The Natural Gas Coriolis Measurement Revolution

by | Oct 20, 2015 | Flow, Measurement Instrumentation

Marc Buttler

Marc Buttler

Application Innovation Director for Measurement Solutions

Accurate measurement is highly important to the confidence of parties who trade in natural gas. Coriolis flow meters have revolutionized metering practices, turning up to increase accuracy and improve practices across the trade.

The unique technology of Coriolis meters works to precisely measure natural gas with direct mass flow measurements that translate easily into industry standard units of standard cubic feet or normal cubic meters without the need for line pressure or temperature measurements.

The versatility of Coriolis meters makes them ideal for use in many applications where they can help to address some of the current issues faced by the industry and further innovate the way natural gas is measured.

Natural Gas Custody Transfer
Due to their high potential for accuracy, Coriolis meters are a natural fit for improving measurement performance and reducing operating expense. Online performance diagnostics check the meter between calibrations, and no flow conditioning is required. Their self-limiting design poses no risk of damage due to flow over-range, and they bring a reduction in ancillary measurement devices.

The larger the Coriolis meter, the more successful it can be in transmission applications where capacity is higher and the flow rates are relatively stable. Here, good accuracy is paramount to maintaining system balance. Smaller Coriolis meters are ideal for city and industry gates, where a wide range of flow rates are required to cover variations in demand as the seasons and conditions change.

Natural Gas Liquid
The composition of NGL is variable enough that there is no good standard set of correction factors to correct volume of NGL back to reference conditions. Because of this, it is easier to measure NGL mixtures in mass units and then use composition analysis to compute the standard volume of each individual component later from the total mass measured. Coriolis meters have the ability to measure both gas and liquid, making it ideal for both residual gas and NGL applications.

Production Allocation
Measuring gas for allocation purposes at the wellhead and separator is also a good opportunity for Coriolis flow meters. Their ability to withstand two-phase flow disturbances without sustaining damage and their long term calibration durability makes them ideal for applications where many meters need to be deployed at multiple locations covering wide areas.

Gas Gathering
Coriolis meters handle the flow of wet or dirty gas with good accuracy, making them a good fit for gas gathering systems.

Natural Gas Cavern Storage
This application is ideal for Coriolis meters, as the bi-directional capability and wide flow range of flow rates of the meters cuts down on the piping and valves that are necessary to flow in and out of the cavern. High immunity to gas contamination errors and online process and instrument diagnostics are added benefits. After implementing these meters, companies see significant improvement in measurement and storage management.

Residual Gas Buy-Back Metering
When managing plant throughput fluctuation, Coriolis meters facilitate buy-back of residual gas to ramp up after a down turn. Plants that have installed these meters have experienced smoother plant operations and better mass balance when supply and demand varies.

Combustion Control
Applying direct mass flow measurement as an input to the air fuel ratio control on a compressor or a fired heater in order to use fuel gas with highly variable composition has been shown to maintain huge reduction in emissions and fuel consumption.

Treatment Unit Liquid Circulation Control
In gas treatment plants, Coriolis meters can measure and control liquids circulating in the dehydration units, improving efficiency and reducing emissions.

Coriolis meter technology has the potential to help meet the changing conditions of the age by reducing system losses due to measurement errors, accelerating installation start-up, and ensuring safety and compliance with predictive diagnostics. Let Emerson’s Micro Motion products help you to join the Coriolis Measurement Revolution.

For more information on this topic, view the natural gas webinar here.

Popular Posts

Comments

Follow Us

We invite you to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube to stay up to date on the latest news, events and innovations that will help you face and solve your toughest challenges.

Do you want to reuse or translate content?

Just post a link to the entry and send us a quick note so we can share your work. Thank you very much.

Our Global Community

Emerson Exchange 365

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the authors. Content published here is not read or approved by Emerson before it is posted and does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Emerson.

PHP Code Snippets Powered By : XYZScripts.com