Main drivers of growth for flowmeters in the oil & gas industry
- Natural gas and oil production by region and by country
- Discussions of market forces at work worldwide and by region driving energy use
- A comparison of growth rates for flowmeters by type in the oil & gas industry
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When oil prices restabilized after 2016, there was significant new growth in capital projects in
large regional economies such as North America, India, China, and the Mideast. Later there
were more fluctuations of oil prices and volatility in some major oil and gas countries, as well
as other global events including the novel coronavirus pandemic. We took these events into
consideration in our in-depth in-depth look at flowmeter use in the Oil & Gas industry published in 2021, a study that still has relevance today.Flowmeters in the Oil & Gas Industry has two main purposes:
- Provide data on flowmeter shipments into the oil & gas industry worldwide and by
region. This includes data on Coriolis, magnetic, ultrasonic, vortex, thermal, differential pressure
(DP), primary elements, positive displacement, and turbine, in both
dollars and units.
- Provide data on natural gas and oil production worldwide and by both regions and countries. We discuss selected countries in regions based on the amount of natural gas and crude oil
produced, because it is the regions and countries that produce the most natural gas and crude oil that are most likely to have the greatest opportunities for flow measurement
This study achieved multiple purposes:
- Provides a world view of the market from many perspectives and identifies growth areas
- Examines the oil & gas industry flow measurement market by regions
- Reports on 2019 shipments for flowmeters in the oil & gas industry for each region by
flowmeter type
- Provides growth rate forecasts to 2024 for flowmeters in the oil & gas industry
- Provides data on each region’s natural gas and oil production
- Identifies growth factors for oil & gas production by region
- Discusses growth factors for flowmeters in the oil & gas industry by region
Flowmeter applications in the oil industry
The following upstream flowmeter applications mainly occur in oil production, transportation, and distribution.
Custody transfer applications occur when possession of the oil is transferred from one party to another. What distinguishes custody transfer applications is the high degree of accuracy required, and the fact that the type of flowmeters used are subject to approval by an organization such as the American Petroleum Institute (API). Custody transfer operations occur at a number of points along the way. These include from an oil production platform to a ship, barge, railcar, or truck. Custody transfer also occurs when oil is transferred from a ship, barge, railcar, or truck to a destination point, such as a refinery.
Allocation metering includes measuring oil movements between production units, measuring separator flows, and metering the movements of oil at jetty offtake and at loading points for tankers. Allocation also refers to the distribution of production from a number of wells in a particular field. One difference between custody transfer and allocation metering is that in allocation metering, accuracy requirements are typically not as high.
Check metering is typically used to verify or monitor the performance of another flowmeter. Clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeters are sometimes used for his purpose, since they can easily be mounted inline with the meter whose performance is being verified, and then easily removed when the verification is complete.
Well injection is used to measure the inflow of chemicals that are injected into the well, sometimes for measurement purposes.
Leak detection is used to determine whether leaks are occurring in a line. This is often done by measuring the flow at the beginning of a line and at the end of the line. Ultrasonic flowmeters are used for this purpose.
Multiphase flow measurement is becoming increasingly important, and is sometimes replacing the use of separators at the wellhead. Multiphase flow measurement typically measures the percent of water, gas, and oil that the fluid coming out of the well contains. This measurement is typically done at the wellhead.
Fuel measurement typically occurs when it is used, for example, at a power plant or power station. Fuel is also measured within a refinery, and downstream from a refinery. Fuels that are the output of the refining process are metered as they are transferred to trucks, railcars, and ships, and also as they are delivered.
Process measurement occurs within refineries and other process plants as part of the refining and manufacturing process. There are many occasions within a refinery or process plant when liquids need to be measured so that the right products will be produced. These applications can be grouped under the title of process measurement.
Downstream applications include fuel measurement, custody transfer, and check metering. Once the refining process is complete, the difference liquids need to be measured as they are loaded into trucks, railcars, and ships. They are then measured at their destination points, as they are offloaded either to end-users or to distributors. Coriolis, turbine, and positive displacement flowmeters are used for this purpose. Coriolis flowmeters are increasing market share due to their high accuracy and their ability to measure mass flow.
The types of flowmeters used in oil flow measurement include differential pressure (DP), turbine, positive displacement, Coriolis, and ultrasonic. Of these types, Coriolis and ultrasonic are gaining ground on the other types, but DP, positive displacement, and turbine flowmeters have the largest installed base.
Previous and related studies
The World Market for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
The World Market for Multiphase Meters & Module A: The World Market for Watercut Meters
The World Market for Oil and Oil Flow Measurement (2012) |
