Measurement IQ for Gas Provides Real-time Benefits for Operators

 Summary

Today’s oil and natural gas companies have many challenges.  Faced with aging assets and “The Great Crew Change” resulting from the increasing retirement of personnel with deep domain knowledge, many owner-operators struggle to improve asset integrity, increase measurement certainty, reduce financial losses, and lower operational costs.

Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) recently briefed ARC Advisory Group on how the company’s Connected Plants Measurement IQ for Gas metering solution can help natural gas transmission companies deal with some real financial and operational pain points.

MIQ Helps Operators Solve Financial & Operational Risks  

Measurement IQ (MIQ) for Gas was designed to address the challenges faced by companies transporting natural gas, including those with border metering stations.  The solution focuses on optimizing custody transfer measurement using HPS (or third-party) ultrasonic flowmeters.  Natural gas transmission companies face real financial implications due to lost and unaccounted for (LAUF) gas.   In some cases, this can translate into millions of dollars in financial exposure annually.  HPS claims that, depending on size of their operations, it can save customers, anywhere from $50,000 up to $1.6 million per metering line per year.

In addition to financial exposure, the cost, time and skills required to maintain effective metering systems can impact opex investment and resources. Through advanced diagnostics, at-a-glance dashboards, and intelligence analytics, MIQ enables operators to increase metering reliability in the face of skills shortages, dispersed operations, and a complex hydrocarbon mix. Users can detect and correct costly mis-measurements, anticipate equipment failure, reduce gas losses, and eliminate unnecessary maintenance.  HPS believes this can enable users to extend their calibration periods, shifting from a regime of “calendar-based” off-site calibration to “as required,” (saving up to $50,000 per unnecessary calibration) and lower maintenance and resource burdens to radically reduce engineering site visits, saving operators anywhere from $4,000 up to $32,000 per site per year.

The real value according to HPS is that maintenance and enterprise-level users can access real-time diagnostics and collaborate to find the best solutions, wherever they are. Engineers can diagnose faults before they go to the metering station, operators get real-time alerts when key parameters exceed limits, and leadership can connect people and draw on expertise across the enterprise to enable predictive maintenance and realize operational excellence. MIQ is designed to automatically analyze measurement and diagnostic functions as well as measured data.  This enables users to solve technical and operational issues in real time via 24/7 condition-based monitoring. MIQ provides auditable evidence if needed to support extended periods between recalibrations.

Can Operate On-premise, in the Cloud, or on Mobile Devices

Since many natural gas transmission companies operate remote assets such as transmission pipelines and border metering stations, dependable and reliable connectivity is often a challenge.  Measurement IQ connects assets across all enterprise metering stations and captures the data in Honeywell’s secure data center. Users can connect on any device with a web browser and receive customizable alerts on their mobile phones (iOS or Android) with Honeywell’s Experion App. As with all HPS solutions, cybersecurity is designed into the solution from the beginning.

This HPS Connected Plant solution monitors for significant changes in not just the flow meter, but also in the process and environment in which it operates. It anticipates problems and enables users to move from time- or risk-based recalibration of meters to condition-based monitoring with calibrations only when required. Historical diagnostic data can be used as a basis to extend calibration intervals specified by regulatory authorities.  MIQ excels by analyzing key trends (velocity of sound, signal-to-noise ratio, etc.).  An indication can tell the user that there may be a contamination buildup in the meter that could eventually cause problems.

According to HPS, since the US has no requirements to recalibrate instrumentation on specified intervals, most users will not detect unaccounted for gas due to instruments being out of calibration, which could potentially cost them millions of dollars. Countries such as China do not have calibration requirements, but MIQ can still save them $25,000 per meter by avoiding the need to calibrate on previous time-based schedules.  Considering that most installations have six to eight meters, HPS believes its solution can save the user enough to justify the initial MIQ investment.   

HPS’ Roadmap for MIQ To Expand Operational Focus  

HPS plan to expand the MIQ beyond ultrasonic meters to include devices such as pressure and temperature transmitters, gas chromatographs, regulators, etc. and bundle them with Honeywell Connected Plant solutions and services, backed by what the company believes to be industry-leading five or ten-year warranty programs.

To be able to work more closely with its customers, HPS is developing a Customer Advisory Board that will provide participants with exclusive access to HPS experts, preferential early access to help tailor MIQ developments for their needs and participate in Honeywell Uncertainty as a Service and Outcome as a Service pilot programs to confirm profitability and performance guarantees.  Customer Advisory Board participants will also receive special recognition at the upcoming Honeywell User Group (HUG) meeting, June 9-14, 2019.

Conclusion

Companies operating within the natural gas value chain face constant pressure to improve margins, improve asset integrity and measurement certainty, and deal with the “Great Crew Change,” all while dealing with increasingly stringent regulatory oversight.  It appears that, with its Connected Plant Measurement IQ for Gas solution, associated Connected Plant solutions, and significant domain knowledge in oil and gas, Honeywell is well-positioned to help its customers in the challenging natural gas business improve operator effectiveness, reduce financial exposure of LAUF gas, reduce operating expenses, and achieve operational excellence.

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Keywords: Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS), Honeywell Connected Plant, Lost and Unaccounted For (LAUF) Gas, Metering Systems, Measurement IQ, ARC Advisory Group.