Dr. Mohammed H. S.

Zangana

Department of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of

Engineering, Koya University

Flow Measuring

An essential part of any gas production operation is the accurate

determination of volumetric flow rates.

ORIFICE METERING

The orifice meter is the most widely used because of its simplicity,
ruggedness, and accuracy.

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 Flow Measuring

An orifice metering system consists of means for measuring the

pressure drop caused by a change in velocity of the gas as it passes
through a restriction placed in the pipe.

Flow Measuring
Flow rate can be determined from:

(1)

Where,

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Equation (1) may be modified by specifying the pressure and
temperature conditions at which the flow rate is measured:

(2)

Where,

Flow Measuring

Further modification is usually made by combining

terms, assuming to obtain:

(3)

(4)

The term C' is known as the orifice constant

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Orifice Constants
The values of the constants in Equation (4 ) depend on the points
between which the differential pressure hw is measured.
Two standards are provided in gas measurement- flange taps
and pipe taps.
Flange Taps: the flange or orifice holder is so tapped that the
center of the upstream and downstream taps is 1 in. from the
respective orifice-plate surfaces.

Flow Measuring
Orifice Constants

Pipe Taps: For standard pipe taps, the upstream tap is located 2-
1/2 pipe diameters upstream and 8 pipe diameters downstream.

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 Flow Measuring
Orifice Constants

Basic Orifice Factor Fb: The Fb factor, is a function of the

experimental Constant Ko, which means that it depends on
the location of the differential taps and the internal pipe
diameter in addition to the orifice diameter.

(5)

C’ is mainly depends on this factor .

Flow Measuring

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Expansion Factor Y. The Y factor accounts for the change in gas

density as the pressure changes across the orifice. In as much as the
differential involved is usually small, this correction is small and often
ignored.

Super compressibility Factor Fpv : The variation from the ideal-gas laws
of an actual gas is corrected by the Fpv factor. It may be estimated from
the equation Fpv = (1/Z)^0.5 where Z is equal to the compressibility
factor obtained from standard correlations.

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Flow Measuring

Manometer Factor Fm: The Fm factor is used only with mercury-type

meters to correct for the slight error in measurement caused by having
different heads of gas above the two legs of the manometer. For all
practical purposes it is insignificant.

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 Flow Measuring
Metering System Design
Orifice measurement is guided by the standards of several organizations.
Primary among these is the American Gas Association and the American
Petroleum Institute. The AGA No. 3 report is the standard that provides
guidelines for the construction and installation of orifice meters. All orifice
plates, holding devices, and meter tubes should be manufactured adhering
to this standard in order to help ensure that the end product is an accurate
measurement device.

Orifice Plates Orifice Flange Union Single Chamber

Fitting

Metering System Design

Straightening vanes :

Straightening vanes are bundles of small diameter tubing, which are placed
inside the upstream section of a meter tube. The diameter of each tube d
should not exceed 1/4 the inside pipe diameter D. The length should be at
least 10 d. Straightening vanes are commonly of two types, flanged and in
line. The flanged types are held in the line between a pair of flanges in the
upstream. The in-line vane is held in place inside the tubing by set screws.
The purpose of straightening vanes is to minimize the effect of swirls and
irregular velocity distribution on meter accuracy i.e. the smoothing of flow
going into the orifice plate while allowing for shorter upstream tubing lengths.

Straightening Vanes

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 Metering System Design

Metering System Design

Orifice Location. Following table and the previous figure show the minimum
distance from valves and fittings that the orifice should be placed in order
that proper metering might result.

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 Metering System Design

Size of Orifice: The inner diameter of the orifice can be calculated from
the following equation:

Multiplying the orifice size found in Equation above by 1.5 gives the
approximate minimum pipe diameter needed.
Standard sharp-edged orifice plates should be used, the thickness of
which is at least 1/16 in. For pipes larger than 4 in. the thickness of the
plate should be at least 1/8 in. The thickness should not exceed one-
eighth the orifice opening.

Metering System Design

Recorder:
The orifice fitting with its orifice plate is known as the primary devices in the
orifice measurement package. There are other devices known as secondary
devices, which translate the raw information from primary devices into more
useable information. The most common of these are pneumatic chart
recorders and flow computers.

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 Metering System Design

The pneumatic chart recorder presents the information from the differential
pressure, static pressure, and temperature transmitters in a graphical
form, usually circular charts. The chart usually represents a 24-hour or 8
day period, which can be integrated later to provide volume figures.

Metering System Design

Flow computers have increased in use in recent years due to the

requirements for measurement information on a more “real time” basis.
Flow computers, like the pneumatic chart, take the flow information from
the differential pressure, static pressure, and the temperature transmitter
and calculates flow volumes. Unlike the chart, flow computers do not
have to go through an integration step to come up with these figures.
This technique can store the flow information on site, do the volume
calculations and then send that information on to a higher device such as
a mainframe computer.

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 Flow Measuring
Conditions Affecting Accuracy of an orifice metering system :
Condition of the Orifice Edge
The greatest source of error in the primary measuring elements is probably
the possible deviation from the specification that the up-stream edge of the
orifice plate be square and sharp. A slight rounding of the edge can produce a
considerable increase in the discharge coefficient, which results in low
measurement. This is especially true with the smaller orifices in the smaller
line sizes since the effect of the edge imperfection is relative.

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Flow Measuring
Conditions Affecting Accuracy of an orifice metering system :
Condition of the Meter Tube
Some error can be introduced as a result of a variation of the finish of the
inside of the meter tube. The accepted orifice discharge coefficients were
obtained from tests with meter tubes constructed of commercial iron pipe
with the corresponding inside surface roughness. Too smooth an inside
surface can introduce a slight error in the measurement, just as an error
can be produced by too rough a surface, since either condition constitutes
a deviation from the conditions under which the accepted discharge
coefficients were determined.

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 Flow Measuring
Conditions Affecting Accuracy of an orifice metering system :

Pulsation

The effects of pressure and velocity pulsations in the vicinity of the orifice
constitute a very indefinite phase in the measurement of gas with an orifice
meter. This pulsation can be of a low frequency form such as might result
from reciprocating compressors, pressure regulators, valves. It might also
be a high frequency pulsation caused by resonance of the pipe lines
themselves.

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Flow Measuring
Conditions Affecting Accuracy of an orifice metering system :

Wet Gas Measurement

The effect of liquid in the gas stream on measurement is a problem that

has never been completely solved. An accumulation of liquid ahead of the
orifice plate disturbs the normal flow pattern and alters the discharge
coefficient for the orifice. Liquid trapped in the gage lines distorts the
differential pressure and causes the manometer to give an incorrect
indication. Liquid in the chambers of a mercury manometer can cause an
unbalance that will alter the zero setting of the instrument by introducing a
"wet-leg," or condition of unbalance, in the manometer.

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OTHER METERING METHODS

• Pitot Tube

• Turbine Meters

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Flow Measuring
• Pitot Tube

The pitot tube is another measuring device used extensively during

preliminary well tests. It works by measuring the difference between the
impact pressure at the tip and the static pressure in the flowing stream.
This impact pressure results from conversion of the kinetic energy of the
flowing gas to pressure.
A pitot tube is used largely for temporary flow measurement since it is
small and easy to handle. Very few permanent installations are made,
since it produces low pressure differentials, is difficult to calibrate, and
often clogs.

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Turbine Meters
A turbine meter is a velocity responsive meter that is connected in the
pipeline such that the entire gas stream passes through the meter. A
propeller in the meter turns at a velocity which is proportional to the velocity
of the fluid flowing through it. The secondary element may be a revolution
counter or other means of sensing and totalizing the revolutions of the
propeller or rotor. Turbine meters have been more widely used for measuring
liquid flow than gas flow because the driving torque for the rotor depends on
the density and the square of the fluid velocity. Therefore it is necessary to
have the resisting torque very low for gas measuring; yet it is necessary that
this torque be constant throughout the operating range of the meter.

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Thank You

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