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Ultrasonic Flow Meters - Liquid Hydrocarbons

CALDON LEFM Ultrasonic Flow Meters boast a portfolio that integrates over 50 years of experience, a legacy of pioneering technology, and a commitment to innovation. This combination has resulted in a comprehensive range of custody transfer, fiscal, check metering, and leak detection solutions for the liquid hydrocarbon industry.
 
The adaptability of CALDON LEFM Flow Meters to a wide spectrum of applications, including high-viscosity crude oils and LNG, is noteworthy. These flow meters have evidently set a global standard and are recognized as the benchmark in the industry. Furthermore, drawing on expertise from an advanced liquid hydrocarbon calibration laboratory, Sensia is able to provide comprehensive capabilities to meet diverse customer application and service requirements.


CALDON Hydrocarbon Flow Laboratory

The CALDON Ultrasonic Technology Center near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania houses the Sensia Hydrocarbon Flow Laboratory as its flagship feature. This laboratory distinguishes Sensia from other ultrasonic meter suppliers in three key ways.
 
At this flow laboratory, each CALDON LEFM 200 Series Liquid Ultrasonic Flow Meter undergoes calibration using multiple oils. This approach creates a Reynolds number range that mirrors real-world conditions the meter will face in the field. This rigorous calibration process guarantees consistent performance post-installation, unaffected by fluctuations in flow rate and liquid viscosity. By conducting calibrations in-house, Sensia significantly streamlines delivery timelines and diminishes reliance on external facilities.
 

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CALDON LEFM 280CiLT R Ultrasonic Flow Meter

The CALDON LEFM 280CiLT-R Flow Meter builds on CALDON's reputable history as the pioneer in developing an Ultrasonic Flow Meter for LNG custody transfer applications. In 2010, the company garnered the Innovation Award from Flow Control magazine for introducing the first ultrasonic flow meter specially designed for dynamic custody transfer of LNG.
 
The CALDON LEFM 280CiLT-R Flow Meter showcases numerous advantages for LNG measurement. It incorporates a cross-path arrangement in each of the 4 chordal planes, featuring eight acoustic paths. This design renders the ultrasonic flow meter resilient to velocity profile asymmetry and swirl, ensuring accurate readings. Moreover, the meter eliminates the need for a flow conditioner and requires minimal straight pipe runs both upstream and downstream, enhancing operational efficiency.
 
In a joint venture between ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips in 2005, a CALDON LEFM 280CiLT-R Flow Meter was deployed to evaluate flow technologies for LNG projects. The tests validated that the cross-path arrangement effectively removed swirl effects, maintaining measurement integrity without any bias.
 
Compared to traditional methodologies, the CALDON LEFM 280CiLT-R Flow Meter offers superior precision in LNG measurements, leading to substantial cost savings. Even a modest 0.1% enhancement in uncertainty could translate to savings exceeding $10,000 per tanker load. By eliminating the need for a flow conditioner, the meter reduces pressure losses, cuts pumping expenses, and expedites ship-loading processes, optimizing overall operational efficiency.
 

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CALDON LEFM 240Ci Ultrasonic Flow Meter

The CALDON LEFM 240Ci Ultrasonic Flow Meter utilizes a 4-path design, complete with four integrated, high-performance, wetted ultrasonic transducers. These transducers are positioned at a 45-degree angle, allowing for a difference in transit time of ultrasonic signals depending on the direction of flow.
 
This difference in times is then used to measure velocity along each path, which is then integrated together using the numerical integration rules defined by mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. Through extensive hydraulic calibration, it has been proven that this combination of Gaussian integration and four-path design provides precise results for a wide range of installations and applications. Additionally, the meter allows for the replacement of transducers without the need for process depressurization.
 

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CALDON LEFM 244Ci Ultrasonic Flow Meter

This unique four-path-plus-four-path dual-meter setup meets all custody transfer standards while also providing complete redundancy and meter-to-meter comparison for on-site validation.
 
Additionally, both flow measurements have the ability to operate in either direction and the device has continuous logging capabilities. It also boasts advanced signal processing with real-time diagnostic analysis and boasts an impressive update rate, making it one of the best options on the market.
 
 

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CALDON LEFM 280Ci Ultrasonic Flow Meter

The CALDON LEFM 280Ci Ultrasonic Flow Meter is suitable for both single- and multi-product pipelines, making it ideal for measuring crude oils and refined products. It is recommended to operate the meter at Reynolds numbers above 10,000 for optimal performance, but it can still be used in applications with lower Reynolds numbers.
 
Our CALDON LEFM 280Ci Flow Meter features an innovative eight chordal path design that offers superior resistance to installation errors when compared to other ultrasonic flow meters. This is due to its cross-plane acoustic paths that eliminate the need for an upstream flow conditioner and make it immune to the effects of swirl. By canceling out any swirl effects that may occur, the paths ensure accurate measurement.
 
This design also reduces the required length of upstream and downstream piping, eliminating the need for a flow conditioner and resulting in lower installation costs. Additionally, the reduced length of upstream piping leads to lower overall pressure loss, resulting in annual savings in pumping costs.
 
 

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CALDON LEFM 280CiRN Ultrasonic Flow Meter

When dealing with oils that have a high viscosity or low flow conditions, it may be necessary to operate at Reynolds numbers below 10,000 in the laminar and transition flow regions. Typically, the performance of full-bore ultrasonic flow meters degrades at these low Reynolds numbers due to the erratic switching between laminar and turbulent characteristics of the liquid velocity profile. However, the CALDON LEFM 280CiRN Ultrasonic Flow Meter has a reduced bore design that is based on flow nozzle technology. This design stabilizes the liquid velocity profile in the throat using forces that are larger than those imposed by fluid viscosity. As a result, the meter is able to stabilize the flow profile and prevent boundary layer separation under all operating conditions, significantly improving its performance.
 
The eight-path design of the CALDON LEFM 280CiRN Flow Meter also makes it more resistant to installation errors compared to other ultrasonic meters. This is because the cross-plane acoustic paths in the meter make it immune to the effects of swirl, eliminating the need for an upstream flow conditioner. The two paths in each individual chordal plane are equal and opposite to each other, effectively cancelling out any effects from swirl. Additionally, when the velocity readings from all eight paths at four chordal planes are averaged together, any effects from swirl are also eliminated. This design also reduces the requirement for upstream and downstream straight pipe runs.
 
The elimination of a flow conditioner and the need for shorter lengths of upstream pipe also results in lower installation costs for the CALDON LEFM 280CiRN Flow Meter. This also means a lower overall pressure loss, resulting in annual savings in pumping costs. Furthermore, the CALDON LEFM 280CiRN Flow Meter has improved repeatability compared to standard full-bore meters and can also be used for applications where the meter needs to be verified in-situ using a prover, reducing the number of runs required.
 

 

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CALDON SVM 289Ci Self-Verifying Meter for Liquids

Over the years, ultrasonic meters have undergone continuous advancements, resulting in significant enhancements in accuracy and repeatability. Additionally, the use of diagnostic information and condition-based monitoring (CBM) software has enabled the long-term performance of these meters to be closely monitored. As traditional verification methods are being phased out due to cost considerations, the need to monitor ultrasonic meter performance has become increasingly crucial.

The CALDON SVM technology employs an 8-path configuration for its primary measurements. This configuration utilizes crossed paths in four chordal planes to effectively eliminate the impact of non-axial velocities and accurately integrate the axial velocity profile. This technology serves as the basis for our SVM 289Ci, a 16-path meter that incorporates three significant features, allowing it to stand out as an ultrasonic meter with unparalleled self-verification capabilities:
  1. Axial velocity measurement verification per chord.
  2. Fifth chordal measurement plane to facilitate 4-chord (8-path) versus 5-chord (10-paths) evaluation of flow profile uncertainty.
  3. Vertical reflective path for detection of entrained gas or contamination.
SVM technology allows for the real-time calculation of measurement uncertainty for each flow measurement, with updates occurring every second. This uncertainty can be expressed as either a volumetric flow rate or a relative percentage value, and is continuously monitored and totalized by the SVM system.
 
The CALDON SVM 289Ci Ultrasonic Flow Meters are specifically designed to work with both crude oils and refined products in single or multi-product pipelines, providing a reliable solution for situations where traditional verification methods are difficult, and there is a need for increased confidence in measurement accuracy while also reducing infrastructure and operational costs.
 

 

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