The two most common methods of measuring the volume of petroleum liquids are tank gauging and liquid

metering. The problems associated with tank gauging are (1) it requires that an operator make an accurate liquid level determination by climbing to the top of the tank to be gauged, (2) that an operator make an accurate average liquid temperature determination, (3) that an operator make an accurate sediment and water content analysis and (4) that the tank be static, which means that no liquid can enter or leave the tank during gauging. Once the contents of the tank are removed, it is necessary to regauge the tank. Since crude oil/condensate is sold on the basis of temperature, API Gravity and the amount of Basic Sediment and Waste (BS&W), it is very important to make accurate measurements. The greatest effect on volume is temperature. Crude oil will expand and contract at the rate of 2% per 40 F temperature change. The accumulation of lease production and on $50.00 USD per barrel oil, would be the following:

The simplest and most effective way to transfer the ownership of liquid hydrocarbons between a buyer and a seller is through the use of an accurate liquid meter. With the aid of additional components, the liquid meter is capable of unattended measurement with maintained accuracy's of 0.25% or better. This measurement system is commonly referred to as Lease Automatic Custody Transfer (LACT) Unit when ownership is transferred at a production lease. When ownership is transferred away from a production lease, such as a transfer between Pipeline Companies, a measurement system may be referred to as an Automatic Custody Transfer (ACT) Unit.

The basic components and function of a LACT unit are:

1. Charge Pump and Motor- Largely

overlooked and undersized, special care should be taken into consideration during sizing to ensure correct NPSH is available to prevent cavitation, and discharge pressure is enough to overcome pressure drop through the LACT to allow the required flow and pressure to the pipeline pump inlet. 2. Strainer/Air Eliminator- Strains solids larger than the perforations in the removable basket with liner. They should have differential pressure gauge indicators to show pressure drop caused by debris accumulation and be cleaned periodically. Essential to prevent premature meter wear or breakage. The air eliminator is located on the top of the

strainer at the highest part of the system to allow air to be discharged and not metered. This should be piped with a soft-seated check valve to prevent air from being introduced into the system during shutdown. 3. Sample System- Installed with an upstream static mixer usually flow proportional, isokinetic, and tubed to a vapor tight storage vessel sized to allow 25 to 30 days storage. The vessel is provided with a recirculation pump, the samples are mixed and then drawn off to be checked for composite API Gravity and BS&W during the delivery period. 4. BS&W Monitor and Probe- Installed downstream of the sampler and upstream of the 3-way divert valve, this unit consists of a flanged probe that monitors the flowing stream for basic sediment and water and communicates with the monitor unit that is normally installed in the control panel. The monitor is usually set at 1.0%, and is wired to the solenoid valve controlling the 3-way valves on the bad oil divert line. These will send oil to be treated if high. BS&W signal is received for a given time. When a good oil signal is received for a set time, than the valve will return to normal flow position. 5. Meter- Installed downstream of the 3-way valve and downstream of a properly sized thermal relief valve. The meter measures the product stream and allows totalization either through a local totalizer or electronic pulses to a flow computer. This meter should be (PD) positive displacement or( Coriolis) Mass Flow. The meter will provide signals to the flow computer or PLC to allow: Sample pacing, Totalization, Meter Proving, Meter Failure. 6. Meter Instrumentation- Downstream of the meter a spool consisting of: Temperature transmitter with platinum RTD installed in a SS thermo-well. Pressure transmitter with pressure gauge mounted with a 3-way gauge valve. Test SS thermo-well used to calibrate the temperature transmitter. The temperature and pressure transmitter are used to send a live reading to the flow computer for compensation. 7. Check Valve- Downstream of the meter to prevent backflow to the meter in case the downstream block & Bleed valve is left open and the opposite meter train is running. 8. Block and Bleed Valves- Located downstream of the check valve at the end of the run and is the main line divert valve separating them to and from lines to the prover 4-way divert valve. This is to ensure all fluid is being diverted to the prover during proving, or a false meter factor could be obtained during proving of the meter. 9. Back Pressure Valve- On the skid outlet to maintain pressure above the vapor pressure of the fluid being metered and provide a constant pressure and flow on the meter during proving. 10. LACT Control Panel- This can be located on the skid with PLC controls and manual proving connections would then be required, for a prover counter, detector switch plug in, power for the counter, and a portable pulse generator for PD meter. An electronic temperature averager could then be used in lieu of temperature transmitter; however, due

to their flexibility and relative cost, flow computers are rapidly replacing them. If located in the MCC room, the panel could then be equipped with a PLC, flow computer, and printer to allow for automatic proving batch reports by pushing a button, providing the prover's 4-way valve is equipped with a remote actuator, and pressure and temperature transmitters were installed. The control panel could have the following functions:

Start and Stop, off High and Low Switches. Hand-Off-Automatic Switch. BS&W Divert Controls. Meter failure. Monitor Failure. Internal Battery Back-up

11. Calibrated Bi-Directional Meter Prover- Because of the versatility of a bidirectional prover in tight offshore spaces and it's cost associated with normal offshore flow rates; the bi-directional prover has become the prover of choice versus the unidirectional small volume prover.

Design and Consideration

Customer's Specification First and foremost, If your LACT Unit does not meet your buyer's or shipper's standard specification, you may find yourself with a tank full of oil, having to shut down production because of your LACT skid not being approved, or they just notified that you want to come online with a skid they have never seen. Get hold of the specifications and get them involved early in the fabrication of the unit. High Viscosity / Sandy Oil Can Cause Several Problems: Does your PD meter require high viscosity clearances, or is your product sandy, should you be looking at Coriolis type meters. If your meter factor, or maintenance is up, you might look at a different type of meter.