NGE Lectures 25-26

Natural Gas Engineering
(CHE-484)
Lectures 25 - 26
Gas metering
1
Volumetric Measurement
• Natural gas is transported in pipelines with
continuous flow from the gas reservoir to its
ultimate user
• Accurate measurement of the total quantity of gas
that has passed through a given section of pipe over
a period of time is importance to both gas sellers
and purchasers
• Common used method of measuring natural gas is
by volume
• Natural gas is compressible (volume depends on
pressure and temperature)
• To measure gas in meaningful terms by the volume
method
‒ first specifying the base, or standard, pressure
and temperature
‒ the standard condition is defined differently from
area to area
‒ API and AGA have been using 14.73 psia and 60
°F as their standard conditions
The choice of a primary device is the most important
design decision.
1. Orifice Meters
2. Displacement Metering
3. Turbine Meter
4. Elbow Meter
The choice is influenced by:
1. established in-service performance (industry
acceptance)
2. existence of measurement standards
3. capital investment
4. Operating cost
Orifice Meters
• Most common and oldest equipment used in the
natural gas industry for measurement of natural gas
flow rate
• Orifice meter consists of a thin flat plate with an
accurately machined circular hole that is centered in
a pair of flanges
• Plate-holding device in a straight section of smooth
pipe
• Pressure tap connections are provided on the
upstream and downstream sides of the plate so that
the pressure drop or differential pressure may be
Orifice Meters
• Placing an orifice in a pipe in which there is a gas
flow causes a pressure difference across the orifice
• This pressure difference and the absolute pressure
in the line at a specified “tap” location are recorded
continuously and are later translated into rate of
flow.
Advantages of Orifice Meters
• Accuracy
• Ruggedness
• Simplicity
• Ease of installation and maintenance
• Range capacity
• Low cost
• Acceptance for gas measurement by the joint AGA-
ASME committee
Components of Orifice Meters
1. the primary element for producing differential
pressure
‒ meter tube
‒ orifice plate-holding device
‒ orifice plate
‒ pressure taps
Components of Orifice Meters
2. the secondary element for measuring the pressures
‒ Gauge(s) connected with tubing to the upstream
and downstream pressure taps of the primary
element
‒ One part indicates or records the difference
between the pressures on each side of the orifice
plate and the other part indicates one of these
pressures.
‒ Recording differential and static pressure gauges,
using circulate charts with printed scales, are
extensively used and they provide a permanent
record.
Orifice Equation: For the calculation of the quantity of
gas, AGA (1956) recommends the formula
𝑞ℎ = 𝐶 ′ ℎ𝑤 𝑝𝑓
qh = quantity rate of flow at base conditions (cfh)
C’ = orifice flow constant
hw = differential pressure in inches of water at 60 °F
pf = absolute static pressure, psia
Orifice flow constant
• Orifice flow constant C' is expressed in the following
equation
1. Basic orifice factor (Fb) depends on:

‒ the location of the taps
‒ the internal diameter
‒ the size of the orifice
2. Reynolds number factor (Fr) dependson:
‒ pipe diameter
‒ viscosity
‒ density
‒ velocity of the gas
3. Expansion factor (Y) depends on:
‒ the expansion of gas through the orifice
‒ the density of the stream changes
‒ the expansion factor Y corrects for the variation
in density
4. Pressure base factor (Fpb) is a direct application of
Boyle’s law in the correction for the difference in
base from 14.73 psia
5. Temperature base factor (Ftb) would be used in a
direct application of Charles’s law to correct for the
base temperature change from 60 °F.
6. Flowing temperature factor (Ftf), corrects the effects
of temperature variation. The flowing temperature
has two effects on the volume.
‒ A higher temperature means a lighter gas so that
flow will increase
‒ A higher temperature causes the gas to expand,
which reduces the flow
The combined effect is to cause the quantity of flow
of a gas to vary inversely as the square root of the
absolute flow temperature.
Displacement Metering
1. Reciprocating displacement
2. Rotary displacement
Reciprocating displacement metering ....
• A piston moving in a cylinder
• A quantity of gas is taken into the cylinder through
the inlet port to occupy the space displaced by the
piston in a stroke
• On the return stroke, the gas is discharged out of
the cylinder through the outlet
Reciprocating displacement (Cont’d)
• The volume of space occupied by the discharged gas
while in the cylinder is equal to the piston
displacement.
• The volume of the piston displacement is known
• Connect a counter to the piston rod that will tally
the piston displacement for each compression
stroke.
• If a thermometer and pressure gauge are added to
the cylinder, these conditions may be observed.
Reciprocating displacement (Cont’d)
• From this information, Boyle’s and Charles’s law
formulas can be applied to the volume of gas
discharged as indicated on the counter in order to
convert this volume to the equivalent quantity of
gas at base temperature and pressure conditions.
Rotary displacement
meters
• Two metal impellers of the
same size.
• These impellers rotate on
individual shafts and are
designed and spaced to
rotate tangentially to each
other.
• They are enclosed in a
cylindrical case.
Rotary displacement meters
• Gas flowing through the meter rotates the
impellers
• The close-off volume between an impeller and the
case is fixed a definite volume of gas will pass
through the meter with each revolution of the
impellers.
• By connecting an index to the shaft of an impeller,
the volume of gas may be registered by this index.
Diaphragm meter
• Diaphragms separating the
measuring compartments
• Two diaphragms
• The movement of a
diaphragm from one side to
the other allows one
compartment to fill while the
second is discharging.
Turbine Meter
• A turbine meter uses the flowing gas as a driving
force impacting to a laded rotor
• With appropriate gearing, revolutions of the rotor
can be converted to volume
• Develop accuracy curves for each turbine meter,
calibrate
• Sustained accuracy and trouble-free operation use
filters ahead of turbine meters.

NGE Lectures 25-26

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

NGE Lectures 25-26

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

NGE Lectures 25-26

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Natural Gas Engineering

1. Basic orifice factor (Fb) depends on:

You might also like