Case Study: Gore Nitrogen finds cost-effective flow measurement solution

Gore Nitrogen provides repeatable and accurate viscosity measurements when creating frac fluids. But this is a challenge because the company handles non-Newtonian fluids with viscosities that fluctuate with changing pressure and temperature. This makes Gore Nitrogen’s readings and instrumentation incredibly important to maintain optimal safety and quality. If the company does not adjust to the current viscosity before pumping fluid and frac gel down the wellbore, it could cause product damage.

To compensate for viscosity fluctuations and to maintain high-quality products, Gore Nitrogen used a manual measuring process. Although this worked, it did require constant attention from personnel — which was both costly and timely. So, Brandon Bensch, Gore Nitrogen’s IT director, reached out to Endress+Hauser for a different solution. Endress+Hauser recommended the Promass I 300 Coriolis flowmeter and worked with the Gore Nitrogen team to get the new technology implemented and running smoothly.

Challenge

Before Bensch made the switch to the Promass I, Gore Nitrogen operators were taking manual samples every 10 minutes and running multiple tests to gauge the viscosity measurement. This required constant use of manpower, but the tests were necessary to maintain exact product quality for customers. Since the products were non-Newtonian fluids with fluctuating viscosities, operators could not just set the levels. They instead had to make timely corrections to adjust for variations, otherwise quality and safety issues could occur.

Solution

Gore Nitrogen ran gel trial tests to determine a proper correction for the fluctuating viscosity and reached out to Endress+Hauser for assistance. Endress+Hauser’s flow product business manager, Mason Flannery, analyzed the results and recommended the Proline Promass I 300 Coriolis flowmeter in conjunction with the RIA46 field indicator. Non-Newtonian fluids often present a challenge for accurate measurement and repeatability due to changing process conditions. However, the Coriolis measuring principle operates independently of physical fluid properties such as viscosity or density.

Using the gel trial tests with the Promass I, Gore Nitrogen was able to get a repeatable measurement. The Promass I also made it possible to display the measured value in units and scales familiar to the company’s operators. These and other features reduced any potential challenges that could occur when adopting a new technology.

“The Promass I 300 has been an extreme blessing and benefit for us," said Bensch. "Our customers love seeing the real-time data of the gel measurements and appreciate that next level of transparency,”

Results

The Gore Nitrogen team has seen great results from the Promass I 300 Coriolis flowmeter. The new setup eliminates the need for manual testing and frees up resources, saving both manpower and time. Since the Promass I is built to withstand fluctuating conditions, operators no longer have to manually pull samples every 10 minutes or run constant tests for measurement readings. Instead, they make the corrections automatically via the control system, providing improved control, accuracy and overall quality for each job.

Since the Promass I 300 provides multivariable measurements including flow, density, temperature and viscosity, Bensch was pleased to be able to gather all the data from a single device. This eliminated the need for multiple transmitters and enhanced the overall usefulness of each measurement. Finally, one of the benefits Bensch and the Gore Nitrogen team appreciated the most was the ability to provide customers with greater value. Gore Nitrogen was able to reduce the overall manpower for each job, free up the technicians so they could focus on other improvements, pull live readings and real-time data from the digital technology, and reduce overall costs. Bensch was excited to share how these improvements provided a greater level of transparency and cost savings for Gore Nitrogen’s customers. 

“The more automatic the process is, the better. With the web server built in, we can now see everything remotely. At any given time, we can log in and check settings and see how the system is reading. That provides big savings on technicians in the field, greater transparency for the customer and allows for additional observations to prevent issues like leaks and spills,” Bensch said.