LITRE METER SUPPLIES GEVEKE POMPEN WITH POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT METERS FOR WINGATE MEG SKID
03/08/2011 Litre Meter Ltd
UK flowmeter specialist Litre Meter www.litremeter.com has shipped VFF positive displacement flowmeters to Dutch oil and gas package supplier Geveke www.geveke.com. The meters will be used in a monoethylene glycol (MEG) injection skid for Wintershall's (www.wintershall.com) new Wingate natural gas platform in the North Sea.Under conditions of low temperature and high pressure, gas hydrates can solidify as crystals which may block the pipeline and valves, impeding the transfer of the oil and gas. This can result in a shutdown and the risk of explosion or unintended release of hydrocarbons into the environment.
MEG is injected at high pressure where there is a risk of hydrates (dew) forming then freezing at low temperature. Litre Meter VFF positive displacement flowmeters measure the correct amount of MEG needed to prevent hydrate formation.
The process, known as bullheading, forcibly pumps MEG into the bore hole to act as an 'antifreeze' to lower the freezing point of gas hydrate. This protects the wells' sub-surface valves from hydrates forming under high pressure and low temperatures during long shutdowns.
Subsea repairs and the associated loss of production are high cost, so protecting deepwater well bores from hydrate formation and plugging is a major flow assurance concern in offshore operations. Hydrate prevention strategies provide protection during normal operation, start-up and shutdown.
Geveke project engineer Eric Wijnen said: "We selected Litre Meter VFF meters because we have used them successfully in the past. We know that they are versatile and operate accurately at the flow rate and pressure that we need - in this case 1.19 cubic meters per hour at 344 barg."
The VFF flowmeter is suitable for measuring liquids at pressure ratings up to 4,000 bar (60,000 psi) and flow rates from 0.0004 l/m (0.5 litres per day) to over 270 l/min. It is of intrinsically safe design and manufactured to operate reliably at temperatures ranging from -40 to 100°C.
Litre Meter CEO Charles Wemyss said: "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."
For further information, please contact:
Litre Meter Ltd
Hart Hill Barn
Granborough Road
North Marston
Buckinghamshire
MK18 3RZ
Tel: +44 (0)1296 670200
Fax: +44 (0) 1296 670999
Email: sales@litremeter.com
Web: www.litremeter.com
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