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ALTOSONIC V and ALTOSONIC III meet and exceed API standard on liquid ultrasonic flowmetersEarly 2005, the American Petroleum Institute, API, has published the long awaited standard ?Measurement of Liquid Hydrocarbons by Ultrasonic Flow Meters Using Transit Time Technology? and moved it to the Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards (MPMS) chapter 5 ? Metering section, section 8 (first edition, February 2005).
The field of application of the API MPMS Chapter 5.8 is the dynamic measurement of liquid hydrocarbons with Ultrasonic Flowmeters (UFM). While the document is specifically written for custody transfer measurement, other acceptable applications may include allocation measurement, check meter measurement, and leak detection measurement.
The scope of the document defines application criteria for UFM?s and addresses the appropriate considerations regarding the liquids to be measured. The document also addresses the installation, operation and maintenance of UFM?s in liquid hydrocarbon service.
The publication of the standard forms another important step in the acceptance of ultrasonic flowmeters as a standard solution for custody transfer flow metering applications with liquid hydrocarbons. The popularity of ultrasonic flowmeters all started with KROHNE?s introduction of the ALTOSONIC V, the first liquid ultrasonic flowmeter for custody transfer, in the late nineties. Hundreds of ALTOSONIC V flowmeter are now operating on offshore platforms, refineries, loading and offloading stations and pipeline systems. The performance of the ALTOSONIC V, with its five beams and inbuilt continuous Reynolds correction for measurements independent of changes in viscosities over a wide viscosity range is without competition in the market for custody transfer flowmeters.
With the launch of ALTOSONIC III in 2004, KROHNE extended its range of ultrasonic flowmeters for custody transfer and now also offers a cost effective solution for single product applications with light crude oils and refined products. The ALTOSONIC III is aimed at retrofitting turbine and PD meters.
The API standard offers an independent reference for both buyers and sellers of high priced crude oils and liquid hydrocarbons. Multiple beam ultrasonic flowmeters offer accurate and reliable measurements with extremely low maintenance and operation costs as they have no internal moving parts, do not suffer from wear and tear, have minimal pressure drop, and a wide rangeability.
Copies of the API MPMS chapter 5.8, first edition, may be purchased from API or IHS Global. For more information on ordering visit www.api.org/cat or for online orders visit: http://www.global.ihs.com/
For further information: KROHNE Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Thomas Zimmerling
E-Mail: TZimmerling@krohne.de
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