Greyline Instruments DFM-5.1 User Manual

Non-Contacting Solution

for Plugged Off Flow Meters
in The Oil Patch

For years Petrobakken Energy
Ltd. used inline turbine flow
meters to track the flow rate of
oil recycled to treaters. But with
a high concentration of wax
and sand in the oil, the turbine
meters were quickly plugging
off. The line had to be shut
down at least once a day and
the turbine flowmeters
disassembled for cleaning. This
was troublesome and
expensive. Petrobakken knew
there had to be a better way.

Crude oil is delivered by tanker truck to the
Petrobakken battery site in Drayton Valley, Alberta
and offloaded to emulsion tanks and then pumped to
treaters for processing where gravity, heat and
chemical additives break down the oil-water
emulsions.

Crude Oil Battery, Drayton Valley, Alberta

without obstructing flow. They contacted Carbon
Controls Ltd. in Calgary for DFM 5.0 Doppler Flow
Meters manufactured by Greyline Instruments. Three
meters were originally installed. eadPetrobakken’s l
operator, Terry Willoughby found that the Greyline
DFM 5.0 meters measured flow reliably and were

“ When something

works, it works.”

Terry Willoughby

Petrobakken Energy Ltd.

Petrobakken Energy Ltd.

Tanker Truck Offloading at

Petrobakken Crude Oil Battery

To maintain production without shut downs
Petrobakken contacted Seidlitz Engineering of
Cochrane, Alberta to help find a solution to their wax
off problem. Seidlitz specified clamp-on ultrasonic
meters because they work from outside the pipe

Sand, Wax and Solids

Removed in Crude Oil Treater

unaffected by wax and sand in the oil. Because they
work from the outside of the pipe the Doppler
ultrasonic flowmeters did not cause plugging off or
pressure drop. With more than six months
continuous operation with the new Greyline

Non-Contacting Solution

for Plugged Off Flow Meters in The Oil Patch

flowmeters there has been no shut downs for
cleaning. Terry commented “when something works,
it works”.

Seidlitz Engineering redesigned the pipe
configuration for 1.5m straight runs for good
optimum flow conditions. Each flowmeter's 4-20mA
output is connected to Petrobakken's PLC for pump
speed control. Flow rate and totalizer are displayed
on the instrument's backlit LCD display. After three
months of successful testing, Petrobakken installed
three more Greyline DFM 5.0 flowmeters. All units
are mounted on 3” steel pipes. The ultrasonic
sensors do not require maintenance or cleaning and
do not obstruct flow. Doppler works by injecting
high frequency ultrasound through the pipe wall and
into the flowing oil. It requires solids or gas bubbles
in the fluid to reflect its signal so dirty crude oil is an
ideal application for this technology.

The Greyline DFM 5.0 Doppler Flow Meter uses a
single-head ultrasonic sensor mounted on the
outside of a metal or plastic pipe. The clamp-on
sensor works on ½” diameter or larger pipes and is
rated for Div 2 locations, or it can be Div 1 with
optional intrinsic safety barriers. It displays, totalizes
and controls with settings entered through a simple
keypad menu system.

Time is money in the oil business. Petrobakken's
battery site is automated and runs 24 hours a day, 7
days a week. They produce 350m3 of oil per day
and are equipped to handle up to 1000m3 per day.
By switching to Greyline DFM 5.0non-contacting
Doppler Flow Meters keepPetrobakken can now
production going without shut downs for flowmeter
maintenance.

Clamp-on Ultrasonic Transducers

Links:

Petrobakken Energy Ltd.
www.petrobakken.com

Greyline Instruments Inc.
DFM 5.0 Doppler Flow Meter
www.greyline.com/dfm5.htm

Carbon Controls Ltd.

www.carboncontrolsltd.com

Seidlitz Engineering Ltd.

www.seidlitzengineering.com

Greyline DFM 5.0

Greyline DFM 5.0

Doppler Flow Meter

Doppler Flow Meter

” Steel PipeMonitoring Crude Oil Flow in 3