Flowmeter’s pipe check role
July 1st 2005

At Advantica’s test centre in Cumbria Krohne’s optimass Coriolis mass flowmeter is used in critical tests to evaluate new pipe material for transporting gas from offshore fields to refineries.

The flowmeter is used in tests on a 300m length of pipe constructed from the new material. It is being used to replicate precisely the gas conditions found at the place of installation to test the pipe’s toughness and resistance to fracture.

Different gases, including propane, ethane, carbon dioxide and butane are pumped through the Optimass and into the pipe at rates of between 550 and 1500kg/h and at temperatures from -30 to 15°C. Gases range in density from 584 to 460kg/m3 and viscosities from 0.081 to 0.16cp.

The Optimass measures precisely the amount of each gas passed into the pipe. A data logger records the amount of gas introduced during each step in the experiment.

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