07-05-2013

Emerson expands ultrasonic meter family to provide high-accuracy dynamic flow measurement

Emerson Process Management announces the new Daniel™ 3818 Liquid Ultrasonic Flow Meter for liquefied natural gas applications. Specifically designed for reducing flow measurement uncertainty throughout the LNG value chain, this meter is ideal for many marine and offshore applications, including custody transfer, fiscal metering, line balancing, check metering, allocation measurement and tanker loading and unloading.

Measuring LNG volume dynamically using the Daniel 3818 Ultrasonic Meter delivers higher accuracy than static measurement methods and can result in real savings. The 3818 provides a factory-proven linearity within ±0.15% and a meter factor uncertainty of ± 0.027% due to its sophisticated multi-plane British Gas design, fast signal processing, and advanced transducer technology. Improvements in measurement uncertainty equate to a reduction in risk of the financial transaction. Additional metering points on rundown lines can also improve process control.

Industry forecasts anticipate increasing amounts of LNG will be traded in short-term (spot) contracts. This implies dynamic measurement of delivered product will be required, as is currently the case for custody transfer of oil shipments. In addition, LNG facilities are using shared or comingled storage tanks which require dynamic measurement to quantify and allocate ownership among multiple parties.

With a completely redundant 4-path, multi-plane configuration that is the equivalent of two 4-path meters in a single body, the Daniel 3818 Ultrasonic Meter utilizes two independent transmitters — one for each set of four chordal paths. This ensures complete measurement redundancy and the ability to poll each 4-path meter separately. Acoustic processing is performed by specialized electronics designed to achieve high sampling rates, provide stable ultrasonic signals and optimal low flow response, delivering accurate, stable and reliable measurement. 

Each Daniel 3818 Ultrasonic Meter is calibrated at Daniel’s ISO / IEC 17025 certified flow calibration facility using a static zero flow test on liquid nitrogen and a full dynamic test on water. The 3818 is designed to withstand product temperatures ranging from -196°C to +60°C (-385°F to +140°F), making it an ideal choice for a wide variety of challenging cryogenic LNG applications.

The 3818 offers all the advantages of transit time and inline ultrasonic flow meters. They are full-bore meters with no internal moving parts to wear or drift, providing for low pressure drop and minimizing the risk of LNG flashing. Also available in large sizes, ultrasonic meters are well suited for high volume LNG transfers which equates to faster tanker loading and offloading.

“We continue to develop and perfect a wide range of ultrasonic flow meters for liquid and gas measurement,” said Peter Syrnyk, vice president of engineering at Emerson Process Management, Daniel.  “The introduction of the 3818 Liquid Ultrasonic Meter addresses the industry’s need for custody transfer to be based on more accurate measurements by all stakeholders in the LNG value chain.”

Capital and operating expenses are positively impacted using the Daniel 3818 Ultrasonic Meter. With an integrated diagnostics software package, the 3818 allows operators access to easy-to-interpret diagnostic information, providing greater visibility to meter performance and product quality and generating alerts when abnormal operating conditions are detected.