In many applications within the oil and gas industries, and in particular in the measurement of flow, differential pressure transmitters must operate with high accuracy and repeatability. The uncertainty of the measurement of flow varies proportionately to the uncertainty associated with the differential pressure measurement. There are many issues that arise from using differential type meters, and many of these issues are attributable to the differential pressure measurement. Issues such as turndown, linearity, repeatability, hysteresis and others are all important aspects of the differential...
In many applications within the oil and gas industries, and in particular in the measurement of flow, differential pressure transmitters must operate with high accuracy and repeatability. The uncertainty of the measurement of flow varies proportionately to the uncertainty associated with the differential pressure measurement. There are many issues that arise from using differential type meters, and many of these issues are attributable to the differential pressure measurement. Issues such as turndown, linearity, repeatability, hysteresis and others are all important aspects of the differential pressure measurement. To ensure proper differential pressure measurement the oil and gas industry currently requires differential meters to be “calibrated” in the field. Several studies have shown that there are serious issues involved with performing that calibration in the field. This overall purpose of the Pipeline Research Council International, Inc’s (PRCI) investigation is to determine what these issues are, and how these issues can best be addressed. PRCI has contracted Colorado Engineering Experiment Station Inc. (CEESI) to perform the investigation. The investigation consisted of two milestones, a literature review and laboratory work. The literature review covered applicable industry standards, papers, articles, and manufacturer’s specifications. The results of the literature review are included in this report. The second milestone is the laboratory work. This work was performed at the CEESI facility in Colorado during 2011. The results are included in this report.