At last October’s Emerson Exchange in Nashville, I highlighted a story told about a custody transfer application on the world’s longest heated and insulated pipeline. Here’s a quick summary of the story:
Emerson provided a custody transfer metering system for the world’s longest heated and insulated oil pipeline. The customer was Cairn India Limited and the major challenge in system design is the nature of the oil being transported. The viscous oil has an API gravity of between 25 and 30 and it’s waxy, becoming solid at room temperatures of 25°C. Its pour point is 38-42°C, compared to light crude at 3°C, with wax appearing at 64°C.
A Youtube video, Custody Transfer on the World’s Longest Heated and Insulated Oil Pipeline, provides a look at the project including its importance to India’s energy needs, its connections to the Indian refineries, and the makeup of the custody transfer metering systems.
These systems include Rosemount liquid ultrasonic meters, compact provers, and flow computers, as well as Micro Motion density meters, Rosemount pressure and temperature transmitters, and Bettis valve actuators.
Also, you may want to see the Oilfield Technology article, Custody Battles, to see the challenges associated with the project and crude oil and how the project team applied these technologies for successful custody transfer to the refineries along the pipeline route.
