clamp-on ultrasonic flow measurement in refineries

Strategic Sales SupportGuido Jary

REV 170220 GJ

Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flow Measurement

in Refineries

FLEXIM = Flexible Industriemesstechnik GmbH

FLEXIM, a global leader in non-invasive Ultrasonic Flow Measurement

Highly innovative metering solutions for Liquids or Gases and within Process Analytics

Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with more than 400 employees globally

Strong competence centers in R&D and in-house production facilities

International presence with subsidiaries in Europe, USA, Asia, South America, Australia

and Middle East aside a wide network of partner companies

Clamp-On flowmetering is our core technology we are strongly focused on!

……some important customers of FLEXIM:

Extract of FLEXIM`s global Refinery Reference List

Increased Safety for operators and plant equipment!

High temperature media

High pressure media

Abrasive or hazardous media

Advantages of Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flow meters

5

Advantages of Clamp-On Ultrasonic Systems

Cost Reduction Reduce plant energy use - Zero pressure drop

compared to insertion flow devices

No additional cost for exotic wetted alloys

Zero Maintenance

Reliability

No wetted parts / no build up or fouling to flow meter

Measurement of very low flows

Measurement system is drift free

No zeroing necessary

Bi-Directional Flow

Plant availability

No process interruption during installation

Portable flow metering during start-up

or for flow checks across the plant

Easy retrofit to existing plant

Transit time technology (time of flight)

one ultrasonic signal is sent in the direction of flow and a second signal against the flow

Sound travel with flow is faster than against the flow and the time differenceis directly proportional to flow rate

Ranges and Limitations of FLEXIM Ultrasonic Flowmeters

• Liquids or Gases

Gases in steel pipes need a minimum pressure of 3-5 bar(a)

• Liquids : 6mm to 6.500 mm• Gases: 8 mm to 1.600 mm

• all pipe materials are feasible• Metals, Alloys, Plastics, Glas, Concrete etc.

exept corrugated tubes!

http://blog.kohler.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Rob-

pipe.jpg

Liquids: / Gases:Flow velocity: 0.01 – 25 m/s / 0.01 – 35 m/sRepeatability: 0.15% of reading Accuracy: +/- 1.2% / +/- 1-3% of reading

Liquids: / Gases:Flow velocity: 0.01 – 25 m/s / 0.01 – 35 m/sRepeatability: 0.15% of reading Accuracy: +/- 1.2% / +/- 1-3% of reading

There might be an issue with the inner side of the pipe which leads to poor signals:

But also Inline meters for sure are already more in trouble under these conditions.

This can be verified by doing a comparison between process inline temperatureand pipe surface temperature!

If you observe a temperature difference much larger than 20 Kelvin, be aware of having already problems with incrustations.

Our electronics will detect these changing conditions in the diagnostics values!

Limitations of FLEXIM Ultrasonic Flowmeters

NOT suitable for

Steam Measurement

– Velocities too high

– gas/ liquid composition

NOT suitable for

Flare Gas Applications

– Pressure Too Low

– Velocities too high

– Changing gas composition

Restriction of Ultrasonic Clamp-On Systems

-190°C +580°C

Temperature Ranges for Ultrasonic Clamp-On Transducers

Cryogen Liquids down to -190°C / Homogenous Liquids or molten Salts up to +580°C

- 40°C High temperature transducers 200°C

FLEXIM WaveInjector®

- 40°C Standard Transducers 130°C

Permanent, Rugged, Fixed Installations

Permanent coupling compounds

“Viton Pad”for permanent installation up to 200°C No Gels or Greases!

Spring loaded transducer mounting• compensates pipe expansion/contraction• compensates pipe vibration• achieves consistent transducer to pipe contact

F/G608 For ATEX/IECEx zone 2 FM class1 Div2 20h operating time Energy measurement Massflow measurement

Product Portfolio portable devices 6-Series

Available for Liquids & Gases

F/G601 20h operating time Energy measurement Massflow measurement

F/G704 & F/G705 For safe or hazardous area Zone 2 ATEX, IECEx,

FM, EAC, Inmetro SIL2

Product Portfolio stationary devices 7-Series

The new generation of FLUXUS: F/G721

For Liquid and Gas For safe and hazardous area Zone 2 (ATEX, IECEx,

FM, EAC, Inmetro) Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus PA) Bidirectional communication USB / TCP/IP interface Full graphic display


F808 Only for LIQUIDS Hazardous area zone 1 ATEX,

IECEx, FM Class1 Div1 Ex d protection grade SINGLE channel only

Product Portfolio stationary devices 8-Series

ADM 8027 | G800 Hazardous area zone 1 ATEX,

IECEx, EAC Ex d protection grade Intrinsically safe output Ex i[b] SIL2

Successor of 8027/G800:F/G809A

Hazardous area zone 1 ATEX, IECEx, FM Class1 Div1

Ex d protection grade Single channel / dual channel


FLEXIM`s WaveInjector®

Extended temperature ranges for Clamp-On Transducers

WaveInjector® Features at a glance:

- Patented mounting system for Ultrasonic-Clamp-ON Flow measurement

- Used for temperatures above „normal“ application ranges (-30°C up to max. 200°C)

up to 580°C / 1076°F or down to minus 190°C / -310°F

- Combination with standard FLEXIM Clamp-on transducers

- Flexible, mounting system for pipes sizes from 40mm (1,5”) up to 1200mm (47”)

- Permanent and reliable transducer coupling to the pipe surface

- Transducers also available for flow measurement in explosive atmospheres

- Problem-free retrofitting on existing installations

WI Systems can be used in combination with a dedicated FLUXUS F70x / F80x or a with portable FLUXUS F601/F608 for temporary measurement!

WaveInjector® Working Principle

Overheating respectively Supercooling Protection of the Transducers!

Snap shots taken by an Infrared Camera:

Hot

Cold

What is necessary to prepare for WaveInjector installation ?

Process shutdown ? NO!

installation possible with or without running process

Scaffolding? YES, if measurement point is not accessible from ground level

(due to the need to polish the pipe in the contact area,

working from a or ladder is not suitable)

Removal of insulation ? YES

Typical required length: 1 – 2 m.

the necessary area for installation will be given in the installation drawing

Please remove insulation not earlier than 1 day before installation:

colder pipe sections are more affected by build-up inside!

After installation, the pipe should be re-insulated shortly afterwards.

An insulation instruction is included in the manual

Hot work permit ? YES

for use of electrical tools for pipe polishing in contact area

WaveInjector® Installation Procedure

WaveInjector systems should be integrated to the pipe insulation after commissioning,

> no effect to process efficiency!

Just the transducer`s boxes must be outside the insulation!

WaveInjector® Insulation Samples

Comparision to Differential Pressure

DP – orifice or wedge meter

Benefits:

Cheap, standardized

0.5% accuracy (at defined viscosity, T, p)

Disadvantages:

Frequent maintenance

Multiple leak points

Turndown, poor low-end resolution

Wear & plugging issues

Pressure drop

Pipe shut down for installation

Benefits:

No wear & plugging issues

No leakage risk

Maintenance free

Turndown 1…400 typ., good low-flowresolution

One type fits many pipe sizes

No process stop for installation

No pressure drop

Disadvantages:

1.2% to 2% accuracy

Installation by trained staff necessary

Clamp-on ultrasonic

Comparison to Inline Ultrasonic

Inline Ultrasonic Meter

Benefits:


Turndown; good low-flow resolution

No pressure drop

Disadvantages:

Multiple leak points

Pipe shut down for installation

Benefits:


Turndown; good low-flow resolution

No pressure drop

No leakage risk

Maintenance free

One type fits many pipe sizes

No process stop for installation

Clamp-on Ultrasonic

Comparison to Coriolis

23

Clamp-on UltrasonicCORIOLIS

Benefits:

0.1% Mass flow

Unaffected by changes in process fluid

characteristics (e.g. viscosity)

Disadvantages:

Sensitive to fouling and sedimentation of solids

Abrasion causes drift

Costly for large pipe diameters or high pressure

Pressure drop due to small diameter tubes

Turndown

Leakage risk due to chemical and mechanical

stress on thin tube walls

Benefits:

Not sensitive to abrasion

Not sensitive to fouling

Turndown

No cost adder for large pipes or high pressure

Wide turndown

Zero pressure drop

Zero leakage risk

Disadvantages:

1.2% to 2% accuracy

Installation by trained staff necessary

Refinery schematic view – FLEXIM`s applications:

….from the Crude oil to Tankfarm!

ADU AtmosphericDistillation

VDU Vacuum

Distillation

DCU Coking and Visbreaking

HCU Hydro Cracking

FCCFluid Catalytic CrackingAsphalt blowing

Flow measurement applications samples:

Crude oil / Crude oil furnace pass

Atmospheric (ADU) / Vacuum (VDU) bottoms

Naphta, Kerosene

Heavy Vacuum / Coker Gasoil (HVGO / HCGO)

Light Vacuum / Coker Gas Oil (LVGO/LCGO)

Slop oil

Overflash

Coker hot / cold feed

Coker cutting water (High pressure)

Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) feed and bottoms, slurries

Asphalt blending

Alkylation (HF / H2SO4)

Quench oil

Heat transfer oils (HTF)

Hydrogen

Propane, Butane

Waste water, Cooling water, Sea water,.......

Refinery Applications without or with WaveInjector®

− ADU outlets with

various middle

and heavy

distillates

− Crude Oil and crude heating prior to ADU

− Overflash

circulation

Atmospheric Residue

Flow Measurement at Atmospheric Distillation Unit (ADU)

- Gases

− LVGO outlet

(Light Vacuum Gasoil)

− HVGO outlet

(Heavy Vacuum Gasoil)

− HVGO reflux line

Flow Measurement at Vacuum Distillation Unit (VDU)

−ADU Residue entering the VDU (at heater)

−VDU Residue to

FCC / DCU / HCU

− Slop Oil

- Gases

− VGO − Heavy residue

− Light Cracked distillates

− Cracked gases e.g Butane

Flow Measurement at Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC)

− Light Cracked

middle distillates

− VDU Residue

Middle distillates

Residues

− Heavy Cracked

distillates

− Light Cracked

distillates

Flow Measurement at Hydro cracking Unit (HCU)

- Middle distillates

− Cracked gases

− Hydrogen

Flow Measurement at Delayed Coking (DCU)

Residues

Residues

VGO

Light distillates

Middle distillates

Coker cutting

water

High pressure!

- Gases

Refinery Application Samples

Crude Oil to ADU @ 280°C

Dual purpose of measurement: Control & Safety

WaveInjector® Applications Samples

Riyadh Refinery

Heat Transfer Oils

− 20” pipe - Heat Transfer Oil

− Operating Temperature up to 350oC

− Supply of hot oil from the central power station to the process plants

− Heat Transfer Oils are used to supply process heat for distillation columns and crackers

− The medium tends to coking and thus to clogging of previously used DP meters –drift and failure of such meters is not uncommon causing maintenance issues

Shell MoerdijkNetherlands


Conclusion by SUNCOR:

− For high temperature flow measurement, FLEXIM is more reliable than the Orifice Plate / DP meters

− FLEXIM’s performance is independent of the weather conditions

− FLEXIM’s WaveInjector can be installed without a process shut down, which is ideal for an existing operating plant

Vacuum Residue Flow Measurement


VDU Overflash (d~0,72 g/cm³ / d~ 0,41 cSt ) Pressure below 1bar

Pipe dimension: 114 mm x 6.8 mm / Carbon steelFLUXUS F601, Shearwave P and WaveInjector® WI400xC

Overflash @ 380°C


„Hot“ water 230°C / 446°F @ 56bar on a Reaktor feed line DN320 / 12,5“

“Long Downcomer”

FLUXUS G608 CA Energy, Shearwave K and WaveInjector® WI400xC


„Old“ dp pressure / orificeruns unreliable

Waveinjector installation on 8“ and 10“ pipes / 3x dual channel for Control and SafetyMeetering point works redundand with a „two out of three“ Safety system princible

Hydrotreated Wax @ 380°C


Six 4” Lines / Dual Channel FLUXUS F704

WaveInjector system, with M Transducers

Temperature: 180°C / 350˚F

Dual Beam Direct X

to correct for cross flow effect

Asphaltenes in Solvent De-Asphalting Unit

SDA plant at Richmond


Bitumen Flow Measurement

Feyzin Refinery, Lyon

Replacing Oval Wheel PD Flowmeter

Refineries usually use Oval Wheel PD, or Coriolis flow meters on Bitumen applications.

Both flow technologies are prone to problems due to high temperatures and viscosities.

Temperature range: 150 -210°CViscosity range 150 – 350cP


Hydro cracking Unit (HCU) - Flow control of HCU loop

Advantages:

- Reliable and maintenance-free flow measurement

- High measurement dynamics

- Cost efficient solution for high pressure lines

- Installation without process interruption


Nominal pipe diameter: 24” pipe

− Temperature: up to 380°C

− Pressure 200 bar

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) Flow control replacing Vortex meters

- 16 inch pipes FCC Reflux Bottoms Reflux bottoms contain catalyst (fine sand slurry) => abrasion on previous installed Vortex meters

- 12 inch Fractionator Bottoms

Heavy Hydrocarbon with catalyst present- TEMPERATURE: 220°C – 260°C (425°F – 500°F)


Lindsey Oil Refinery, UK

Liquid flow metering on truck loading lines

Mercaptane dosing process

42

Propane Metering

Refinery Applications Samples

Flow of Molten Sulphur

- Flow measurement without media contact

- No Crystallization

- No energy loss

Refinery Applications Samples

• e.g. Qatargas 12“ Sulphur Transfer Pipe (with Skin-effect Tracing System)• e.g. Syncrude: 4“ Sulphur line @ 135°C

Depending on the quality and pre-treatment of crude oil, it contains a certain amount ofwater when it is fed to the tank

Water is an unwanted component, becauseit can cause:

Corrosion in tank or piping

Problems with crude oil destillation process

800

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

1600

1700

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Soun

d Sp

eed

in m

/s

Temperature in °C

Sound Speed of some Liquids

Water

Sea Water

Crude High API

Crude Low API

Diesel

Petrol

Water and salt water can be clearly distinguished from crude oil and refined products by speed of sound

Tank Dewatering Crude oil storage tanks > Water / Oil Detection <

Refinery / Tank Farm Applications Samples

Saudi Aramco Refineries


Manual operation

Step 1: open the drain valve on one side of the tank

Step 2: go to the other drain valve on other side of tank

Step 3: go back to the first outlet, watch until the oil can be seen

Step 4: close the valve

Step 5: go to the other side, and close the 2nd valve

mostly then there already oil is running out

=> Product loss & more effort for waste water treatment

Automatic Tank Dewatering Crude oil storage tanks with FLEXIM:

Oil, Water or interphase detection by Soudspeed change at the tank outlet to water treatment plant

Product Identification at Tank Farm / Terminals

Interface Detection & Flow Measurement

Product streams to tank storage

Combined flow measurement with interface detection

Clear detection of various products, and off-spec interphases in between

Fast detection siginifcantly reduces downgrade amounts


United Riverhead Tank Storage Terminal, NY USA

Ultra low sulfur #2 oilOff-spec #2 oil

Product identification by sonic velocity

Dry run protection: SIL-Loop to pumps

Monitoring of a min. flow rate to pumps

Occurance of demand: undercut of min. flow rate

automatically shut down will be initialized

Refinery / Tankfarm Applications Samples

Refinery application samples Coker

6” Coker Feed lines / Vacuum residue @ 350°CReliance India – Worlds largets Refinery

Foster & Wheeler design Coker

Replacing dp Wedge meters


Temperature: 325 to 350 °CPipe size: 170mm x 11mm

Pipe Material: Alloy steel

Coker Feed

approx. 380°C 40 years old 4“ pipes

dual setup installation for max. robustness

1-path and 2-path combination

Burghausen, Germany


6“ Coker feed lines (320°C @ 15bar) WI400xC / CDK transducers in reflex mode measuring in comparison to a redundant,

strange breathing, dP meter:

High risk of leakage and the very high effort for dangerous maintenance work

(due to flushing those hot and high pressure pulse lines)


Coker Feed from storage tank

8” pipes

138° - 260°C (280°F – 500°F)

2 cold feed and 2 hot feed lines

Torrance, California

Coker Cold Feed and Coker feed furnace passes


4x (3”) passes per drum pair / 6 drum pairs!

Temperature 351°C / 665° F

Target : Replacing orifice plates

Flow Control and Safety shut-down

Shell Martinez

4” OD

300°C / 573°F

Dual beam

Replacing wedge meters

Control

Need SIL for shutdown


Coker feed lines

Cherry Point

4 passes per drum pair

8” header per drum pair 2 drum pairs

CDM1N52 → 4” CDK1N52 → 8”

~ 377°C / 710°F

Replacing orifice meters


Coker feed furnace passes

Coker Feed

Coker feed lines

Pipe OD: 6”

Temp: 375°C / 708F


Refinery GAS Applications, some references:

Chevron Utah 2010 Fuel gas (H2, C1, C2..)

ENI R&M Sannazzaro, Italy 2009 Propane

HollyFrontier Corporation Utah 2009 Nitrogen gas leak detection

LyondellBasell Berre l'Etang Cedex, France 2010 Supply of Ethylene

CNPC Liaoyang Petro-chemical Co., Ltd. 6725 2008 Natural Gas

ConocoPhillips Wingate 2011 Propane/Butane Flow

IISN-BP Naperville Team Delivered Nitrogen / Delivered Gas

MIRO Mineralöl Raffinerie 2011 Nitrogen Allocator

OMV Deutschland GmbH Burghausen 2010 H2S/ Methane Process feed line

Orlen PKN Orlen Plock 2011 Hydrogen recovery (100% H2)

PETROFAC 2011 Delivered NG, compressed air

Syncrude Fort McMurray 2009 High pressure Natural Gas

Syncrude US PF CA Delivered Nitrogen, Air

Gas Application Samples

− Refinery Gas Flows, such as Hydrogen, Fuel Gas, Compressed Air,

Nitrogen and many more…….

Natural Gas Processing / Natural Gas Transport and Storage:

− Gas flow measurement at the Wellhead or Separator outlets

− Flow Measurement within Gas Processing Facilities before and after treatment

− Gas Transport Pipelines (buried / unburied)

− Compressor Stations


Medium: 100% H2 (28-29 barg @ 20-40 °C)

Pipe: 114,3x6,3 mm / Carbon steel

ATEX ZONE I

Vortex meter was matched to the process parameters but it has one,

but crucial disadvantage – it is invasive;

For the installation they needed to stop the process, unseal the pipeline.

Due to Ex zone they needed the special design procedure for the Polish Technical Supervisory Board – UDT.

This would take much time and take extra costs;

Non invasive aspect was the main argument for the engineers!

Hydrogen measurement Plock Refinery


H2S is a very dangerous Gas

It is better to measure from theoutside of the pipe“!


H2S/ Methane Process feed line

Burghausen, Germany

The Pioneer Refinery / California 1876

(of course not so efficient without having DCM….)

clamp-on ultrasonic flow measurement in refineries

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