Panametrics, a Baker Hughes company, has offered ultrasonic flare flow meters to industry leaders as a better way to measure gas flare for over four decades. Our flare gas mass flow meters provide critical flow data and diagnostics reliably over a wide flow range (turn-down ratio) with excellent low-end resolution to help improve the efficiency of petrochemical plants, refineries, and offshore platforms.
Incomplete flaring is one of the major causes of methane slip emissions in the Oil & Gas industry. And a newer understanding of methane underscores the need to manage it better. Recent studies have shown that over a twenty-year period, methane is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Panametrics’ revolutionary flare.IQ technology, used in just one typical oil & gas refinery producing 500k barrels a day, running at 70% flare efficiency, can increase that efficiency to 98% and effectively remove 34,000 cars from our roads. For just one refinery.
Our flare gas mass flow meters use a proprietary algorithm that immediately determines the molecular weight and mass flow rate of the flare and sweep gas. These accurate and efficient meters conserve energy and reduce product loss by identifying sources of leaks in the flare system.
By using flare.IQ and its patented algorithm, operators can pull critical information about their flare system, including temperature, pressure, vent gas velocities, and gas composition to calculate the optimum levels of flare performance and ensure 98%+ high-efficiency flare combustion. When operators are given accurate, real-time, production-floor data, they are empowered to intervene quickly to achieve optimal combustion, thus reducing emissions, by mixing the right amount of vent gas, fuel, and steam at the flare tip.
With ever more ambitious decarbonization and energy transition strategies, operators are increasingly turning to advanced digital solutions to monitor, measure, and drive down methane emissions. The Panametrics family of flare flow meters and transmitters adheres to local regulatory requirements both for reporting and proper control of the flare system, so you can be confident in your flare flow.
- Deliver high-efficiency flare combustion and significantly reduce methane emissions and steam usage
- Avoid any carbon tax penalties associated with flaring
- Manage flare assets remotely 24/7
- Identify issues early and intervene quickly by having access to real-time combustion efficiency data on the production floor
- Verify flare meters remotely, eliminating the logistical and operational costs of technician support, scaffolding, and permit application associated with traditional flare verification
- Eliminate the HSE risk associated with scaffolding
Extremely High Temperature (XT) capability to our legacy T5 and T17 Transducers.
Pushing the boundaries of innovation, our ‘XT’ versions of T5 & T17 100 kHz transducers now provide customers with fast, accurate and reliable measurements across an extended temperature range, between -180C and 300C.
The DigitalFlow GF868 ultrasonic flowmeter from Panametrics uses the patented Correlation Transit-Time™ technique, digital signal processing, and an accurate method of calculating molecular weight. Add to these features the inherent advantages of ultrasonic flow measurement reliability with no routine maintenance, high accuracy, fast response, wide rangeability, and the DigitalFlow GF868 flowmeter is the clear choice for flare gas applications.
The DigitalFlow GF868 is a highly versatile, high-performance flowmeter capable of many configurations with a large display and ample space for complicated wiring. Several options exist for I/O, including the ability to handle two flare lines with one box.
The DigitalFlow GF868 is ideally suited in Zone 2 applications but can be fitted with a Zone 1 enclosure when required. Setup is simple through its large display and intuitive interface.
The DigitalFlow GF868 works with all Panametrics gas transducers and is backward-compatible with all older model Panametrics meters, including the original 7100 and its digital replacement, the 7168.
Pushing the boundaries of innovation, our ‘XT’ versions of T5 & T17 100 kHz transducers now provide customers with fast, accurate and reliable measurements across an extended temperature range, between -180C and 300C.
As operators seek to improve their carbon footprint, Panametrics’ GF868 Flare Flow Meter now has the option of measuring the Net Heating Value (NHV) of flare gas to help operators achieve a smokeless flame and maintain high combustion efficiency. This will optimize performance of assisted flares and limit emissions. With real time measurement and accuracy between 2-5% this latest feature is a differentiator in the market and will save operators the cost of installing and maintaining a separate NHV/BTU analyzer.
The DigitalFlow XGF868i from Panametrics is a compact and explosion-proof/flame-proof transmitter version of the Panametrics DigitalFlow GF868 flare gas mass flow meter.
The DigitalFlow XGF868 is ideally suited for offshore installations with harsh environments and limited space but can be applied downstream in refineries and petrochemical plants where Zone 1 is required. Features include:
- Measures velocity, volumetric, and mass flow
- Independent of gas composition
- Measures instantaneous average molecular weight
- High velocity range to 120 m/s (394 ft/s)
- Accurate low flow rate measurement
- 4000 to 1 turndown ratio
- One or two path configurations
- Allows cross flow immunity in large pipes
- Minimal maintenance due to no moving parts, no holes or tubes, and tolerance to dirty or wet conditions
- No pressure drop
- Field-proven installation techniques
- Easy serviceability
Pushing the boundaries of innovation, our ‘XT’ versions of T5 & T17 100 kHz transducers now provide customers with fast, accurate and reliable measurements across an extended temperature range, between -180C and 300C.
- Operates reliably even with an unsteady flow, pulsating pressure, varying composition and temperature, and harsh environments
- Velocity range: 0.1 to 394 ft/sec (0.03 to 120 m/s) or stack sizes up to 120 in (3 m) in diameter
- Bi-directional velocity range: -328 to 328 ft/s (-100 to 100 m/s)
- Velocity, mass and volumetric flow
- Instantaneous gas molecular weight
- PASS/FAIL Self-Calibration Check on meter performance
- Measurement independent of composition
- No moving parts or orifices, nothing to clog or wear out
- No regular maintenance required (flow measurement is independent of gas properties)
With the largest installed base in the world, Panametrics flare gas flow meters have established a track record of accuracy through actual field operations and third-party calibration testing.
Customers now have the option to receive detailed, customized documentation of performance directly from Panametrics, where in-house calibration facilities test their meters to demonstrate uncertainties of better than 2%.
This assures customers’ peace of mind when documented proof of regulatory compliance is required or for those who demand better than the standard 2 to 5 percent accuracy during a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT). With this option, customers can avoid costly and time-consuming third-party testing.
Measurement of flare gas helps operators comply with environmental regulations, identify leakage points, and reconcile plant mass balance to achieve optimum operating efficiency. Accurate, worry-free meter performance remains a top priority.
With its track record of reliability, the GF868 ultrasonic flare meter has amassed the largest global installed base of flare gas flow meters. A meter self-health check feature, called Self-Calibration Check, gives operators confidence in the GF868 by providing reports and proof that the meter is performing as expected. Using a proprietary algorithm, the meter executes a self-heath check at predetermined flowrates and at a predetermined hour chosen by the operators. The meter will generate a PASS or FAIL depending on whether the meter is working correctly or if it displays a critical failure, enabling operators to read the meter’s status ahead of time and take appropriate action.
How to accurately measure the amount of steam fed to the flare tip for a smokeless operation is a common challenge among flare stack operators and process control engineers.
Between regulations and a corporate responsibility to improve the environmental landscape, companies are discovering that reliable digital solutions can ease the pressure on control engineers, allowing them to focus their time on maintaining a safe environment for the refinery with reliable data and insights.
To better understand how our flare management systems can help, Panametrics has developed an interactive flare solutions tool that is accessible free online
