the
water, oil, and contaminants in the same proportion as is flowing in the
stream it is more accurate and reliable than manual sampling and it can
be set to take samples on a time schedule.
SIDRA TERMINAL HAS 5 AUTO SAMPLERS, there is 1
automatic sampler on the main line of DAHRA, as is the case 1 on
the ZAQOUT line. Samples are drawn from these lines daily and is
analyzed morning and evening, and there is also automatic sampling
on export shipping lines (4) - (5). during the shipment process, the
sample is withdrawn from the line by an automatic sampling system
after the exported shipment quantity has passed 90% of the shipment
quantity then the sample is transferred to the laboratory for the
necessary analyzes.

Figure 22(auto sampler)

 CRUDE OIL LABORATORY

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 The sample taken from the automatic sampler is sent to the
laboratory to perform the necessary analyzes to prepare the quality
certificate the role of I&M employee is to witness on the
experiments being performed and to approve on them there is two
types of sample analysis which is for custody transfer and for daily
reports.

 Some analyzes that are performed on a sample of crude oil:

1. API @60°F
2. BS&W
3. SALT PRESENCE

23(CRUDE OIL LAB)

 THE SHIPPING PROCESS

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 The shipping process (export process - custody transfer) is the last
stage in the oil industry, the most important of which is the exchange
of raw materials between producing assets and customers, and it
includes:

1. The terminal requirements such as making sure there's the agreed-on

quantity in the tanks and is water free, operational conditions pre-
shipping.
2. A standard procedure when crude oil tanker arrives at port.
3. the formalities when port authorities and terminal representative
embark
4. The process for tank survey and sampling by independent cargo
surveyors.
5. the process concerning connecting cargo hoses.
6. the agreed discharge plans.

Cargo process in ESSIDER terminal

The measurement office must be handled the following documents:

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 1- Notice of the arrival of a tanker to the port
It contains information about the carrier, such as its name, call
letters, nationality, weight, and the quantity that will be shipped and
the consigner and the consignee.
2- an information certificate.
It’s a document issued by the Marketing Department,
Contains the name of the carrier and its condition the cargo
consigner, the name of the consignee, the destination port and the
name of the neutral inspection company.

3- Request for Shipping Permit

An official document issued by the agent on behalf of the importing
customer and goes to the customs authority to request approval for
shipment.

4- unloading certificate
Issued by the port inspection and measurement office, which is a
proof of the destination of the tanker and a proof of the exported
quantity.

5- the ship experience factor

Shows the differences in measurement between the quantities
received by the tanker and by the last twenty export ports it dealt
with.
 In addition to supervision, in the measurement office, we deal
with and prepare documents related to the shipping process,
and most importantly, we make the necessary calculations such
as calculating quantities, correcting, etc., and then signing and
approving these documents.

 Here we start with a live and practical example of the process of

shipping one million barrels of oil from Sidra port on
10/02/2023.

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 On 9/02/2023 we got a notice of arrival of the tanker
EUROVISION nationality Bahamas requesting to load 1 million
barrels maximum, in one or more safe ports in China.

While waiting for the tanker to arrive at the port we start the pre-
shipping procedure and making sure the agreed upon quantity is
present in the tanks.
The quantity is available to proceed with the shipping process, we
going to be shipping from the tanks:
Tank 4 50’1”13 66.0 f° 279,185.86 37.0 API
ft. BBL
Tank 7 50’0”4 ft. 65.7 f° 278,998.99 37.0 API
BBL
Tank 11 43’3”0 ft. 64.7 f° 241,041.49 37.0 API
BBL
Tank 12 47’0”12 63.1 f° 262,947.15 37.0 API
ft. BBL
Tank 15 50’8”5 ft. 63.8 f° 283,743.00 37.0 API
BBL
 With everything ready to start shipping, we are waiting to obtain a
request for permission to ship and a certificate of unloading or an
undertaking in case that the tanker enters the port for the first time,
and upon receiving it, we give permission to ship, which is another
document issued by us to the control room to start the shipping
process.
 The control room starts the shipment and our role here is to
supervise and follow up the progress of the process. When 90% of
the quantity is shipped, a sample is taken from the shipping line to
the laboratory for API, water, and sediment analysis a measurement
inspector must be present at the laboratory to supervise the analysis
of the sample to approve it, the result of analysis for the oil shipped
to the tanker we are working on (EUROVISION) were as shown in
Figure:

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After the tanker finishes the shipping process, we calculate the
quantities shipped, and then it will be a matter of time before we
receive the ship’s figure, and the comparison takes place and we
make sure that the difference does not exceed the permissible range,
which is 0.3%.
Cargo calculations for EUROVISION are as follows:

The quantity and temperature of each tank are measured separately

before shipment begins and is multiplied by the temperature
correction coefficient at 60 f˚, and at the end of shipment the same
process is repeated and the process of calculating the shipped quantity
is a simple subtraction by subtracting the corrected quantity in the
tanks after the end of the shipment from the corrected quantity before
it started and The outcome is the quantity that’s been shipped
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 Example
Quantity calculation of tank 4
Quantity in the tank before shipping x temperature factor = corrected
quantity @60 f˚ at start
280,006.28 x 0.99707 = 279,185.86 BBL

Quantity in the tank at the end of shipment x temperature factor =

corrected quantity @60 f˚ at finish
208,986.33 x 0.99712 = 208,384.45 BBL

Quantity in the tank (pre-shipping) @60 F˚ - quantity in the tank

(end of shipment) @60 F˚ = shipped quantity
279,185.86 - 208,384.45 = 70,801.41 BBL

The same calculation is done to the rest of the tanks 7, 11, 12,
15.

To calculate the total amount shipped, we add the outcomes of all

tanks.
70,801.41 + 245,258.33 +206,374.05 + 229,437.82 +247,154.24 =
999,026 BBL

 Metric tons and long tons conversions and calculations

API gravity Specific gravity Long tons Metric tons
@60 F˚ factor factor
37.5 0.8373 0.13071 0.13281

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 To convert barrels into metric and longitudinal tons, we go to the
ASTM tables to find the correction coefficient corresponding to the
API gravity that we got from the sample analysis.

Long tons
total net x long tons factor
999,026 x 0.13071 = 130,582.69 /LT

Metric tons
999,026 x 0.13281 = 132,680.64 /MT

BS&W factor
BS&W factor for trace result is 1.000.
999,026 x 1.000 = 999,026

 Office Duties
The ES-sider measurement office performs routine work such as:
1) Daily report
2) Weekly report
3) Monthly report
4) Annual report

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 A daily report that includes the received production, the total
exportable stock, and the exports that were shipped during that day
is prepared and sent to the statistics department.
In the weekly report, the production received and exports during
that week are collected and compared with the statistics section.
In the monthly report, monthly statistics are conducted for each of
production and exports according to each of the companies
producing and exporting crude oil and according to countries and
customers with the National Oil Corporation, as well as preparing
annual statistics at the end of each year.
 The office also follow-up and monitor the pumped production
from the fields.
In this stage, the production pumped from the fields is monitored in
terms of the quantity pumped from the fields and compared to the
quantity received in the tanks during every hour, as well as
monitoring the production lines in terms of pressure and
temperature.
 Measuring the quantities of production received in the tanks.
The measurement inspectors at the office measure the quantities of
produced oil received in the tanks after the filling process is over
and measuring the temperature of the tank and calculating the
quantity in it.
 Supervising the process of shipping and exporting crude oil
 Metrology
Metrology is the science of measurement and includes experimental
and theoretical applications at any level of uncertainty in any field of
science and technology.
 Measurement process
It is the process of determining the physical property of things, such
as pressure or temperature, within the framework of the scientific
laws of the measurement process, and that process is expressed in

32
 numbers of accuracy, the amount of uncertainty and units of
measurement) indicating the actual property.
 UNITS OF MEASURE
A unit of measure is a way to express the output of a measurement
process, where an output is meaningless without specifying its units,
due to the difference in units of measurement from one country to
another, which causes a difference in understanding the measured
values. Despite the diversity and measurement units for the physical
variable, they have been defended and unified in an international
document aiming at facilitating the formulation of national
regulations related to legal units of measurement, and this document
is the international system of units (SI).
 Traceability:
Is the conformity of the measurement process to the measurement
process to the international standard, according to rules and
guidelines approved by recognized international standard,
international or national organizations, which achieve the optimal
degree for the legal measurement process,
 Uncertainty it is the amount of potential error in the measuring tool,
as the accuracy of the measuring tool fluctuates between two
possible values for the percentage of error in that tool, and the
amount of doubt is an important indicator in determining the
efficiency of the measuring tool. The higher the amount of doubt, the
weaker the accuracy of the measuring tool, and vice versa.

 Standard Metrology bodies and organizations

API AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE

AST AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING &
M MATERIALS
IP INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM
OIM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF
L LEGAL METROLOGY
BIPM INTERNATIONAL BUREAU OF WEIGHTS &

33
 MEASURES
ISO INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ORGANIZATION
AGA AMERICAN GAS ASSOCIATION
NIST NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARD &
TECHNOLOGY
NMI NETHERLAND METROLOGY INSTITUTE
MID MEASURING INSTRUMENTS DIRECTIVE
PTB PHYSIKALISCH TECHNICAL
BUNDESANSTALT
DEC DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND CLIMATE
C CHANGE
ANSI AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS
INSTITUTE
VIM VOCABULARY OF LEGAL METROLOGY

 Branches of metrology
1. Scientific metrology
2. Industrial metrology
3. Legal metrology

 The measurement of oil and its products

The process of measuring oil and its products is a commercial
measurement process that is regulated by agreements between the
seller and the customer and is known as the legal measurement.
Specifications and standards have been developed to indicate the
method of measurement and the calculation of various hydrocarbons
to preserve the rights of all parties.

There are two types of measurement of oil and its products:

 Static measurement
The measurement of oil in shore tanks,
Vessel’s tank… etc.
 Dynamic measurement
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 Flow measurement (flowmeters).

Physical properties that have an impact on the oil

measurement process:
 Temperature
 Pressure
 Density
 Viscosity
 flowrate
The most important terms used to express the measured
quantities.
TOV TOTAL OBSERVED VOLUME
VCF VOLUME CORRECTION
FACTOR
GOV GROSS OBSERVED VOLUME
GSV GROSS STANDARD VOLUME
NSV NET STANDARD VOLUME
FREE WATER
BS&W

FLOWRATE MEASUREMENT
Is represented by the amount of volume per unit of time or by the
amount of mass per unit of time, and the measuring instrument used
for this purpose is called meters and it can measure the flowrate
either way direct or indirect.

 TYPES OF FLOW METERS USED IN OIL INDUSTRIES

1.POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT METERS

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 All positive displacement flow meters operate by passing isolated,
known volumes of a fluid through a series of gears or chambers
within the meter. By counting the number of passed isolated
volumes, a flow measurement is obtained. Each positive
displacement design uses a different means of isolating and
counting these volumes.

Types of PD meters are (oval gear meter - notating disc -

oscillating piston - helical gear - rotary vane).
 PD METERS HAVE THE FOLLOWING STRENGTHS:
1. Capability to measure viscous liquids.
2. Capability to function without external power.
3. Capability to register near-zero flow rate.
4. Conceptual simplicity of design and operation.
5. Flow conditioning is not required.
6. Less back pressure required.

 PD METERS HAVE THE FOLLOWING WEAKNESSES:

1. Susceptibility to damage by flow surges and gas slugging.
2. Susceptibility to corrosion and erosion.
3. Severe reduction in flow if meter is jammed.
4. Increased maintenance requirements.
5. Sensitivity to viscosity changes at lower viscosities.

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2. Turbine flow meters
Turbine flow meters use the mechanical energy of the liquid to
rotate a rotor within the flow stream. The rotational speed is
directly proportional to the velocity of the fluid traveling through
the meter, the rotational speed of the rotor depends upon the flow
velocity. The rotor blades are usually made of stainless steel.

As the rotor spins, the passage of each rotor blade past a pickup
point will generate an electrical pulse.
the pulses will be detected by pick-ups and will be sent to flow
computer to calculate the amount of quantity passing

Flowrate equals= velocity x area

Q= V x A

Q= FT/sec x Ft² = Ft³/sec

 Types of turbine meters:

1. Conventional turbine (for gases and low viscosity liquids).
2. Helical turbine (for high viscosity liquids).

 TURBINE FLOW METER HAVE THE FOLLOWING

STRENGTHS:
1. Wide flow range for low viscosity liquids.
2. Small size and weight.
3. Long-bearing life.
4. Wide temperature and pressure range.

37
  TURBINE METERS HAVE THE FOLLOWING
WEAKNESSES:
1. Necessity for flow conditioning.
2. Need for back pressure control to prevent flashing and/or
Cavitation and error.
3. Difficulty in metering high-viscosity liquids (especially
4. Conventional multi-bladed turbine meters).
5. Susceptibility to fouling or deposits.
6. Sensitivity to viscosity changes at higher viscosities
7. (Lower Reynolds Numbers).
8. Susceptibility to damage by gas slugging or flow surges.

3. Ultrasonic flow meter

Ultrasound can be generated in several ways, including mechanical
and electromechanical. These waves are generated in mechanical
ways through the unbalanced rotation of machines. In
electromechanical methods, they are generated by the work of an
electronic oscillator, which is the method used in industry to
generate these waves.
Working principle of this type of this meter is to measure the flow
velocity by calculating the time difference between the waves sent
and received with the direction of the flow of the liquid and reverse
the direction of the flow by (transducers) installed diagonally on
both sides of the meter at high frequencies up to 1MHz, the quantity

38
 passed by the meter is calculated by means of an electronic
processor SPU.

Types of ultrasonic flowmeters

1. Doppler

2. Transit time

 ULTRASONIC FLOW METER HAVE THE FOLLOWING

ADVANTAGES:
1. High accuracy and not affected by operating conditions.
2. It can be used over a wide range of flow rates without affecting its accuracy.
3. It does not contain moving parts, does not require periodic maintenance, and
does not cause pressure loss.
4. It does not need periodic calibration because there are no moving parts.
5. It has a long stability period.

 ULTRA SONIC METERS HAVE THE FOLLOWING

WEAKNESSES:
1. High of cost
2. Its accuracy is affected by solid particles and gases.
4. MASS FLOW METER

39
 The working principle of mass counters differs from all volumetric counters
previously referred to, as the quantity is directly measured by weight at the
same moment, regardless of the physical properties of the issues, as the force
arising from the acceleration of a mass oscillating around its center, and this
effect was described for the first time Once in (1835 AD) by the French
scientist Gustave Gaspard Coriolis, and the process of calculating the flow and
density is done by means of sensors that measure the fluctuation of the pipe as
a result of the fluid passing through it, and it has been approved as a
measuring technique for commercial purposes in the standard specification
(5.6 APIMPMS Chapter).
The flow of liquid in the flow tubes causes a vibration that is sensed by the
mechanical probe (Pickoff coil) and expressed in electronic signals that the
flow calculator deals with, to find the weight of the quantity passing through
the meter.

 DIFFERENT DESIGNS OF MASS FLOW METER

 MASS FLOWMETER HAVE THE FOLLOWING

STRENGTHS:
1. Low maintenance cost
2. It doesn’t get damaged when a gas flows with the liquid.
3. It can record very low flowrates.
4. The measurement accuracy is not affected by the change in the viscosity of
the liquid.
5. It can directly measure mass and density.

40
6. It doesn’t require flow conditioning before the meter.

 MASS FLOWMETER HAVE THE FOLLOWING

WEAKNESSES
1.Very sensitive to vibrations.
2.The accumulation of sediment inside the meter greatly affects its efficiency.
3.Large volumes with high flows are impractical to use to measure volumes.
4.It needs periodic check-up to reset it to the zero-flow point under pressure and
without flow.
5.Needs back pressure control.
6.Causes pressure loss.

PROVING
It is to determine the percentage of error in the measurement tool using
standard reference equipment according to the conditions of internationally
recognized measurement bodies, to ensure the continued efficiency of the
meters used in calculating commercial quantities, and to determine the local
regulations governing the commercial exchange operations when conducting
the periodic calibration of the meters.

41
 TANK PROVER
It is a tank of known size with a glass scale that shows the liquid level in the
tank, and it is only used in grading operations or for calibrating meters with
high flow rates.

24(DIFFRENT DESIGNS OF TANK PROVERS)

 ADVANTAGES OF TANK PROVERS:

1. Less reference measurement (traceability chain).
2. Its uncertainty is low.

 DISADVANTAGES OF TANK PROVERS:

1. Not used for high flowrates.
2. It needs filling and emptying every time, which requires a pump.

 MASTER METER PROVER

A high-precision meter that has been pre-calibrated by means of a
calibration tube when operating, and it is required to obtain a certificate of
accreditation from international measurement organizations.
The ideal meter is connected to the meter system, either fixed or
carried on a vehicle, for ease of transportation and use to calibrate
meters in other places, which is a method used in many oil sites,
especially in production operations
from offshore fields, due to considerations of space and weight on Offshore
oil platforms.

42
MASTER
METER

METER TANK

43
 ADVANTAGES OF MASTER METER:
1. Ability to obtain high flowrates which is suitable for all types of
meters.
2. It does not take up much space in installation.

 DISADVANTAGES OF MASTER METER:

1. Because of it being graduated with a pipe prover the traceability
chain is longer.
2. Causes a slight increase in uncertainty.

 PIPE PROVER
A tube of known size between two points (the first probe and the
second probe) containing a rubber dispenser inside it (SPHERE
DISPLACER), and it is connected in series with the counter to be
calibrated, these provers are made in different geometric shapes that
depend on several things, including the space available for the
meter system,
Pipe provers can be classified into:
1. Conventional provers.
2. Small volume provers.

44
 25(DIFFERENT DESIGNS OF PIPE PROVERS)

PROVING AND CALIBRRATION USING PIPE PROVER

the prover process is done by comparing the quantity passing through the
meter with a known volume between two probes attached to the prover, at the
operating conditions of the meter. a distinction must be made between the
proving process and the calibration process. calibration is determining the
percentage of error in the accuracy of the meter, and this process is carried out
by the company that operates those meters, while calibration is determining
the actual size of the prover and also the tanks, and resetting the ideal meter,
in addition to setting the new meters after the manufacturing process, as this
process is carried out by neutral and specialized companies, which have
international accreditation for this activity represented in obtaining the
requirements of (iso17020-17025).

PROVING USING BIDIRECTIONAL PROVER:

45
When calibrating any flow meter using a bi-directional pipe prover, the meter
is connected to the prover.
When the valve connecting the meter system and the pipe prover is opened ,
the ball moves inside the pipe, and as soon the ball touches the first probe
(detector switch 1), the prover calculating systems start calculating the
quantity passing through the meter, and the ball continues to move until it
reaches the second probe (detector switch 2 ) as shown

When the ball reaches the second probe, the provers calculating system(prover
computer) stops calculating the passing quantity through the meter and the
ball settles at the end of the second end of the pipe prover, thus the
calibraation process takes place in the first direction, and the four way valve
begins by changing the direction of the flow to the oppisite direction, until the
ball reaches reaches the second end of the pipe and thus the proving process is
completed.
Thus the sum of the first and second parts represents one full run calibration
cycle, and this process is repeated more than once until a repeatability rate is
obtained in accordance with the requirments of the standard specifications
issued by the petrolum institute.

46
 PROVING USING UNIDIRECTIONAL PROVER
The process of proving using a unidirectional prover is done by
connecting the prover to the meter system.

After opening the valve connecting the meter system and the prover pipe, the
ball will move inside the pipe, and as soon as the ball touches the first probe
(detector switch 1), the prover calculating system (prover computer) starts
calculating the quantity passing through the meter, and the ball continues to
move until it reaches the second probe (detector switch 2), and then it stopes
the prover computer reads and record the quantity passing through the meter,
and this represents a full cycle, in contrast of the method using bidirectional
prover , and the ball is transferred from the end of the second end of the pipe
to the beginning of the first end by means of a sphere handling Interchange, in
preparation to conduct a second run this process is repeated more than once
until an iterative rate is obtained in accordance with the requirements of
standard specifications issued by the American petroleum institute.

 Correction of the amount of error in the meter reading

47
 The amount of error in reading the meters is corrected by
performing the previously explained calibration process, using
two modes of correction:

 Meter factor.
 K-factor.

The necessity of stability of the liquid temperature, pressure and

flow rate is considered, before proceeding with the calibration
process.

 METER FACTOR is a coefficient used to correct the amount of

error of the meter, and it is defined as the ratio between the
corrected prover volumes to the Corrected volume passing the
meter.

 Meter factor has no units.

This equation can be applied to correct the amount of error in the
meter reading.
corrected prover volume
METER FACTOR = corrected volume measured by meter

actual volume that passed through meter=

meter reading × meter factor

 K-factor
It is a term that expresses the value of the actual pulses produced by
the meter per unit volume.

48
 number of corrected meter pulses
(K-factor)= corrected prover volume

Its unit is (pulses/per unit volume).

Actual quantity passing through the meter =

The total number of corrected met er pulses
Pulse rate per unit volume

 THE ACTUAL VOLUME OF THE LIQUID AT STANDARD

CONDITIONS:
The second correction used in calculating the quantities of oil is the
correction of temperature and pressure on the liquid to find the
volume of the liquid under standard conditions instead of operating
conditions.

And the temperature effect coefficient is extracted from the tables

(ASTM D 1250), while the pressure is extracted according to the
specifications of the American Petroleum Institute (MPMS CH
12.2.5.4), and the amount of sediment and water, if any, is deducted.

Net volume at standard conditions =

(METER READING) × (METER FACTOR) × (CTL) × (CPL) × (BS&W)

49
 In the case of preparing the meter to compensate for the temperature
(ATG), the coefficient of the effect of temperature and pressure on
the liquid is not used.
It should be noted that there are several data that require accuracy in
measuring them because of their impact on calculating the measured
quantity, which is:
 Temperature measurement.
 Pressure measurement.
 Density measurement.

Determining the percentage of water and bottom sediment

One of the most common methods for determining the ratio of water
and sediment in crude oil is the centrifuge method.

The following equation is used to determine the ratio of water to

sediment
NSV = (GSV) × (BS&W)

With the technological development and automatic control,

techniques have been developed to avoid errors that result from
manual correction by developing a flow computer and linking it to
temperature, pressure, and density sensors, in addition to reading the
meter, as it collects the variables and makes the required corrections.

 The Data that requires accuracy in its measurement because of

its impact on the measured quantity, such as temperature,
pressure, and density.

50
 Temperature measurement
The temperature is measured manually using a thermometer, which
is an old method and is not used in modern flow measurement
systems. The error in measuring one Fahrenheit temperature results
in a difference in calculating the volumetric quantity by (0.05%).
Quantity The API volumetric Quantity difference
under temperature in gravity correction measured
normal Fahrenheit factor in barrels
conditions ASTM 6A
in barrels
100,000 70 38 0.9951 99510 50 barrels
100,000 71 38 0.9946 99460

A table showing the effect of temperature change on quantity calculation.

 Pressure measurement
Pressure is measured by two measuring areas, they are:
o Absolute zero, or as it is called absolute pressure, is obtained
from a vacuum.
o Atmospheric pressure, which is affected by sea level and
atmospheric pressure, is approximately equal to (14.7 psi), and
pressure is generally measured by a manometer, or a Bourdon
tube, and other measures.
Quantity The API Pressu Compressib coefficie Quanti differen
under temperat grav re psi ility factor nt of ty ce
normal ure in ity the measur
conditio Fahrenhe effect of ed in
ns in it pressur barrels
barrels e on the
liquid
100,000 64 37 62 0.00000524 1.0003 100,030 10
100,000 64 37 77 0.00000524 1.0003 100,040
The effect of change in pressure on quantity calculation

 Density measurement
51
 Density is used to determine the parameters of the effect of heat and
pressure on a liquid, and it is measured in two ways:

o Automatically: by installing a density measuring device on the line

(density meter), which measures the density of the liquid in real time
and sends it to the flow calculator (flow computer).
Quantity The API volumetric Quantity difference
under temperature gravity correction measured
normal in Fahrenheit factor in barrels
conditions in
barrels
100,000 70 38 0.9951 100,030 10
100,000 70 39 0.9950 100,040
o In the laboratory: for a sample that represents the entire quantity
charged according to the methods of determining density, including the
hydrometer, which is more used in determining density, and in this
case the sample is withdrawn by auto sampler or manually by
withdrawing it from the three levels of the tank.

The effect of density changes on quantity calculation

52
 Calculating the coefficient of pressure on the fluid

1
cpl=
1−F ( P−Pϵ )

F: The compression coefficient of the hydrocarbon is

determined from the standard specifications’ tables
(MPMS CH 11.2.1)
P: pressure
PE: Equilibrium vapor pressure is equal to 0 in crude oil

 Calculation of the coefficient of heat effect on the metal

cts=1+(t−Tb)e

Tb: base temperature

T: metal temperature
E: equivalent thermal expansion of the metal

53
 Calculation of the coefficient of pressure on the metal
dp
cps=1+
et

E: Modulus of elasticity of the metal

T: wall thickness
D: inner diameter
P: internal pressure

54