FAR EAST CHEMICAL INJECTION MARKET GROWING FOR LITRE METER
FAR EAST CHEMICAL INJECTION MARKET GROWING FOR LITRE METER
Litre Meter (www.litremeter.com), a leading UK flowmeter specialist, has supplied VFF flowmeters for chemical injection to Singapore-based oil and gas offshore solutions provider Mowe Marine & Offshore Pte Ltd. The meters feature seals specifically designed for use with highly corrosive fluids.
The flowmeters are for use in a chemical injection application in offshore gas exploration in Sabah, Malaysia. This order follows hot on the heels of a recent order for gas exploration in Vietnam.
Litre Meter has supplied seven LF05 positive displacement flowmeters constructed in F51 Duplex steel, customised for use with particularly corrosive fluids at high temperatures. The flowmeters are for use in a chemical injection skid on the Kinabalu non-associated gas (NAG) project being developed by Petronas.
The Kinabalu NAG project is located about 52 km (32 miles) from Labuan in a water depth of 55 meters. It is part of the Sabah Integrated Gas Development Project initiated by Petronas. The VFF LF05 rotary piston flow meters are to be used on a topside chemical injection skid to measure the flow of methanol at high pressure. The flowmeters are pressure rated to 1,035 bar.
‘Antifreeze’ fluids like methanol are used as thermodynamic inhibitors which lower the freezing point of gas hydrate. They are injected at high pressure into pipelines where there is a risk of hydrates (dew) forming then freezing at low temperature.
Under conditions of low temperature and high pressure, gas hydrates can solidify as crystals which may block the pipeline. This can result in a shutdown and the risk of explosion or unintended release of hydrocarbons into the environment.
Pipes blocked by freezing hydrates may have to be uplifted to remove the blockage, causing costly loss of production. Litre Meter meters assist in maintaining flow assurance and reducing production costs.
Litre Meter VFF positive displacement flowmeters measure the correct amount of methanol needed to prevent hydrate formation. Chemicals are expensive which means that their use needs to be carefully monitored.
The F51 Duplex LF05 VFF positive displacement meters supplied comprised a PVD coated pressure balance chamber with a titanium rotor and PTFE encapsulated Viton/Kalrez seals, Inconel cap seal and 9/16 inch AEMP autoclave connections. O-ring seals on the meters needed to be useable in harsh oil and gas environments. These seals were chosen because they are heat and chemical resistant, can operate at high pressures and are available in custom sizes.
Standard PVD coated LF05 VFF flowmeters are suitable for measuring liquids at pressures up to 4,000 bar (60,000 psi) and flow rates from 0.008 l/hr to 30 l/hr depending on the viscosity of the fluid being measured. They are of intrinsically safe design and manufactured to operate reliably at temperatures ranging from -40 to 100°C.
Litre Meter CEO Charles Wemyss said: “Subsea repairs and the associated loss of production are high cost, so protecting deep-water well bores from hydrate formation, plugging and organic fouling is a major flow assurance concern in offshore operations worldwide.
“Hydrate prevention strategies provide protection during normal operation, start-up and shutdown.
“Litre Meter’s VFF flowmeter is ideally suited for use in the oil and gas industry and in particular for low flow / high pressure applications.
“Years of experience in chemical injection applications onshore and offshore have confirmed the instrument’s capability to reliably measure fluids under extreme conditions of both temperature and pressure.
“In this case were able to successfully customise the meter to enable it to be used with a particularly corrosive fluid.”
