Real-time Product Monitoring in Downstream Applications using Highly Accurate Density Measurement

The greatest challenge for the oil and gas industry today is to ensure the safe and sustainable production of petroleum end products and to guarantee the highest product quality. The decreasing crude oil price reduces the margins in the downstream industry to a minimum, demanding an efficient production process to remain profitable. Since every lost drop and every lost second in production could lead to lost profits of hundreds of dollars it is currently even more important to avoid production loss and product mixing and to reduce manual testing time significantly.

The current decentralisation of production, which can be seen in EMEA, results in a centralisation of distribution terminals and the increasing importance of efficient storage and just-in-time delivery of petroleum end products.

To improve productivity as well as product quality and availability, the integration of process instrumentation for 24/7 monitoring of production and transport facilities becomes more important. Anton Paar provides reliable and highly accurate process measurement solutions for a wide range of applications. The maintenance-free sensors are easy to integrate and have a long run time, which minimises the total costs of ownership.

Product Detection
The online detection of different fuel products is relevant for numerous production steps from refining and pipeline transportation to terminal distribution. Anton Paar's L-Dens 417 density sensor is perfectly suited for all these applications. Beside the detection of product changes in a multi-product pipeline, the L-Dens is also used for safety measures at terminal loading stations. Based on the measurement of density differences, the sensor perfectly distinguishes single products. Due to the smallest possible dead volume the response time of the sensor is the best currently available in the market.

Quality Monitoring
For reliable 24/7 pipeline monitoring the L-Dens 417 density sensor is integrated into the pipeline to control the quality of the petroleum end product. Variations in product quality are detected immediately and the transportation or filling procedure can be stopped directly in order to prevent product loss caused by contaminated tanks or out-of-spec production. Compared to lab measurements a real-time quality control using the L-Dens offers a much faster and more efficient solution.

Custody Transfer
With an accuracy of 1x10^-4 g/cm³, L-Dens 417 is the perfect process instrument for any custody transfer application within the petroleum industry. The provided accuracy is the highest on the market, offered and manufactured by the inventor of digital density meters. Additionally, all certificates required for successful approval in the customers’ country are available upfront.

Perfectly Prepared for Highest Demands
To meet the specific requirements of the petroleum industry, the L-Dens is equipped with various features:

• Necessary approvals for hazardous areas worldwide: ATEX, GOST, IECEx, Class 1 Div 1 for US and Canada
• Perfectly tailored material properties of wetted parts for petroleum applications, for example, stainless steel or Hastelloy
• Easy system integration into customers’ process due to the compact sensor design
• Availability of several adapters or measuring skids, realised in different materials and standards (DIN, ANSI).