QUALIFICATION OF FLOW CONDTIONING

DEVICES ACCORDING TO
THE NEW API 14.3 PART 2 PROCEDURE.

Klaus J. Zanker and Dale Goodson

Daniel Industries, Inc.

Measurement & Control

 Old Tube Bundle
D 1. a/D < 1/4
2. L/a > 10
3. A < 1/16(π D2 /4)
4. Tubes any size - symmetrical
5. Tubes any shape
6.Tubes mounted into end rings
a 7. Tubes welded together
8. Tubes thin walled
A
9. All tubes mounted axially
Measurement & Control
 New Tube Bundle
Tube bundle OD
Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 no longer
apply, only 19 tube uniform
concentric tube bundle allowed
• All tubes must touch one another
• Tubes must be welded together
• OD > 0.95 D
• t < 2.5 % of D

Tube wall thickness = t

Measurement & Control

 API Type Approval Requirements

l Baseline Calibration, evaluating performance

of test facility
l To prove that the mechanical baseline
configuration is valid, the baseline CD values
should lie within the 95% confidence interval
for the RG equation.
l Standard does not demand an “accredited
facility”

Measurement & Control

 Disturbance Tests
l Good Flow Conditions - test evaluating impact of flow
conditioner on fully developed velocity profile.

l Two 900 Elbows in Perpendicular Planes - testing of flow

conditioner performance in handling combination of a modest
swirl and a non-symmetrical velocity profile.

l Gate Valve 50% Closed - test evaluating flow conditioner

performance in strongly non-symmetrical velocity profile.

l High Swirl - test assessing flow conditioner performance in

flows with high swirl angle (over 250).

Measurement & Control

 Additional Tests

l Orifice β ratio: Check swirl test at β=0.40

and β=0.67
l Reynolds Number Sensitivity: Test at
two ranges 104 < Re <5 x 105 and Re > 106
with approximately a 7:1 ratio.
l Scaling: Test at two sizes selected from
D < 4” and D > 8”

Measurement & Control

 Zanker Plate Design

l Zanker straightener 1959 at BHRA, NEL

conference in 1960, was included in ISO
5167 in 1980
l Mitsubishi in 1973 US patent 3840051
l Elizabeth Laws in 1992
l Modified Zanker: Thick plate, no honeycomb

Measurement & Control

 Flow Straightener

Measurement & Control

 Zanker Plate

Measurement & Control

Measurement & Control
Measurement & Control
 β : Good Flow Conditions
.67β

0.8
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Zanker Plate Distance in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice Plate

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock

Measurement & Control

 β : Two 90° Elbows in Perpendicular Planes 17 D Meter Tube
67β

0.8
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Zanker Plate Distance in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice Plate
3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 β : Two 90° Elbows in Perpendicular Planes 29D Meter Tube
.67β

0.8

0.6
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Zanker Plate Distance in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice Plate

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 β : Two 90° Elbows in Perpendicular Planes 45D Meter Tube
.67β
0.8
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Zanker Plate Distance in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice Plate

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 β : 50% Closed Gate Valve 17D Meter Tube
.67β

0.8
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Zanker Plate Distance in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice Plate
3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 β : 50% Closed Gate Valve 29D Meter Tube
.67β

0.8
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Zanker Plate Distance in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice Plate

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 β : 50% Closed Gate Valve 45D Meter Tube
.67β

0.8
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Zanker Plate Distance in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice Plate
3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 Swirl Producing Vane

Measurement & Control

 Swirl produced

35

30

25
Swirl angle (degrees)

20

15

10

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
Distance from pipe wall (in)

Measurement & Control

 β : 17 D Meter Tube : 32° swirl
.67β

0.8
% Deviation of Actual C D from Baseline

0.6

0.4

0.2
CD

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Distance of Zanker Plate in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD .67 β : 32º Swirl : 29D Meter Tube

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Zanker Plate Distance in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice Plate

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 β : 32º Swirl : 45D Meter Tube
.67β
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
CD

0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Zanker Plate Distance in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice Plate

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 .40 β : 17 D Meter Tube : 32° swirl

0.8

0.6
% Deviation of Actual CD from

0.4
Baseline C D

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Distance of Zanker Plate in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 .40 β : 29 D Meter Tube : 32° swirl

0.8
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline

0.6

0.4

0.2
CD

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Distance of Zanker Plate in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 .40 β : 45 D Meter Tube : 32° swirl

0.8
% Deviation of Actual C D from Baseline C D

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Distance of Zanker Plate in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice

3 O'Clock 12 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 .67 β : 4" OFU: High Reynolds Number: Good Flow Condition

0.8

0.6
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Distance of Zanker Plate in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice

3 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 .67 β : 8" OFU : Good Flow Condition

0.8

0.6
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Distance of Zanker Plate in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice

3 O'Clock 9 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 4' OFU : .67b :Ceesi & Daniel Baselines

0.614

0.612

0.61

0.608
CD

0.606

0.604

0.602

0.6
0.0E+00 5.0E+05 1.0E+06 1.5E+06 2.0E+06 2.5E+06 3.0E+06 3.5E+06

Pipe Reynolds Number

CEESI Daniel RG Equa. +Uncert. -Uncert

Measurement & Control

 Good Flow Conditions : 4" Hi R D & Low R D : 8 inch

0.8
Deviation of Actula CD from Baseline

0.6

0.4

0.2
CD

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Distance of Zanker Plate from the Orifice Plate in Pipe Diameters

Lo Rd Hi Rd +.23% -.23% 8 inch

Measurement & Control

 .67 β : 8" OFU : 50% Closed Gate Valve : 17D Meter Tube

0.8
% Deviation of Actual C D from Baseline CD

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Distance of Zanker Plate in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice

12 O'Clock 6 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 .67 β : 8" OFU : 50% Closed Gate Valve : 29D Meter Tube

0.8

0.6
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Distance of Zanker Plate in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice

12 O'Clock 6 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 .67 β : 8" OFU : 50% Closed Gate Valve : 45D Meter Tube

0.8

0.6
% Deviation of Actual CD from Baseline CD

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Distance of Zanker Plate in Pipe Diameters from the Orifice

12 O'Clock 6 O'Clock Error Band

Measurement & Control

 Conclusions
l The three pairs of taps are not always all in
tolerance
l The high swirl test requires better definition
l The Zanker Flow Conditioner has passed all
the type approval tests
l This makes a reasonably priced non-
proprietary flow conditioner available to the
industry

Measurement & Control

 Conclusions
l Recommendation: - use 17D meter tube with
conditioner 7.5D from the orifice plate, as this
arrangement passed all tests
l The conditioner can be used as follows:
l Beta up to 0.67
l with any disturbance
l in any pipe size
l with no upper limit on Reynolds Number

Measurement & Control