NEL Oil, Gas & Chemicals
Gregor Brown
Business Manager
Oil, Gas and Chemicals
Introduction
• Background to NEL
• Overview of capabilities
and services to industry in
oil, gas & chemicals
• Examples of some specific
activities
TUV NEL Ltd
• National Engineering Laboratory
• Established as a government
agency 1950 to provide an
independent and confidential
service to UK industry and
government
• Privatised in 1995
• 150 staff with head quarters and
laboratories in East Kilbride,
Glasgow
• Wholly owned by TÜV
Süddeutschland
Market Sectors/Business Divisions
• Oil, Gas & Chemicals
• Government/Management
Consulting
• Automotive, Aerospace &
Defence
• Power Generation
• Environmental Monitoring
Production technology services
• Mechanical and chemical
engineering
• Fluid dynamics
• Flow measurement
• Fluid properties
• Thermal engineering
• Separation processes
• Software & Instrumentation
Capabilities
• Facilities
– Flow facilities for oil, water, gas and multiphase
flow (National Flow Measurement Standards)
– Erosion rig (air/water/sand)
– Heat transfer test rigs
– Chemical compatibility test facility
• Software database and computational tools
– Fluid properties, fluid dynamics, stress analysis
• People
– A good mix of expertise and practical experience
Services Overview
Oil, Gas & Chemicals
Test & Evaluation
Tech Transfer
Consultancy
Software
Development Projects
Oil flow
Seminars/workshops
Oil and gas metering
Physical properties
Water flow
Clubs
Multiphase metering
Custom software
Gas flow
Training courses
Uncertainty analysis
Multiphase flow
Erosion, valves
Chemical compatibility
Produced water
Others
Others
Examples of activities
• Technology transfer activities
• Software products
• Development Projects/Consultancy
– Heat Transfer and Flow Service
– Orifice metering system headers JIP
– HRL South Morcambe terminal metering upgrade
• Multiphase flow metering
• HSE erosion investigation
Technology transfer clubs
• Conferences and seminars
• Training courses
• Tech transfer clubs
– Oil-in-Water Club
– Produced Water Club
– Flare Gas Club
Software services
• PPDS product suite
– Quality assured fluid properties
database and calculation tool
• Data Validation
– Process data validation
– Meter data reconciliation
• Custom Software
– Client web pages and intranet
applications
– Information management
incorporating flow and
thermodynamics knowledge
HTFS
• Heat Transfer & Flow Service
• Software owned by Aspentech
• R & D supported by NEL
• e.g. HTFS ACOL crossflow heat
exchanger program developed
at NEL
• Widely used around the world
for exchangers like these
Joint industry projects
• Hi-water I & II JIPs
• Multiflow I & II JIPs
– Evaluation of the
performance of multiphase
flowmeters
• UKOOA oil-in-water guidelines
• Oil-in-water analysis JIP
• Ultraflow Wet-gas JIP
• NEL Wet Gas JIP
• Ultrasonic Meters for Oil JIP
• Fatigue Life of Fibre Ropes
• Industrial Water Use
Headers JIP and consultancy
• Headers Joint Industry Project
– Investigation into the effect of headers on orifice
metering systems
– Lab and computational analysis
– Basis for revision of standards and work on
specific installations
• South Morecambe Terminal
– 50million Sm3/d of natural gas
– AGA3 “any other configuration” which requires
145D or flow conditioner
– ISO 5167 requires a flow conditioner
– Other maintenance issues
South Morecambe
South Morco
South Morecambe
• Computational analysis
confirmed the following
problems:
– Swirl (up to 7°)
– Velocity distorted > 5%
– Errors > 0.23%
– One case = 0.75%
• Orifice plates were replaced by 3 ultrasonic
meters installed in the 3 metering runs where
the flow profiles were best
South Morco
Multiphase metering
• Multiphase metering important technology for
marginal field development and well management
• Technically, the simultaneous measurement of oil,
water and gas flow is very challenging
NEL Involvement in Multiphase
• In the 1990’s NEL Created a benchmark
performance test through the Multiflow I and II Joint
Industry Projects
• Tested the majority of the meters that had been
developed into commercial products
• Performed factory acceptance tests for the likes of
Amerada Hess, Philips, Shell, Petronas, BP, KerrMcGee etc, etc.
• Provided consultancy and training for oil companies
in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and South
East Asia
The Multiflow JIPs
Sponsors
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Amerada Hess
Amoco
BP
ChevronTexaco
Elf
ExxonMobil
JNOC
Petrobras
Philips
Saudi Aramco
Shell
Schlumberger
Total
Tullich Multiphase Metering
• Consultancy to identify suitable test site for two
multiphase meters based on process data
• Selected ChevronTexaco Humble test site
• Devised test plan
• Supervised tests as independent witness
• Liased with Kerr-McGee / ChevronTexaco /
Framo during tests
• Analysed the data and prepared the final
report
Tullich Multiphase Metering
HSE bend failure investigation
• Pipe bend failure analysis
• CFD analysis and lab testing
• Customer: HSE (& Shell)
Flow Programme
• Funded by the National
Measurement System
Directorate of DTI
• Three year cycle
• Four main themes
– Maintenance and Traceability
– Research
– Intercomparisons
– Knowledge Transfer
• www.flowprogramme.co.uk
HSE bend failure investigation
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Complex interactions at work
Valve location doubled the rate of erosion
Able to advise on prevention of reoccurrence
General guidance document prepared for HSE
Flow solution
Particle paths
Erosion Model
Clients
Summary
• Broad capability
• Expertise and experience in key areas of
production & process systems engineering
– Flow measurement
– Fluid properties
– Heat transfer
– Erosion
– Valves, separators, instrumentation
• Independent organisation having strong links
with industry
• Potential partner for technology R&D
QUESTIONS?
• gbrown@tuvnel.com
• www.tuvnel.com