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Overview

At a compressor station in northern Germany, incoming Norwegian gas is compressed from an inlet pressure of 700 psi to app. 1200 psi in order to feed it through a large DN1000 pipeline for further transport into the south of Germany.

Some 5 miles east of the compressor station, a transport pipeline of the same diameter crosses to the nearby gas storage facilities. Both transport pipelines are connected via a DN700 pipeline so that imported gas can be stored or fed back into the transport pipeline.

The connecting pipeline did not have any flow metering devices installed, thus, the network operator was looking for a retrofit solution.

Non-intrusive flow measurement with FLUXUS G ultrasonic flow meters proved to be convincing due to several significant advantages:

Since the clamp-on ultrasonic transducers are simply mounted on the outside of the pipe wall, there is no need to open the pipeline. In order to install a wetted measuring device, a pipeline section of many kilometers in length would have to be blocked off. Decompression of this huge amount of gas could be avoided and the ultrasonic transducers can be placed anywhere on the pipe - even at points where the pipeline is completely buried. The measurement works equally well in both flow directions and offers very high measuring dynamics.
The transducers used inherit the IP68 protection degree and are housed inside highly rugged stainless steel mounting fixtures. The measurement system is thus suitable for permanent operation buried in the ground.

Advantages

  • Reliable, bi-directional flow measurement with exceptionally high measuring dynamics
  • Non-intrusive clamp-on ultrasonic flow meter technology - commissioning without any pipe work
  • Underground installation directly in the ground without expensive shaft construction
  • No mechanically moving parts, no additional costs for high pressure levels or large nominal widths, no pressure loss
  • Piggable, no disruptive extra fixtures in the pipe
  • Durable measuring equipment with IP68 transducers and permanent coupling pads - even buried underground