Understanding Flow Computers: Where Are They Used?

This article was written by Daniel Goodwin - Managing Director, Ex~i Flow Measurement

Flow measurement is a critical aspect of industries handling gas and liquid transfers, ensuring accurate billing, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. Unlike the small domestic gas meters found in homes, industrial flow computers manage high-pressure, high-volume pipelines, calculating real-time flow data across various applications.

What Is a Flow Computer?

A flow computer collects data from multiple sensors to measure and calculate the precise volume of gas or liquid flowing through a pipeline. By compensating for pressure and temperature variations, flow computers provide accurate readings essential for transactions, efficiency monitoring, and safety compliance. Ultimately, these measurements lead to financial transactions that can reach millions of pounds or dollars per hour.

Key Applications of Flow Computers

Flow computers are deployed at various stages of the energy supply chain, from production and storage to distribution and consumption. Here are some key application areas:

1. Oil & Gas Extraction

Flow computers monitor the extraction of hydrocarbons from both offshore and onshore drilling platforms. They measure flow rates and product quality, ensuring impurities like seawater and sand are accounted for in processing.

2. Storage Facilities

To balance supply and demand fluctuations, gas and liquid fuels are stored in above-ground tanks or underground caverns. Flow computers help track inventory levels and movement within these storage sites.

3. International Pipeline Transfers

Pipelines such as the Langeled gas pipeline between Norway and the UK require precise flow measurements to ensure correct billing and regulatory compliance, particularly when different countries use varying measurement standards, pressure, and temperature conditions, or metric and imperial units.

4. Ship & Truck Loading/Unloading

Liquid fuels and gases are transported globally via ships and trucks. Flow computers provide real-time volume measurements to track transfers and ensure accurate invoicing for refined products such as petrol and diesel.

5. Industrial Processes & Factories

Energy-intensive industries like steel production, cement manufacturing, and brick kilns rely on flow computers to monitor gas usage and emissions. Compliance with environmental standards, such as EU regulations, demands precise measurement of fuel consumption. Additionally, coolant systems critical to the safety of these processes can be monitored using flow computers.

6. Backup Power Generation

Standby electricity generation plants, which often use gas-powered jet turbines, rely on flow computers to monitor fuel input. Unlike coal or nuclear power plants, which take weeks or months to activate, these plants can be operational within minutes. These are especially useful on days when wind and solar power output is insufficient.

7. Distribution Network Monitoring

Key distribution points require real-time flow measurement for system management, leak detection, and theft prevention. Flow computers help maintain network stability and efficiency.

8. Biogas Injection Sites

Organic waste is processed to produce methane, which is enriched with propane before being injected into the gas grid. Flow computers ensure the correct energy value and volume measurements before injection into the national grid.

9. Hydrogen Production & Storage

Hydrogen, increasingly used for energy storage, needs precise measurement, whether injected into grids like biogas or stored for future use. Flow computers provide accurate tracking of hydrogen flows, ensuring safe and efficient utilisation.

10. Exhaust Emission & Efficiency Monitoring

Flow computers help industries comply with emissions regulations such as BS8609:2014 by measuring fuel input versus energy output. This data is crucial for maintenance scheduling and pollution control, allowing industries to predict efficiency and maintenance requirements accurately.

11. Steam Energy Utilisation

Excess steam from electricity generation and industrial processes can be sold for heating or mechanical power. Flow computers ensure accurate tracking of steam distribution, benefiting industries like steel manufacturing, where steam is used in both heating and cooling processes, as well as for mechanical power applications.

Understanding Flow Points

Flow computers operate at different points within the energy chain:

• Generation Points: Oil & gas extraction, biogas injection sites, hydrogen generation, and steam recovery.

• Transfer Points: Storage facilities, international pipeline transfers, ship and truck loading/unloading, and distribution networks.

• Consumption Points: Factories, industrial processes, backup power generation, and exhaust emission monitoring.

Choosing the Right Flow Computer

The SFC3000 Flow Computer is a versatile solution, primarily designed for the hydrocarbon oil and gas markets but capable of measuring hydrogen, water, steam, and CO₂. It can directly measure flow rates or process data from external sensors, providing real-time volume, energy, or mass flow calculations.

Both "measure" and "calculate" are used interchangeably, but it is important to clarify that a flow computer can either take direct measurements or process data from other instruments to determine flow rates. The resulting calculations can represent flow per unit of time, total volume, energy content, or mass.

Conclusion

From oil rigs to factories, flow computers play a vital role in monitoring, measuring, and optimising the movement of gases and liquids. Ex~i Flow Measurement specialises in high-precision, reliable flow computers designed to meet the stringent demands of modern industry. Ex~i understands the need for long-term stability, reliability, and accuracy, ensuring their products exceed industry expectations. Customers can benefit from ongoing product enhancements with increased modularity.

For more information, visit Ex~i Flow Measurement