Reducing Production and Operating Costs

A separator company working with a major oil and gas producer was looking to optimize plant productivity and improve process safety. Their flowmeters where experiencing accuracy problems and erratic readings. Maintenance was costly.

CHALLENGE

A huge challenge for oil and gas producers is the rising cost of production and operating expenses associated with increased activity in the upstream segment. Rising inflation costs within the industry, as well as its utilization of antiquated technology also contributed to the rising costs.

The oil and gas producers wells flow into either a test or production separator that separate gas from liquids. Turbine meters have traditionally been used to measure both the gas and liquid segments from the separator. Due to liquid carry over and debris in the flow line, the separators mechanical meters required extensive maintenance to replace and clean rotating blades. When these meters failed on production and test separators, the flow rates couldn`t be measured and had to be inferred. This affected the accuracy of daily volumes. As a result, daily volumes remained unspecified until the next time the separator was placed on the well test schedule. This breakdown was very costly, especially when the well experienced high water or low oil production and well intervention was required.

In order to replace or clean internal parts, the mechanical meters had to be removed from the line. Not only was this costly and time consuming, but it was also unsafe. Maintenance personnel would spend time near open production lines, resulting in increased safety, health, and environmental risks.

SOLUTION

The customer replaced their old mechanical meters with Pro-V™ M22 vortex flowmeters. The vortex flowmeter provided a cost-effective, reliable, low maintenance solution, with its rugged design. Utilizing no moving parts, no routine maintenance or cleaning is required. There are no blades that can get worn or bent. This saved the producer maintenance costs and reduced the time personnel had to be near open production lines, reducing safety, health, and environmental concerns. The producer improved field operations, eliminated downtime, increased measurement reliability, enhanced process safety, lowered maintenance costs, and improved their ability to assess if a well is producing.

BENEFITS

• Reduced field production and operating costs

• Higher accuracy improved measurement reliability

• Long term maintenance free operation

• Reduced safety, health, and environmental concerns