LITRE METER DELIVERS MORE CUSTOM FLOWMETERS FOR JACK & ST MALO PHASE TWO SKID

Custom flowmeter manufacturer and distributor Litre Meter (www.litremeter.com) has supplemented its largest-ever order of highly customized VFF positive displacement flow meters with a further shipment of meters.

Last year, Litre Meter supplied flowmeters to Mustang (www.mustangeng.com) – part of the Wood Group (www.woodgroup.com) – for the Chevron-operated Jack and St. Malo floating semi-submersible facility. The new shipment of meters is for Jack and St Malo phase two.

The meters are being used on a skid designed for the Jack and St. Malo facility located in approximately 2,100 metres (7,000 feet) of water in the Walker Ridge area of the Gulf of Mexico.

Phase two of the project involved the drilling of two new wells and associated subsea infrastructure. First oil on phase one was produced in December 2014 and phase two represents the ongoing development of the site.

The VFF flowmeters measure a range of chemicals including demulsifier, defoamer, scale inhibitor, water clarifier, corrosion inhibitors and methanol. The meters measure the flow of chemicals to an accuracy of 0.5 per cent, making it possible to control their use to a very high tolerance.

Specifications for the initial order of 88 highly customised units and the subsequent flowmeters for phase two include five of Litre Meter’s six degrees of customisation.

Litre Meter chairman Charles Wemyss said: “These meters include special connections, special materials and special flow ranges. They are required to function at high pressure and also use bespoke communications.

“The only standard parts on these meters are the rotors and the sensors.”

Each meter features a Grayloc connection which seals through the elastic action of a reusable metal ring and is lighter and stronger than a flange. It saves on weight and space and also costs less to maintain than flange connections.

The meters have been manufactured from corrosion-resistant Duplex stainless steel and have a physical vapour deposition (pvd) coating designed to improve their flow range. They are fitted with a new sensor combining the design of Litre Meter’s traditional intrinsically safe externals and the internals from its popular VFF flowmeter.

Operating at high pressures of up to 1,035 bar the meters use the HART industrial field communication protocol. HART is a global standard for smart process instrumentation and is reliable and easy to use.

The instrument displays are Litre Meter’s latest iteration of its FlowPod, supplied in FM flame-proof Exd stainless steel housings.

Exd certification means that the flowmeter instrumentation is housed in an explosion-proof casing designed to prevent expansion gases from being expelled into the external atmosphere.

Charles Wemyss added: “Litre Meter was chosen because it was able to supply the correct combination of high pressure meter design, enhanced longevity, low flow ability and stainless steel Exd housing with US approvals.”