TUV NEL’s St Andrews event largest ever in Europe for oil and gas flow metering

Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008

Europe’s largest ever meeting of oil and gas industry flow metrologists recently took place at the International North Sea Flow Measurement Workshop in St Andrews. The sold-out four day conference was attended by more than 300 delegates from across the globe.

The TUV NEL organised event focused on the challenges facing flow metrology and gave delegates the opportunity to set an agenda for future flowmeter technology development.

“The oil industry is investing in the development of heavy oil reserves and in mature regions such as the North Sea, there is an increasing focus on the development of tie-backs to established assets. Both of these situations present challenges to existing flowmeter technologies and highlight the need for the continuous development of this specialist discipline,” says TUV NEL’s Head of Business Development Bob Holmes. “The North Sea Flow Measurement Workshop provided operators, meter users and meter manufacturers with an ideal forum to get together and help ensure flowmeter research and technology development is aligned to industry needs.”

TUV NEL is the established authority on flowmeter testing and research in the UK and has strong links with oil operators, government and meter manufacturers.

“Flow metering is a specialist area of the oil and gas industry but it is a critical one,” continues Bob. “It is an essential part of the production process that allows oil companies and governments to determine accurate production figures, and hence the commercial viability of every field. Without flowmeters you really couldn’t have an oil industry.”

Traditionally the oil industry has used test separator systems to extract oil prior to measurement, but this approach doesn’t work with some of the types of crude, such as heavy oils that will play a major role in the future of worldwide oil supply. It also presents challenges when various flows from multiple fields, owned by multiple operators, are going through a single pipeline system.

“Flowmeter manufacturers need to develop technologies to cope with complex flows, which may contain oil, gas, water, sand and other contaminates,” says Bob. “Ideally there should be a range of products available which cover all types of crude and multiphase mixtures, a range that will allow single well metering, without the need for test separators. It is therefore important that meter manufacturers have a clear understanding of the future needs of the oil industry and that operators and fiscal regimes, fully understand the capabilities and limitations of meter technologies and individual meters.”

The TUV NEL Workshop examined various new and emerging flow metering technologies and explained how they can be applied in the field.

Papers were presented on key flowmeter topics including; complex well metering, the application of coriolis and ultrasonic meters with viscous flows, the challenges of multiphase flows, the impact of pressure and temperature on flowmeters, computerised allocation systems and the measurement of wet-gas.

Further information about the issues addressed at the workshop can be found at TUV NEL’s website www.tuvnel.com or by contacting the company at its headquarters in East Kilbride, Scotland.

Source: AVC Media