Chapter 3: Gas Flow Measurement

 Introduction:
 Measurements are needed by;
 Gas production industry
 Gas transportation industry

 for;
 Gas sales
 Reservoir engineering calculations
 For pipeline flows
 Plant applications
Chapter 3: Gas Flow Measurement
 Introduction:
 Measurements are done at wellheads and
testing facilities
 Classification of meters;
 Volumetric flow meters
 Used for residential areas with low flow rates
 Dynamic flow meters
 For high flow applications like pipelines, fields and
plants
Chapter 3: Gas Flow Measurement
 Types of Dynamic flow meters;
 Orifice Meters
 Critical flow provers
 Choke nipples
 Pitot tubes
Chapter 3: Gas Flow Measurement
 Orifice Meters
 Most common in the gas industry because of;
 Accuracy
 Simplicity
 Low cost
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 It has an
interchangeable orifice
plate with a small
circular opening
(orifice)
 Taps for pressure
measurement either on
pipe or flange.
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 It has a gauge that
records the pressure and
pressure difference
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 Operating principle:
 The orifice meter operates on the principle that a
change in the velocity of gas stream will result in a
corresponding change in the pressure
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 Mathematical formulation:
 Based on mechanical energy balance equation
p2
 gZ   v2 
p vs dP   g c    2 g c   F  ws
1
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 Mathematical
formulation: p2
 v2 
 Simplification for the p vs dP   2 g c   F  0
case of gas flow through 1

orifice plate
 No shaft work
 Same elevation (Z=0)
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 Assumptions to simplify
 First; negligible friction p2
 v2 
 sv dP   
 2g 
0
loss (F=0) p1  c 

 Second; constant
specific volume vs v22  v12  2 g c vs ( P1  P2 )
simplify the integration
procedure
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 Assumptions to simplify
 Third; average velocity v=q/A and vs(dP)=h
 Fourth P1 measured at A1 unaffected by orifice and
P2 at A2 at orifice plate

 q2 / A2  2   q1 / A1  2  2 g c h
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 After rearranging and substituting;

1  vssc 
q sc  A2 
 v 
 2gch
1  4
 s 

 Where;
  is ratio of orifice and pipe diameters
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 After expanding and calculating at hourly rate;

d 2
p f Tsc z f Tf
q gh  218.44 o
hw
1  4 psc z f T f pf g
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 For a special case of
 g= 1
d o2
 Psc = 14.73 q gh  338.17 p f hw
1  4

 Tf=Tsc=520 R

 zf = 1
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 The equation derived here contains the
parameters affecting the measurement but is
on a very idealized basis.
d o2
q gh  338.17 p f hw
1  4

 For practical usage empirical factor have to be

introduced
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 The equation with empirical factor is;

q gh  C '
p f hw

 Where C’ is a combination of several factors

C  Fb Fpb FTb Fg FTf Fpv FReYFm Fl Fa

'
Chapter 3: Orifice Meters
 For routine field , pipeline and plant operations first
eight factors are enough for determination of C’

C  Fb Fpb FTb Fg FTf Fpv FReY

'
Factors
 Fb basic orifice factor Table 3.1 flange and 3.2 pipe
 Fpb is pressure base factor = 14.73/psc
 FTb is Temp. base factor = Tsc/520
 Fg is sp. Gravity factor = (1/g)0.5
 FTf is flowing temperature factor = (520/Tf)0.5
 Fpv is gas deviation factor = (1/zf)0.5
 FRe is Reynolds number factor = 1+b/(hw/pf)0.5 Table
3.3 flange and 3.4 pipe
 Y expansion factor from table 3.5 to 3.9
Critical Flow Prover
 Construction
 A special pipe nipple with orifice flange at the end
 Orifice edge facing upstream rounded
 Not very accurate
Critical Flow Prover
Critical Flow Prover
 Utility
 Can be used for flow measurement for the
following conditions
 Critical flow at exhaust
 Large pressure drops are allowable

 The gas is vented

Critical Flow Prover
 Critical ratio is the ratio of critical
downstream pressure with the k /( k 1)
flowing pressure and is given by: pcd  2 
 Where  


Pcd = Critical downstrem pressure
Pf = flowing pressure p f  k  1
 And k = Cp/Cv
 For most gases the ratio is 0.5
 So critical conditions exist when
the downstream pressure is less
than half the flowing pressure
Cp f
 Under these conditions hourly
flow rate is given by:
q gh 
 C from Table 3.10  gT f
Example 3.3; Critical flow prover
Calculations
 Given;
 d = 2 in
 do = 0.875 in
 Pf = 150 psia
 Tf = 70o F
 g = 0.7
Example 3.3; Critical flow prover
Calculations
 Solution;
 C from Table 3.10
 C= 309.3

Cp f
q gh 
 gT f

309.3 *150
q gh   2408.7
0.7 * (70  460)
Choke Nipple
 Choke nipples are used for control
of gas flow
 If critical conditions exist at down
stream it can be used for flow
measurement
 The critical flow prover equation is
applicable
 Table 3.10 also give the coefficient
“C” for Choke nipples
Pitot Tube
 Principle of operation;
 Kinetic energy converted to static
pressure head.
 Mostly used to measure airplane
velocities
 Flow rate measured by indirect
measurement of velocity head

q gh  291.67d Fg FTf hw pimp

2
Example 3.5; Pitot tube calculations

 Given;
 Tf = 78o F
 Pimp = 24.4 psia
 hw = 7.3 in
 d = 3.826 in
 g = 0.73
Example 3.5; Pitot tube calculations

 Solution;
 Fg and FTf are same as for orifice meter

Fg  (1.0 / 0.73) 0.5  1.1704

FTf  [520 /(78  460)]0.5  .9831

q gh  291.67(3.826) 2 (1.1704)(.9831) 7.3 * 24.4  65564.7 scf / hr

Home work 2 Reminder
 Problems from chapters 3 and 4 to be solved are:
 3.1
 3.2
 3.6
 3.9
 4.1
 4.4
 4.8
 4.9
 Due 9th Oct. 2006