In today’s petrochemical industry, you need to realize maximum value from every asset used in the process, and it’s essential that production stops only when absolutely necessary. One U.S. petrochemical manufacturer has found that differential pressure meters utilizing orifice plates just can’t deliver the accuracy and optimized operational costs that are so important to production and profits.
Two primary problems compelled this major petrochemical manufacturer to look for a more accurate, more easily proved meter technology in their custody transfer process. First, when the flow of ethylene reached low levels, the supply was shut off, even though production could have continued; with a 1% measurement accuracy, the orifice plates couldn’t handle high turndown levels during startup and in production. Second, proving was a disruptive exercise and meter health was often a mystery.
The solution? You’ll have to read the full petrochemical case study to get the complete story. But, what we can tell you here is that full payback was realized in less than four months, based on ethylene spot price and usage, and improved system accuracy.
