Liquid Measurement Skid Manufacturing
JAG builds custom liquid measurement skids and related equipment in the domestic U.S. We have extensive experience in design, construction, and testing across a wide spectrum of specifications for all three phases (oil, water, and gas) including meter allocation skids, truck load/unload ACT units, pipeline-injection ACT units, terminal inlet/outlet measurement skids, and transloaders. Our customers include blue-chip names across midstream, E&P, refiners, and midstream with equipment deployed from the Bakken in North Dakota to the Permian in West Texas and New Mexico.
Economics of a Lease Automatic Custody Transfer (LACT) unit
The singular purpose of the LACT unit is to meter and measure the quantity and quality of crude oil, either from lease to truck, from lease to pipeline, or from truck to pipeline, to ensure accurate volumetric transfer.
The two most common methods of measuring the volume of petroleum liquids are tank gauging and liquid metering. The problems associated with tank gauging are:
- It requires that a person make an accurate liquid level determination by climbing to the top of the tank to be gauged twice (top gauge and bottom gauge).
- It requires a person to make an accurate average liquid temperature determination. When is the last time you saw a truck driver use an API wood-backed thermometer?
- It requires a person to make an accurate sediment and water content analysis (BS&W).
- It requires that the tank be static (no liquid entering or leaving the tank).
Since crude oil is sold on the basis of temperature, API gravity and the amount of basic sediment and water (BS&W), it is very important to make accurate measurements. A great effect on volume is temperature. Crude oil will expand and contract at the rate of 2% per 40˚ F temperature change. The accumulation of errors present in tank gauging may be as high as 2%. The potential annual losses in revenue, based on daily volume, and on $50.00 per barrel oil would be as follows:
| Daily Volume | Lost Revenue per year at 2% |
|---|---|
| 500 barrels | $182,500.00 |
| 1,000 barrels | $365,000.00 |
| 2,000 barrels | $730,000.00 |
| 3,000 barrels | $1,095,000.00 |
The simplest and most effective way to transfer ownership of liquid hydrocarbons between a buyer and a seller is through the use of an ACT unit with a meter to measure volumes, usually a Coriolis meter. Coriolis meters are capable of unattended measurement with maintained accuracy of +/-0.1% or better. ACT units have become critical in the oil and gas industry when it comes to managing ”over/shorts.” Other common key components on ACT units are included below:
- BS&W monitor and probe
- Charge pump and motor
- Injection pump and motor
- Variable frequency drive (“VFD”)
- Sample pots and sampling system
- Backpressure or control valve
- Three-way divert valve and divert line
- Temperature and pressure transmitters
- Motor operated valves (“MOVs”)
- Proving loop
- Double block and bleed valves
- Programmable logic controller (“PLC”) and/or flow computer with human-machine interface (“HMI”)
- Scully system
- Hose with dripless fitting
There are innumerable permutations when it comes to ACT unit configuration depending on brand/performance preference, cost, operating conditions, and application. We at JAG are experts when it comes to designing these units for optimal performance and cost, in addition to our extreme familiarity with almost every configuration in the domestic U.S.
JAG builds custom ACT units, to customer specifications, from the “ground up” at our manufacturing facility located in George West, Texas. Lead times may vary depending on component specifications and availability but we have yet to fail to meet customer requirements and always aim to be ahead of schedule. We perform factory approval tests (“FATs”) at our George West facility by running diesel through a unit and enjoy hosting customers in person to witness FATs.
FlowX® Software & JAG Corporate Server Support
- Customer access to JAG-owned Corporate Server
- Remote site “real time” monitoring for product quality assurance
- Auto-generating daily, monthly, quarterly, & year-end reporting
- Query search functionality for driver, transporter, reporting, & ticketing in archived database
- Advanced filter functionality for customized reporting
- Reprinting of unload tickets
Click Here for a Report Format Example
The Multi-sample Pot Option
Based on customer needs, we can install multiple individual (16 gallon) sample pots on each skid. The multiple pots allow for various delivering parties to deliver through one ACT unit. Due to the multiple sample pot configurations, each delivering party’s oil can be monitored separately, or as needed. In addition to the multiple individual pots, a larger (40 gallon) composite sample pot will be placed on the skid to collect a composite sample from the total delivered volume.