January 2007
Volume XIII, Number 1
Flare Gas Monitoring

The Future of Flare Gas Measurement
Ultrasonic Meters Help Plants Meet New Regulations
As state, national, and international government regulations for monitoring flare gas emissions become stricter, so do the demands for measuring and recording them. Environmental authorities around the world are requiring process plant operators to continuously monitor and record flare emissions and associated flowrates and gas composition. As a result of these new regulations, the industry has adapted by developing various methods to reduce emissions, which in turn has brought the need for higher accuracy measurement at lower flowrates.

Is a Double-Mechanical Seal Necessary?
Up-Front Investment Saves Dollars Down the Road
The capital cost of buying and installing a pump is only 5 percent of the lifetime cost of using the pump. Maintenance and repair accounts for a far higher percentage of the lifetime cost — as much as 20 percent. Therefore, investing up front in a double-mechanical seal pump with dry-stop protection on the flush supply, or even with a water reservoir to supply the flushing action, will result in a pump that will truly minimize downtime, as it requires no ongoing repairs due to dry-run or abrasive damage.

Q&A: Valve Automation
Key Strategies for Prediagnosis and Long-Term Wellness
David W. Douglas is the president of Paradigm Services LP and CPL Control Products of Louisiana, with over 25 years experience in global manufacturing and services for all phases of the oil and gas industry. Paradigm Services is engaged in aftermarket service, repair, and remanufacturing of valves and actuators installed in refineries, petrochemical plants, power generation facilities, and pipelines and oil and gas production facilities. Brian L. Autin is the operations manager for Paradigm Services LP, with over 25 years experience in all shop and field service operations throughout Louisiana. This month Mr. Douglas and Mr. Autin field questions from Flow Control on trends in valve automation.

Measuring Gravity-Fed Flow
Key Considerations Gleaned from a Real-Life Application
Typical process plants use pumps to transport liquids from one vessel or location to another. On occasion, the process is designed to allow liquids to overflow or drain from a vessel. Here we give special consideration to this type of scenario.

The Pump Whisperer
Reflections On the History of Pumping Power
People think the Pump Guy is clairvoyant with cast iron. They think I can diagnose and cure a “bad actor” pump. I really hate that phrase, because the pump is not the bad actor. My real mission is to change the engineer’s attitude toward pumps. In this installment of the Pump Guy, I’m going to offer some common sense theory for understanding how horsepower and kilowatts apply to pumps.

Quiz Corner: Effects of Increased Gas Pressure
How Much Does It Change the Flow Measurement?
In gas applications, gas-pressure fluctuations can affect the velocity of the gas, thus dramatically impacting gas flow measurement instruments. For example, the line pressure at the flowmeter in a gas stream may normally be 1.3 bar. However, under certain operating conditions, the pressure may be 2.6 bar for extended periods of time. If a flowmeter measures the gas velocity of a given mass of gas, approximately how much will the flow measurement be affected by the increased gas pressure?