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Orifice Meter Calibration & Training Services
Orifice meters are one of the oldest and most trusted meters in use in flow measurement. Like any differential meter, the orifice meter uses calculations based on the Bernoulli Principle. The Bernoulli Principle states that there is a relationship between the pressure in the pipe and the velocity of the flowing fluid. The orifice plate provides a restriction in the flowing area that causes the fluid to accelerate. This acceleration can be measured by measuring the pressure drop across the orifice plate. There are several important components of an orifice metering system. The actual meter is not just the orifice plate, but includes the upstream and downstream lengths as well as any taps, thermowells, and flow conditioners. Other components in an orifice measurement system include pressure and differential sensors (transducers), RTDs, and flow computers. All components of an orifice system must be evaluated when evaluating the system. Major benefits to using orifice meters include: price of the metering system, reliability, repeatability, and the common acceptance of the technology.
CEESI has been instrumental in the research and development of orifice meters. Due to the amount of data available on orifice meters, there is not a need to flow calibrate each individual meter, provided the metering system is in compliance with applicable industry standards. The uncertainty associated with using an orifice meter in compliance with a standard is on the order of 0.5 – 1%. Reduced uncertainties may be obtained by calibrating the actual meter run and/or system. To estimate the uncertainty of an orifice metering station, the Bureau of Land Management has developed an
Uncertainty Calculator.
CEESI has provided industry support for all of these standards including work on the Discharge Coefficient and Expansion Factor equations, and maintaining the plates and piping setups used for this testing.
Orifice Meter Services
- Calibration of Line Sizes from 3/4” to 36”
- Capable of reaching flowrates over 1 Billion Cubic Feet per Day (BCFD) in Natural Gas
- Typical uncertainties for orifice meter calibration are 0.23% in Iowa, and less than 0.5% in Colorado
- Flow computer testing and verification
- Installation effects testing, and flow conditioner testing
- Consulting on orifice meter station design
- Consulting for orifice flow measurement discrepancies
- On-site auditing of orifice metering setups
- On-site orifice meter validation
- Training on fundamentals of orifice meters
- Training on advanced orifice metering topics
Request a quote or contact us if you have
questions about orifice meter calibrations.
Sample Orifice Meter Calibration Certificates
Orifice Meter-specific Training Courses & Events
Orifice Plate Standards
Some of the standards for orifice plates include:
- AGA Report Number 3
- API Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards (MPMS) Chapter 14.3
- ASME MFC 3M
- ISO 5167
- ASME MFC 14M (Small bore orifice meters)
- API MPMS Chapter 21 (Flow Computers)
- API MPMS Chapter 22.4 (Differential Pressure, Pressure, and Temperature Measurement)
- API MPMS Chapter 22.5 (Flow Computers)
Orifice Meter Publications & Papers
The following is a random sampling of documents relating to orifice flowmeters from the
Flow Measurement Technical Library. This library contains over 57,000 documents
on flow measurement from NIST, ISHM, AGA, ISFFM, ASGMT, FLOMEKO, MSC and others; thousands of these documents are available for free download. Included in this library are numerous papers written by CEESI engineers specifically relating to
orifice meters.
Effects of Nonstandard Operating Conditions on the Accuracy of Orifice Meters
V. Ting,
1993
Abstract: This paper presents the effects of four nonstandard operating conditions on orifice-meter gas-flow measurement accuracy: reversed orifice plates, bent orifice plates, surface roughness on the orifice-meter tubes, and liquid entrainment in the orifice-meter tubes. These are common problems in fields not operating in accordance with the ANSI/API 2530 (A.G.A. Report 3) orifice-metering standard. This paper provides information to stress prudent operating practices that will reduce measurement er ....
GRI Metering Research Facility Program
Orifice Meter installation Effects Project Summary
,
1995
Abstract: The objective of this program is to acquire orifice meter coefficient (C^) data from the GRI Metering Research Facility (MRF) for various metering configurations typical of field metering installations in the natural gas industry. These data will help determine the effects of using flow conditioning devices to assure proper upstream flow conditions for accurate flow rate measurements. The data will be furnished to the API Chapter 14.3, Part 2 Working Group during the revision of the orifice ....
FUNDAMENTALS OF ORIFICE METERS
R. G. Thompson,
1981
Abstract: The purpose of this discussion is to present
the orifice meter in a format that will help you
understand the basic workings of orifice meter
measurement.
Uhat is an orifice meter? What is being
referred to when the expression orifice meter is
used? The answer usually depends upon who you are
talking to. The term orifice meter is used to
mean everything from the orifice meter gauge
recorder to the entire meter station. The
American Gas Association defines the orifice meter
as the compl ....
EFFECTS OF ABNORMAL CONDITIONS ON ACCURACY OF ORIFICE METERS
Emrys H. Jones, Jr.,
Abstract: Orifice meters are the most common meter used for natural gas flow measurement. They are mechanically simple and rugged devices that are well suited for field measurement of natural gas. On the other hand, the effects that a disturbed flow field have on the performance of a meter are not simple. The fluid mechanics of an orifice meter is a complicated nonlinear phenomenon that is not well understood even after years of experimentation and study. Because of their long history of use and their p ....
Notes on the Orifice Meter; the Expansion Factor for Gases
E. Buckingham,
1932
Abstract: The discharge coefficient of an orifice meter, determined with water, is applicable when the meter is used for measuring the flow of a gas, provided that the differential pressure is so small that the accompanying change of density is insignificant. But if the differential is a considerable fraction of the absolute static pressure, the water coefficient must be multiplied by and "expansion factor" which allows for the effects of change of density.
Search the Flow Measurement Technical Library for papers on orifice meters.