Oil+Gas

Every millimeter matters

mjitaru — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:43:42 +0000

Every millimeter matters mjitaru Tue, 04.03.2025 - 12:43

Technology+Innovation

Every millimeter matters

How much oil is in the storage tank? In international trade, only calibrated measuring devices can deliver an acceptable answer. Calibration can be done laboriously on site or directly at the factory, as Endress+Hauser does. And this is all thanks to a unique calibration rig.

Text: Robert Habi

Illustration: 3st kommunikation

Oil and gas surpass all other commodities in terms of the volume that gets moved around. Every day, some 90 million barrels (14.4 million tonnes) of crude oil and natural gas are extracted, filled, stored temporarily and transported onward around the world. “In large storage tanks, every incorrectly measured millimeter of fill level could make a difference of several thousand euros straightaway,” Daniel Hoy from Endress+Hauser Level+Pressure explains. That is why measuring devices on large oil tanks must be calibrated verifiably according to internationally recognized standards such as OIML R85 or API 3.1B.

There are two options for verifiable calibration: In the first and most frequent one, a verification officer stands on the tank and measures the fill level with a measuring tape. The results are compared to those from the level sensor installed on the tank. The maximum permissible discrepancy is four millimeters. Obtaining various benchmarks involves emptying or filling tanks – expensive procedures that often take several days. Customers can save all this time and effort by choosing the second option, factory calibration. This requires a complex calibration rig, like the one Endress+Hauser has developed at the competence center for level and pressure measurement in Maulburg. “We precisely calibrate every radar sensor ordered for tank gauging on the rig. With multiple measuring positions along its 50-meter length, that takes at most an hour and a half,” says Daniel Hoy. The calibration rig stands in an elaborate purpose-built room and is the only one worldwide able to calibrate radar level sensors for tanks and stilling wells to an NMI-certified standard. The devices are allowed to be out by no more than one millimeter, as stipulated by the generally accepted OIML R85 recommendation.

Endress+Hauser built the rig in response to industry developments: In the USA and in Europe especially, space at ports is becoming scarcer and so their storage tanks are being built taller. Gas tanks 50 meters high are not unusual. The diagram shows a simplified birds-eye view of how factory calibration of the radar sensors works.

50m

is the maximum calibration distance. Thus the rig covers many tank sizes.

0.5mm

within the measurement range of up to 50 meters is the maximum measurement discrepancy of the device under test after calibration.

The instrument under test is a Micropilot level sensor using radar measurement technology.

Radar waves beam out into free space and some hit the reflector, from where they bounce back to the sensor on the measuring instrument. The distance between the sensor and the reflector is determined based on the signal’s time of flight.

The two-sided reflector runs on rails. Placing it at various positions between the laser and the level sensor provides a series of measurements.

The laser measures the distance to the device under test and to the reflector with micrometer precision. After calibration, the sum of those distances corresponds to the exact overall length of the rig. Thus, the laser is the high-precision reference for measuring the instrument under test.

Partitions made of special foam absorb stray radiation, as it is primarily the straight beams that are to be measured.

CONTROLLED CONDITIONS

The floor is specially constructed to minimize vibrations, for example from local industrial activity or road traffic.

Air pressure and humidity are monitored since they can have a minor effect on the radar signal.

A special structure shields out potential signal interference from electromagnetic waves.

Ambient temperature is kept at a constant 20°C. That prevents thermal expansion effects, for example in the metal rails on which the reflector runs.

Oil+Gas Innovation #005A79 #FFFFFF

3 questions for Michael Kaiser

smanetsch — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 14:15:21 +0000

3 questions for Michael Kaiser smanetsch Wed, 08.01.2025 - 15:15

Technology+Innovation

3 questions for Michael Kaiser

Michael Kaiser heads Endress+Hauser’s flow management systems business. In the interview he talks about the precision and reliability of Coriolis technology, the shift towards digitalization, and the future of transparent bunkering processes.

Text: Christine Böhringer

The first LNG bunkering systems from Endress+Hauser are being used in Singapore. Is that a coincidence?

No. Singapore is already the world’s largest bunkering port and aspires to leadership in LNG bunkering as well. Moreover, its regulators are committed to quality and reliability because of the colossal sums of money involved. That’s why, in 2017, Singapore became the first jurisdiction in the world to mandate the use of high-precision Coriolis technology in heavy fuel oil bunkering. Our Coriolis metering solution subsequently became one of two such systems certified for this new custody transfer process. Today we lead the market and have amassed a great deal of bunkering experience.

What difference has the introduction of this flow metering solution made?

Previously, measurement was mostly manual, with methods like tank gauging tapes used to read fill levels. That made measurement processes imprecise and error-prone. And unlike our systems, those processes couldn’t detect whether volumetric readings were artificially inflated by entrained air. More ports are now mandating the use of Coriolis technology for bunkering. In custody transfer operations, we’re noticing a general push for greater transparency – not least in terms of measurement quality.

What other trends do you see on the horizon?

Concerning transparency, digitalization is another growth area. In Singapore, for example, cloud availability of bunkering data is set to become mandatory. By integrating cloud-based measurement data, digitalization will give customers greater insights into the bunkering process and hence new optimization scope, for example in terms of energy efficiency.

An interview with Michael Kaiser, an information systems engineer, who heads Endress+Hauser’s flow management systems business. 3 minutes 3 questions for Michael Kaiser

Supply chain Oil+Gas #acd29f

Pioneering green spirit

smanetsch — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 09:27:59 +0000

Pioneering green spirit smanetsch Tue, 25.07.2023 - 11:27

Technology+Innovation

Pioneering green spirit

Long Ridge Energy is one of the world’s first power plant operators to blend hydrogen with natural gas at scale. Measurement technology plays a critical role in paving the way for the decarbonization of the energy industry.

Text: Christine Böhringer

Photography: Endress+Hauser

GAS ANALYSIS

The energy transition is not making things easy for gas-fired power plants. On the one hand, they are supposed to ensure a steady supply of electricity and heat when there is no wind or sunshine. On the other, by burning a fossil-based source of energy, the plants themselves release harmful CO2 emissions. “Operators therefore want to get their facilities ready for hydrogen, gradually blending more of it into the natural gas, to lower the overall carbon content of the fuel,” explains Cory Marcon, Power & Energy Industry Marketing Manager at Endress+Hauser USA.

A trailblazer on this road to climate neutrality is the combined gas and steam cycle power plant operated by Long Ridge Energy in Hannibal, Ohio. The 485 MW facility is the first in the world built with the goal of utilizing pure hydrogen mixed in with natural gas. The conversion requires first and foremost a good process control system: hydrogen has different physical properties than natural gas, so it combusts differently. It also has a lower volumetric energy content. For these reasons, the mixture must be precisely controlled to ensure safe and efficient operation of the plant.

This is where Long Ridge Energy places its trust in Endress+Hauser. The solution relies on two innovative technologies. The Promass Q Coriolis flowmeter provides highly accurate mass flow, density and volumetric flow measurements, even when process conditions fluctuate. This helps to ensure that hydrogen is injected at a stable rate. A Raman Rxn5 in-line analyzer determines the gas composition of the blend and thus indirectly its energy content, allowing the integrity of the fuel blending system to be validated almost in real time.

Part of the plant for Long Ridge Energy case sturdy in the United States

A Raman analyzer (cabinet on the right) enables precise monitoring and control of the hydrogen injection process.

OFF-THE-SHELF INNOVATION

Long Ridge Energy had already successfully blended the natural gas with 5 percent hydrogen on multiple occasions. Drawing on these experiences and findings from the installation, Endress+Hauser developed a hydrogen blending skid for natural gas fuel systems and pipelines, thus enabling automation of the process. Proving that Long Ridge Energy’s pioneering spirit lives on, the company plans to fire the power plant completely with hydrogen by the year 2030.

Innovation Energy transition Oil+Gas

Drehscheibe für Ostafrika

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 10:35:54 +0000

Hub for East Africa klinse Tue, 01.06.2021 - 16:55

Customers+Markets

Hub for East Africa

With its three modernized seaports in Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara, Tanzania wants to reinforce its role as a major trade center in East Africa. To support this effort, Endress+Hauser is supplying advanced measurement technology – an extraordinary project that turned into a real challenge under pandemic conditions.

Text: Robert Habi

Photography: Sam Vox

For once, Riccardo Cremascoli is actually in his home office in Milan when he picks up the phone. Most of the time, callers will catch him while he is on the road. As Head of Project Operations at Endress+Hauser, he is responsible for managing large-scale projects around the entire world. That’s why there tends to be very little that impresses the native Italian. But when he talks about the three-port project in Tanzania, you can hear the excitement in his voice. “This order is something special. Our projects often involve expanding existing plants with one, two or sometimes even four skids.” These large steel frames house the measurement technology from Endress+Hauser, including piping, valves, other system components and the necessary cables. “In Tanzania, however, we built three completely new facilities with 19 skids, some of them double decks, including a whole series of ancillary modules.”

First things first, though. The customer – the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) – had ordered a complete turnkey package for the three seaports in Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara. The 19 liquid products that are unloaded there were to receive their own metering skids, each equipped with high-precision instrumentation. Everything was to be single-sourced, from system engineering and manufacture, to transport, construction of the foundations, on-site assembly and commissioning: a real challenge. In order to successfully structure such a complex project with numerous sub-phases, Riccardo Cremascoli has a principle he swears by. “You have to provide the entire team with a precise vision of the objective – not building the house before you select the windows and the rest, but having the big picture in mind from the very start.”

View of the container port, which is also undergoing a phased modernization.

Competition on the coast

For TPA, the metering systems completed the government’s big picture: state-of-the-art seaports capable of holding their own as maritime trade centers against competitors in the region. The question is who will serve the future flow of goods to and from Africa’s inland countries such as Malawi, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where rapidly growing populations are set to drive the volume of freight cargo handling to increasingly higher levels.

Apart from the two seaports in Tanga in the north and Mtwara in the south, Tanzania is investing foremost in Dar es Salaam, its most important transshipment hub. The seaport in the former capital city is the trade center for 95 percent of the East African country’s imports and exports, and the beacon of hope for a city that is generating a huge surge in demand. Once a small fishing village on the Indian Ocean, Dar es Salaam – an Arabic name that means ‘House of Peace’ – is currently the world’s 11th fastest growing city. According to estimates from the United Nations, nearly 13.5 million people will live here by the year 2035, twice as many as today.

Infrastructure investment

Raymond Lusekelo, Supply and Logistics Manager who works on behalf of TPA, explains the key benefit of the port project. “For one thing, precise measuring technology will ensure fair business deals between suppliers and importers. Moreover, the country is aggressively investing in cost-effective transport infrastructures to enable streamlined transportation of goods both within and beyond the country’s borders,” he says, adding that “this makes Dar es Salaam a preferred route for transit goods.”

A lot is being done to eventually fulfill this pledge. Since 2017, the World Bank, among others, has invested 345 million US dollars in larger berths, deeper navigation channels and improved port infrastructure. On top of that is a recently expanded rail network which, according to a 2019 report from the Dar es Salaam Central Corridor Transport Observatory, will provide significantly lower transport costs. One building block remains before a sustainable seaport can be established: optimal management of liquid products such as gasoline, lubricating oils, edible oils and other hydrocarbons that have to be measured during custody transfer from the ships to the tank depots. Such was the language in the order when TPA awarded the project in 2018.

The skids, as high as a house, sometimes require climbing skills.

“You have to provide a precise vision of the objective from the start – not building the house before you select the windows and the rest.”

Riccardo Cremascoli,

Head of Project Operations, Endress+Hauser

The 14 skids in Dar es Salaam measure all liquid products offloaded by tanker ships.

95%

of Tanzania’s imports and exports go through the Dar es Salaam seaport.

Hallmark accuracy

Yona Malago, who is responsible for the process systems at the Dar es Salaam oil terminal, explains why Endress+Hauser ultimately prevailed. “TPA wanted to establish a new turnkey custody transfer system that will operate reliably and precisely over the course of its life cycle – and with the lowest possible maintenance costs.” Apart from the Promass F product lines, the solution that crystallized during discussions involved the largest Promass X available in the portfolio, with bore diameters of 6 to 12 inches. These instruments operate on the Coriolis principle, which relies on a combination of measurement methods to avoid inaccuracies caused by entrained air, for instance.

The 19 skids, carrying a total of 29 measurement lines, all require individual adaptation. And for the first time, measurement data from the ports should all automatically flow to a central point at TPA. Although this entails a lot of effort, it brings readily apparent benefits for customers. “Liquid goods suppliers can utilize a convenient and precise custody transfer point with shorter berthing times. And improved quantity control makes for more reliability when it comes to the taxes and fees levied on goods by government agencies,” says Yona Malago.

“Precise measuring technology and a cost-effective transport infrastructure make Dar es Salaam a preferred route for transit goods.”

Raymond Lusekelo,

logistics expert at the Dar es Salaam seaport

Test build in Milan

With this specification, the actual implementation kicked off in February 2019. After a visit to Tanzania, Riccardo Cremascoli and his team decided to avoid unwelcome surprises by building a test setup of the complete system in Milan: pipe for pipe, valve for valve, until all measurement components were operational. They also created a 3D model of the entire system for on-screen viewing. Over the course of a factory acceptance test, the team tested all the functions before everything was packed for shipment. This in turn makes it easier for the on-site contract partner. “We documented every detail and every step in drawings, exactly and precisely,” describes Riccardo Cremascoli. “It’s the same principle used by that big furniture retailer in Sweden, the only difference being that here we are dealing with systems that weigh tons.” Perfectly packed containers were then sent via the Genoa seaport on their journey to Dar es Salaam, and from there by road to the other locations in Mtwara and Tanga.

On-site orchestration

In Tanzania, Azer Coban, project manager for Endress+Hauser, coordinates processes at the installation site. For him, easing into the task was something unforgettable. “Previously I had always acted in a project support role, but this time I was able to manage the installation of a large-scale project. It was a terrific experience. Thanks to my colleagues, the TPA and our local partners, we accomplished our task with much dedication and hard work.” The plan included work on foundations, cabling, connecting the system to existing infrastructure and, like with any large-scale project, improvising when the unexpected occurred – because like with so many projects in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic hampered freight logistics, travel and collaboration. “We fortunately shipped all of the components during summertime in Europe while supply chains were quite stable. But on-site, with social distancing and hygiene guidelines, it’s of course more difficult to adhere to a schedule. Heavy rains cost us a good week in addition,” recalls Azer Coban.

Thousands of screws and bolts: assembly is a team effort.

Ready for commissioning

After an intense construction phase lasting until November 2020, the record project was ready for commissioning. Hundreds of tons of cement, thousands of meters of cables, interconnections, pipes – everything in its intended place. Next came intense pre-testing. The measurement lines for tankers have been in operation in Dar es Salaam since December 2020. The sister ports in Tanga and Mtwara followed in March 2021. “The way that Endress+Hauser and all of the project participants adhered to the schedule was really very impressive,” says Yona Malago from TPA.

For Riccardo Cremascoli, an installed system means being on-site again and carrying out training to provide everyone involved with further insights into the functions. Among the 80 or so participants were representatives from TPA, the tax and fuel authorities and quality inspectors. Riccardo Cremascoli paints another clear-cut picture of the current status: “If we use driving as an analogy, then we have already learned the basic functions like steering, braking and starting off.” The actual hands-on experience for the technicians will come when ships begin to arrive for offloading.

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Highest capacity four-tube flowmeter with a compact, easily accessible transmitter

More about the product:

The customer utilizes highly precise Coriolis-based Promass flowmeters.

Complex measurement process

What Riccardo Cremascoli conveys in detail to participants at the location, works in simple terms as follows: a tanker docks at a 500-meter-long berth and transfers its liquid cargo through one of the 19 pipelines. Once on shore, motorized valves then direct the product to its intended metering skid, where the instrumentation registers mass flow, density, temperature and pressure. Meanwhile, an air separator ensures the measurements are free of entrained air. A system that automatically takes samples for laboratory checks is also integrated into the skid. If the customer wants to check the accuracy of the system over time, calibration can be carried out with mobile piston provers from Endress+Hauser.

Local authorities, and future users, have to familiarize themselves with the new system.

Joined-up measurement data

One of the biggest innovations for the port authority, apart from the measurement instrumentation, is the linking of all of the measurement data and the ability to control the motorized valves from one control room. How much has been measured? How long will the offloading take? Is the medium running through the line with the correct pressure? These questions can be answered at a glance with software. “We can immediately detect deviations at all three ports and react quickly. This is highly important data access that we have lacked until now,” says Raymond Lusekelo for the port authority. Two computers for each measurement line gather and process the signals. The data is all visualized some three kilometers north at TPA headquarters at the entrance to the Dar es Salaam port.

Here, with the installed hardware, begins the exciting phase as soon as all three ports are in regular operation. Raymond Lusekelo and Yona Malago are confident in any case. “Over the next three months, we will achieve the accuracy that we need to be a reliable trade center.” It goes without saying that Endress+Hauser technicians are also on hand: the record project includes a service agreement. And that means Riccardo Cremascoli will certainly be packing his bags again soon.

Local partners

The tried-and-true principle of experts from Endress+Hauser working together with local partners to commission a system has proven to be a success story in Tanzania as well. Employees of BQ Contractors, who helped to construct foundations, piping tie-ins and electrical connections and to reassemble the skids, were always on-site. “Our people expanded their skills through the new measurement technology and, in turn, were able to bring their experience with oil and gas systems to the project,” says CEO John Bura, fully convinced by the benefits of the collaboration. “The partnership with Endress+Hauser during the three-port project promoted growth at BQ Contractors and strengthened our role as a national contractor for government projects.”

The Coriolis measurement principle

Each of the 19 metering skids distributed over the three ports in Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara are equipped with Coriolis-based flowmeters. These instruments contain measuring tubes, which an exciter causes to oscillate artificially. As soon as the fluid starts to flow in the measuring tubes, additional twisting is imposed on this oscillation due to the fluid’s inertia: the impact of the so-called Coriolis force. Sensors detect this change of the tube oscillation in time and space as the phase difference. This difference is a direct measure of the mass flow. The fluid density can also be determined from the oscillation frequency of the measuring tubes.

“Our people expanded their skills through the new measurement technology and, in turn, were able to bring their experience with oil and gas systems.”

John Bura,

CEO BQ Contractors

A tanker ties up at the long berth and feeds its liquid products into one of the 19 pipelines.

Instruments in the skids detect mass flow, density and temperature.

Crude oil, gasoline and edible oils flow through here, each product with its separate line.

The new control room in Dar es Salaam.

Measurement data from the three ports and the controls for the motorized valves all converge at the control room.

Learn more

Coriolis mass flowmeters
endress.com

Corona Africa Oil+Gas

Voller Einsatz

admin — Thu, 20 May 2021 13:28:26 +0000

Total dedication klinse Thu, 20.05.2021 - 16:55

Customers+Markets

Total dedication

Pranabesh Das has been working as a service technician at Endress+Hauser India for more than 10 years. To help a customer, he embarked on a journey of 1,800 kilometers and 24 days of quarantine in the middle of a hard lockdown. Why? Here he tells his story.

As told to Kirsten Wörnle

This concerned a long-term partner, an oil refinery in the northeast of India, in Assam. We have an installed base of more than 500 instruments there, and we needed to commission new radiometric level measuring devices. They are used for non-contact measurement even under extreme process conditions.

But, at that time, India had imposed a hard lockdown. Trains were at a standstill; air travel was restricted. We were only allowed to leave the house for essential supplies. It was clear to me that the plant would not continue running without our transmitters – and that only a specialized technician could commission them. So, I decided to take the risk of this 900-kilometer journey.

I boarded a flight from my hometown Kolkata to Assam. On reaching the destination, I had to quarantine myself at the airport: 10 days completely locked in a room. I started exercising in order to cope with the stress. Whenever there was internet connectivity, I tried to communicate with my family, friends and colleagues.

Service technician Pranabesh Das kept a refinery in India up and running in the midst of a lockdown.

“Customers will never forget how you made them feel!”

Pranabesh Das

After 10 days, I moved to a quarantine hotel close to my customer. Every visit to the refinery site, my temperature and oxygen saturation were measured and I had to fill in a Covid-19 declaration. Only then was I allowed to work in the plant – alone and isolated from everyone else.

I have a great passion for my job and I want to grow with the challenges arising. I finished the work in 13 days: the instruments were up and running and the customer was grateful. I flew back to Kolkata, where I had to quarantine again at the airport, this time for 14 days.

Having worked for so many years as a service technician, I know that products and prices can be copied, but you can’t imitate a strong customer service culture. Customers might forget what you said or what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel!

Champions of change Corona Customer service India Oil+Gas

Kreativ in der Krise

admin — Wed, 05 May 2021 10:41:29 +0000

Creative in a crisis klinse Wed, 05.05.2021 - 08:55

Customers+Markets

Creative in a crisis

The pandemic brings significant challenges, but for modern analytical technology and remote monitoring, it becomes a springboard. Steve Beeston of the engineering and consulting firm Wood shares his experiences.

Questions: Kirsten Wörnle

Photography: Jeff Lautenberger

Wood is a market leader in developing and delivering delayed coking units for oil refineries. You are leading a team of highly specialized engineering experts developing technological solutions. What was the biggest challenge posed by Covid-19?

One of the major challenges we faced was transitioning all employees to working from home. We made sure everybody had laptops with good internet capability to access the engineering software. Working remotely with clients in different time zones has been a tremendous challenge. We hardly have time for discussion, and in addition, it becomes very cumbersome to review piping and instrumentation diagrams, drawings or process flow diagrams on laptop screens. There is no substitute for the productivity brought by face-to-face meetings where everything can be explained in detail!

Have you been able to utilize new technologies during the pandemic?

We had some delayed coker start-ups that the subject matter experts monitored remotely utilizing virtual reality goggles, cameras and smartphones. It is of course not ideal because of the missing interaction with the operations personnel. This is especially important for training the operators.

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More information

Steve Beeston is Vice President and Head of Process Technology Licensing at Wood. The group is a global leader in consulting, projects and operations solutions in the energy and built environment, and employs around 45,000 people in over 60 countries.

Are the current challenges driving technological advancements in your field?

Definitely! We see several changes on the horizon. For example, there is a move towards utilizing the concept of digital twins, and there is also an increasing demand for remote monitoring for cokers and de-asphalting units. The key to this is performing real-time data measurements such as relevant quality parameters that were previously recorded in the laboratory. Endress+Hauser has a strong portfolio of analyzers with technologies such as Raman and tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy. That is why we discussed with Endress+Hauser how we could obtain this data using these measurement principles. If we capture parameters live, we can monitor and optimize plant operation in real time.

Would you say the crisis presented an opportunity to initiate improvements?

When you must do things differently, it promotes creativity. The home office also has advantages: Since we traveled less, we were able to use the time for further technological developments and process improvements. I’m sure that modern analysis methods and remote monitoring will make our business even more efficient. However, the pandemic will bring significant changes in other areas. There will be a more flexible attitude towards home offices and hybrid solutions to interface with clients. Keeping virtual teams together will also require leaders who set the appropriate context.

How would you describe your collaboration with Endress+Hauser during the crisis?

Knowing the staff on both sides is important and very helpful. We have been working together for decades; Endress+Hauser is one of our key suppliers for various measurement solutions. That makes it easier to move things forward together!

Champions of change Corona Analysis Oil+Gas