TUV SUD NEL has launched two industry-wide collaborative projects to address the impact that evolving real-world conditions have on flow meter performance, as it believes that significant measurement errors are costing the oil and gas industry approximately USD 7M per day.
To optimise flow meter performance, the oil and gas industry relies upon data that was developed decades ago, which does not reflect the increased temperature and pressures experienced, as fields are increasingly exploited at greater depths. The organisation is calling on interested parties, from both academia and industry, to join these two collaborative projects.
The first is a Joint Research project (JRP), which aims to develop accurate flow pattern maps at real-world conditions. These will become increasingly crucial as the industry moves towards digital solutions to maximise oil and gas production and reduce operating costs to support flow assurance, validate new technologies, optimise maintenance and assess production economics. The company is seeking support from universities and other research organisations to develop a new family of multiphase flow pattern maps. These will more accurately reflect the conditions that operators experience in the field, and help them remove errors associated with data misinterpretation.
The second is a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to review and update the performance benchmarking of multiphase flow meters and wet gas meters, to reflect the significant changes in meter technologies and their use over the last 10 years. The company will work with oil and gas operators to undergo much-needed meter testing and benchmarking work.