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Accuracy requirements for steam flow measurement using vortex flow meters

2020-08-31 View Original

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There are often various factors that cause errors during the calibration and use of flowmeter coefficients, affecting the accuracy of gas measurement. We have done a lot of work in this area to solve this problem. But in this regard, everyone still needs to have a certain level of understanding. And the following are the factors that affect the accuracy of steam flow meters. 1. The coefficient of the instrument itself. The accuracy of the instrument is determined by its own coefficients; once the optimal values for these coefficients are selected for the production environment, the accuracy of the instrument is fixed. 2. The most suitable pressure range for the gas meter. The gas pressure in the on-site pipeline is a pulsating pressure. When measuring this pulsating pressure, the normal flow rate of gas should be between 1/3 and 1/2 of the gauge’s range. Therefore, during natural gas metering, it is necessary to adjust the opening degree of the gas inlet valve to meet this requirement. 3. The impact of the medium used in the gas meter calibration process on the actual conditions on site. The medium used in the calibration process of gas meters is air, which is supplied by a compressor. Although the compressor can generate airflow with instantaneous variations, first, due to the differences in density and expansion coefficients between air and natural gas, the pressure exerted on the pressure probe of the vortex-type gas meter differs as well, which leads to certain errors. Second, the variable pressure and flow rates generated by the compressor during calibration are not as randomly variable as those of the airflow in actual operating conditions, which in turn results in reduced accuracy of the gas meters when used in practice. Measures to improve the accuracy of steam flow meters: At present, vortex flow meters are the primary measuring devices used in the oil field gas supply industry; they can only exert their advantages under appropriate operating conditions, otherwise it will affect their measurement accuracy. Steam flowmeters are different; below is an analysis of how steam flowmeters improve measurement accuracy. 1. The impact of an overly narrow straight section at the inlet of the gas meter pipeline. At some transfer stations, it was found that the straight pipe sections at the inlet of some gas meters were too narrow, with an inner diameter smaller than that of the meter’s chamber; such a method of installation does not meet the requirements for installing gas meters. Furthermore, under such conditions, when excessive gas is produced at the transfer station, even with the gas valve fully open, the natural gas cannot be discharged from the small-diameter pipes in a timely manner, resulting in a gradual increase in pressure within the pipeline leading to the gas meter. When the pressure inside the tank reaches a safe level, in order to prevent pressure buildup, it becomes necessary to open the bypass pipeline. Since this bypass pipeline does not have any measuring equipment, the amount of gas produced at the transfer station is recorded as being lower than the actual amount, which also leads to discrepancies between the total amount of gas exported from each transfer station and the overall amount exported. 2. Effects of temperature and solutions. The operating environment of gas meters is subject to temperature constraints, with the temperature range being from -20 to 55°C; only within this range can they function properly. Once the ambient temperature is unsuitable, especially in winter, and without any insulation measures, the gas meter operates in conditions of low temperature, which affects its measurement accuracy and can also cause damage to the internal components of the meter. Furthermore, when the temperature of natural gas in the pipeline is below -20°C, it exceeds the lower temperature limit, affecting the accurate measurement by the gas meter. Typically, in winter, a separate heating pipeline is added alongside the gas meter pipeline, and both are covered with the same insulation layer. This approach requires little investment and is easy to implement. 3. Steam flow meter for measuring the self-consumed dry gas from backflow. Regarding the self-consumed dry gas, the main station is equipped with an automatic control valve for the recycled dry gas, while each transfer station has pneumatic control valves. Observations have shown that after commissioning, the pneumatic control valves at these stations did not perform as well as expected, which affected the accurate measurement of the recycled dry gas volume. The main reason is that when the pressure of the dry gas supplied to the main station fluctuates, the electric control valve at that station also adjusts accordingly, which causes interference between the pressures at different stations and affects the normal supply of gas. Sometimes, when the pressure is too low, it is necessary to close the control valve and use the bypass pipeline in order to ensure a proper supply of gas; this results in inaccurate measurement of the dry gas at some stations. It is recommended to temporarily disable the control valve, allowing the dry gas to flow directly through the gas meters at each station. 4. The impact of oil, water, and steam in pipelines and solutions. At the site, a large amount of water-oil mixture is often discharged from the vent valves; this indicates that natural gas contains significant amounts of water and oil vapors. Moreover, during pipeline transportation, the pressure loss caused by moisture is greater than that caused by dry gas. Under standard conditions specified by gas meters, the gas flow rate is calculated by using the gas equation to convert the values of pressure, volume, and temperature into standard volume values. When each team conducts separate measurements, significant steam loss during transmission results in a large drop in steam pressure, which leads to a substantial difference between the total output from each transfer station and the overall total output. Furthermore, the probe in the gas meter is surrounded by water, oil, and vapor, which severely affects the normal operating conditions of the meter and leads to a decrease in its accuracy. The accuracy of the meter, as determined through calibration, can reach 1.0; however, after one year of use, this accuracy drops to level 4.0. This phenomenon is caused by factors in the external environment as well as certain defects in the manufacturing process.

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