To successfully transport and refine crude oils often large amounts of additives are required. These range from simple surfactants through to complex blended scale and corrosion inhibitors. Crucial to the entire refining process, these chemicals are injected in small quantities at high pressure. As a result, it is important to carefully monitor their addition to any process, and often this is best done using petrochemical flow meters.
Petrochemical additive injection fluids differ in density as well as viscosity, and any petrochemical flow meter installed into a plant should be able to manage an extensive range of chemical and physical properties. The selection of flow measurement solutions is still quite narrow, as only a few flow technologies provide a satisfactory measurement resolution. Titan has presented a review of these flow technologies here.
Conventionally, positive displacement flow meters have been the option for petrochemical flow meters for additive injection fluids. These flow measurement devices are usually small and have tight clearances between their moving components. The small size helps with the high-pressure rating, but due to the tight manufacturing tolerances they are prone to contamination, which can prevent efficient operation or stop the meter working completely – an inconvenience at the best of times, but quite expensive if the meter is installed sub-sea.
Non-invasive petrochemical flow meters with no moving parts are the most preferred choice; however, they are also the most expensive. This technical review looks at some of the presently used flow meter technologies for petrochemical additive injection application and looks forward to the latest advances on the development horizon.
For further information on Titan’s flowmeter and instrumentation range or to discuss specific process and industrial applications, please contact Titan Enterprises on +44 (0)1935 812790 or sales@flowmeters.co.uk
