Drexelbrook Enhances Density Compensated Water Cut Monitor

Drexelbrook has enhanced its Universal IV™ Density Compensated Water Cut Monitor with updated firmware to allow for up to 10 different density calibration points to reduce recalibration requirements and ensure maximum accuracy load to load.

Drexelbrook has enhanced its Universal IV™ Density Compensated Water Cut Monitor with updated firmware to allow for up to 10 different density calibration points to reduce recalibration requirements and ensure maximum accuracy load to load.

The density or API gravity of crude oil changes due to many factors, including temperature, material changes as well as region or formation that it is pulled from. Those changes will cause standard cut monitors to mistakenly attribute changes in density to changes in water content, if not properly accounted for.

The new Universal IV™ In-Line Water Cut Monitor (CM) with Multi-Cal Density Compensation automatically compensates for density changes that may occur in the composition of products and reduces the calibration requirements due to those changes.

The Universal IV CM is designed for high-accuracy water in oil measurement. The DCM allows the Universal IV CM to maintain its stated accuracy with variations in density up to 10 API, ensuring measurement accuracy from load to load regardless of changes in product composition.

All Universal IV CMs come factory pre-calibrated and require only one-point validation. Field configuration can be done anywhere along a two-wire loop with the STExplorer software. Users also can configure the instrument vial local display/keypad without the need for a laptop or handheld communicators.

The Universal IV CM utilizes electrical measurement (capacitance) and correlates that to water cut (% of oil in water). Those measurements can be affected by changes in density. Density compensation is done to correct for changes in electrical properties that may impact output measurement and is particularly suitable for midstream refinery and oil pipeline operators.

Along with optional Density Compensation, the Universal IV CM features an in-line probe design that allows it to analyze a large representative sample of flowing fluid in real time. Its sensing element extends into the main process line, taking an average of the capacitive property of the fluid over its entire length. That ensures a smoother and more accurate response, regardless of the mixture. The monitor’s onboard electronics then computes the relationship between capacitance change and water cut.

The Universal IV CM offers the industry’s highest pressure and temperature capabilities (1500 PSI and temperatures up to 450oF) as well as field-proven Cote-Shield™ technology, which ignores coating buildup on the probe. A temperature-compensation (TC) version is available that measures product temperature internally and calculates a true water cut reading at any temperature as long as the water is in liquid state (eg. 32oF to 212oF at ambient pressure).

Applications for the Universal IV CM include automatic well testing (AWT), lease automatic custody transfer (LACT), basic sediment and water (BS&W), separation vessels, pipeline slug detection, truck unloading, pipe protection, dielectric analysis and machinery lube oil monitoring.

Drexelbrook offers more than 50 years of industry experience, and a full range of process level measurement solutions, including RF Admittance/Capacitance, TDR/Guided Wave Radar, Open Air Radar, Ultrasonic, Magnetostrictive, Hydrostatic, Vibration, Conductive and Float devices.

Drexelbrook level measurement instruments are used in a wide range of industries, including petroleum, chemical, petrochemical, food/beverage, water/wastewater, power, pharmaceutical, pulp/paper, mining, aggregates, feed/grain among others.