Meter proving happens anytime a meter prover checks and verifies the consistency of a meter whether computerized , also known as SMART technology, or analog.
Every meter is different nonetheless, and so where meter proving is conducted you could anticipate various outcomes whilst making use of different methods of assessment.. Quite simply, it is a gas meter prover for gas meters. It’s not as cut and dry as you may think when meter proving, the provers must always measure and compare to pre-calculated information based upon their guide.
Intricate Group is a meter proving company based in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada:
Having the most current and technologically advanced measurement tools at your disposal helps reduce the chances of incorrect representation of the meter proving data, therefore we believe is remaining ahead of the curve and often update our measurement apparatus.
Despite lots of people slackly using either meter testing or meter proving, the differences are considerable and here are a couple of these.
Meter proving is the function for determining a rectification element (i.e. a meter factor) to regulate the measured levels for inconsistencies as a consequence of installation and operating influences. Meter proving is carried out by comparing the service meter to a qualified prover (master meter, dynamic or tank prover) which could be traceable to a national meteorology institute such as for instance NIST.
Proving is widespread for liquid hydrocarbon metering and specifically for pipeline custody transfer. Oftentimes provers will align with meter station personnel to review outcome.
Despite the fact that meter testing has been in existence for upwards of a hundred years the exact standard prevails presently as it did numerous years ago. As a result this makes testing thru this method is vulnerable to many different adaptations and insecurities.
And then there are now the common gas meter proving expert who checks and verifies gas meters. Municipal and public works are without a doubt the most widespread employers of meter provers. The responsibility of a meter prover will be to basically move a certain amount of air through meter and checking that with the meter’s own register. Subsequently the prover examines the percent of air moved through the meter with the air calculated according to the meter itself.
Harvest Oilfield Services is a turnaround and shutdown services company located in Bonnyville, Lloydminster, Grande Prairie and Calgary.
We rely heavily upon the accuracy of our data in order to make decisions in the moment and on the fly in real-time, this is why when we need proving done we count on the credibility and reliability of what Intricate Group can provide.
A bell prover has two layers, one inside tank encircled by yet another outside shell. There’s two layers and while the exterior layer is frequently loaded with oil, the inside layer is referred to as the bell. The liquid might there be to behave as the airtight seal for testing. Bell provers are oftentimes counterweighted to create positive pressure through a line and valve joined to a meter. Occasionally rollers or guides are introduced on the part that is moving of bell which makes for smooth linear mobility without the potential for unmeasurable pressure level differentials as a result of the bell swaying back or forth.
Some examples of the technical considerations where bell testing are the size of the bell, air pressure and Temp. Bell scales are unique to every bell and are regularly joined upright which has a needle-like indicator. Almost never is there a more technically apt task compared to a meter prover in the oil & gas industry.
While we outlined prior, each meter and gas type has its own system of testing. When evaluating a natural gas meter you have to first visually inspect many things preceding running any automation. There are lots of different methods of testing such as gas quality, ultimately meter testing never compares measurements to a primary reference device. There are times, orifice meters are sent off-site for substantiation to primary reference devices in lab-type facilities, but this testing is pricey and not often able to duplicate the field factors that impact meter accuracy.
As you can perhaps gather from this posting, meter testing/proving is a very complex process based on various factors.
