Flow meters assist wax management offshore Dubai

Aug. 19, 2013
Litre Meter has shipped flow meters for use in chemical injection skids on numerous fields in the Persian Gulf offshore Dubai.

Offshore staff

NORTH MARSTON, UK– Litre Meter has shipped flow meters for use in chemical injection skids on numerous fields in the Persian Gulf offshore Dubai. The meters are used to measure flow of wax dispersants and pour point depressants (PPD) to control their use to a high tolerance.

Wax dispersants break apart and prevent reformation of hydrocarbon sludge deposits, and improve flow by reducing the fluid’s viscosity. PPDs lower the viscosity of oil and maintain flow rate by preventing build-up of wax crystals at low temperatures.

Sludge deposits comprise varying concentrations of hydrocarbon, asphaltene, paraffin, water, and inorganic materials. They are commonly found in storage tanks and vessels, production and transportation pipelines, process systems and hydrocarbon-producing formations where they can impact flow of crude oil from the wellhead.

In the Caspian and North Seas, Litre Meter has recently supplied rotary piston flow meters, which are part of systems to control the amount of “antifreeze” injected into pipelines at high pressure (430 bar/6,237 psi) in exploration on gas fields.

“Antifreeze” fluids such as methanol are used as thermodynamic inhibitors, lowering the freezing point of gas hydrate. They are injected into pipelines where there is a risk of hydrates (dew) forming then freezing at low temperature. The antifreeze prevents gas hydrates solidifying as crystals and blocking pipelines.

8/19/2013