The world is changing. The rising demand for more sustainable business practices mean major transformations for the oil and gas industry. Legacy technologies are getting left behind in favor of advanced solutions that support green initiatives and digital transformation. A 2021 survey by SAP and Oxford Economics found that energy and utilities executives are prioritizing sustainability initiatives to meet increasing regulatory burdens, reduce costs of energy consumption, and meet consumer expectations. 79% say that sustainability issues are a major concern. 47% have committed to a net zero carbon goal.
To support this transformation effort in the oil and gas industry, we’re examining how the RoxarTM 2600 Multiphase Flow Meter helps reduce environmental impact, optimize production, save on energy costs, and reduce waste for oil and gas operators around the world.
Sustainable Design Built to Endure
The first notable characteristic of our Roxar 2600 Multiphase Flow Meter technology is that it’s engineered to stand the test of time. We’ve purposefully designed our meter with a long-expected lifespan of twenty-five years. Not only does this longevity significantly lower waste in the form of meter replacements across the field, but its modular design is also adaptable for different flow rates. Easy-to-install, interchangeable venturi sleeves increase turndown ratios, allowing a single meter to handle a broader span of flow rates. This feature ensures the meter remains suitable even as the flow profile of a well changes over time which also decreases replacement costs and waste.
With no moving parts or direct consumables, the Roxar 2600 Multiphase Flow Meter requires considerably fewer spare parts and less maintenance than a test separator. Added services like Performance Monitoring, a remote service available for the Roxar 2600 Multiphase Flow Meter, enables operators to perform more tasks without visiting the site and ensures data-driven actions over routine service work. Fewer trips into the field result in the reduction of CO2 emissions from vehicles as well. Using only 22 Watts, the meter itself also requires less power consumption, even compared to other multiphase meters on the market, which can be supplied, in certain conditions, by renewable energy resources like solar panels. This is particularly useful in remote and offshore locations where it’s difficult to run power.
For applications where a radioactive source is recommended, our source has a half-life of 30.1 years – the best on the market today. From a sustainability perspective, this means you don’t have to worry about disposal or replacement for a much longer timespan. In addition, maximum 5mCi source strength is used, which is very low, limiting any safety concerns considerably.
Being built to endure, our meters are simply less wasteful than other flow metering solutions.
Reduced Environmental Impact
The smaller footprint of a multiphase flow meter solution versus test separators reduces your environmental impact in a few key ways. Establishing the well pad itself results in less ground disturbance because the Roxar 2600 Multiphase Flow Meter is small and compact. Test separators have a much larger footprint resulting in the need for increased ground clearance requirements. You typically need to lay a pipeline to the central facility for each test separator. Operators recognize that multiphase flow meters enable comingling the flow after it has been measured into one pipeline from the well pad area to the central production facility, cutting down on the need to lay extra pipeline. In addition to the immediate effect of less ground disturbance, the reduced need for steel piping and separator tanks, which requires a lot of energy to manufacture, greatly improves the CO2 footprint for the well pad development.
The compact mechanical design of the Roxar 2600 Multiphase Flow Meter means fewer leak points, too. Test separators have so much instrumentation – interface connections, gauges, valves, manifolds, etc. – resulting in many, many more potential leak points. Switching over from a separator system to a multiphase flow meter solution automatically reduces your chances of impacting the environment, and it makes monitoring your potential leak points much easier, too.
Optimizing Production to Improve Efficiency and Precision
High precision measurement performance capabilities like those in our Rapid Adaptive Measurement software can not only be used to enhance oil recovery but also improve the sustainability of your operation. By utilizing higher data resolution to maximize your production, you reduce the need for additional drilling in the same reservoir. This valuable data helps operators make adjustments to operations like gas lift injection rates so they can find optimum settings for producing the most amount of oil and least amount of water possible. Optimizing production results in less dirty water, and less water cleaning plant needs, and it means less danger to the environment. It can also result in reduced gas production resulting in less need for gas flaring. The data can also be used to optimize corrosion inhibitor injections, typically resulting in a reduction of over injection. And, of course, this enhanced insight empowers operators to be more efficient and less wasteful with resources, overall.
Learn more about how we can provide you with the valuable data you need to support optimization of your oil & gas production, all while keeping your operations safe and sustainable. Visit the Multiphase section on Emerson.com for more information on these technologies and solutions.
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