Volume Metrology in

Mexico and the USA

Roberto Arias Romero
Direccin Flujo y Volumen
Centro Nacional de Metrologia, Mexico

John D. Wright
Fluid Metrology Group
National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA

SIM Metrology School 2013; Gaithersburg, MD

Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Consumption and Distribution

Calibration and Traceability Chain
Volume Calibrations at NIST
Volume Calibrations at CENAM
CCM.FF-K4
Questions and comments

SIM Metrology School 2013; Gaithersburg, MD

1 Impact of volume measurements

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Major Oil Trade Movements

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Distribution

Petroleum is metered > 11 times between the well head

and the consumer!
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Selected Crude Oil Trunkline

Systems

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Major Refined Product

Pipelines

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Production and Distribution

9115 km
4647 km

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Distribution Terminals

74
Storage
and
Terminals nationwide

Distribution

Over 900 installed measurement

skids for loading and/or unloading
road- and rail Tanks
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2 Calibration and Traceability Chain

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Elements of the Traceability Chain

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Flowmeter (PD, Turbine, Coriolis, Ultrasonic)

Prover (Small Volume Prover, Ball Prover)
Tank prover
Master Meter
Field Test Measures or Masses
National Metrology Laboratory
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Flowmeter

Positive Displacement
Turbine
Ultrasonic
Coriolis

Smith

Daniel

Micromotion

Daniel
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Small Volume Prover

Brooks
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Small Volume Prover

Calibron

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Small Volume Prover

Operation

Brooks

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Ball Prover

Brooks

Brooks
Brooks
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Tank Prover

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Field Test Measures

Meter Engineers
Seraphin
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Master Meters

MF =

(Vb SRu) CTS m CTLmp

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IVm CTLm CPLm

Definition of Traceability
JCGM 200:2008
2.41 (6.10)
metrological traceability
property of a measurement result whereby the result can be
related to a reference through a documented unbroken chain of
calibrations, each contributing to the measurement uncertainty.

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Volume Traceability
Ball Prover

Standards Laboratory
(NIST or CENAM)

2
3

Field Test Measures

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Flowmeter

Volume Traceability
Tank Prover

Standards Laboratory
(NIST or CENAM)

2
3

Field Test Measures

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Flowmeter

Volume Traceability

Standards Laboratory
(NIST or CENAM)

Small Volume Prover

Flowmeter

Each step adds

uncertainty!!!
Master Meter
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Water Draw Volume Calibration

Measures volume between start & stop switches of a prover
by collecting water in field test measures (or on a weigh scale)

FMC Technologies
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Meter Proving
Calibration performed by comparing a
flowmeter totalized volume to:
1.
2.
3.
4.

ball prover
small volume prover
tank prover
master meter
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Meter Proving

API Chapter 4.8

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Principle of Operation
counter
000 428
005
010
000 Pulses
326
Pulsos

S2

prover

Turbine

Calibrated volume

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S1

3 Volume Calibrations at NIST

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NIST Special Publication 250-72

www.nist.gov

Documentation for
customers
Methods and
equations
Uncertainty analysis
Sample reports

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Graduated Neck (4 L to 8000 L)

4L
400 L
2000 L

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Direct Weighing Procedure

Level
Weigh dry
Fill to 0, measure tW,
weight, room t, p, rh
Drain (30 s after main flow)
and weigh
Repeat 5 times

SIM Metrology School 2013; Gaithersburg, MD

Contained Volume
m
f me
h
V contain (t w ) =
(t w ) air

Delivered Volume

m
f md
h
V deliver (t w ) =
(t w ) air

Thermal Expansion

t : temperature
m : mass
: density
h : neck scale reading
T : prover coeff. Thermal exp.
w : water
f : full
e : empty (dry)
d : drained (wet)
ref : reference (15.56 C)

V (t ref ) = V (t w )[1 - t (t w - t ref )]

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Contained and Delivered

Volumes
(Vc - Vd)/Vc /%

0.120

0.100
0.080
0.060
0.040
0.020
0.000
0

100

200

Vc/L

300

400

Data from 150 volumes

Differ by 0.02% for a 400 L volume, 0.05% for a
20 L volume
Ratio of surface area to volume increases as
volume decreases
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Drainage Uncertainty

More liquid remains on the walls if the viscosity and surface

tension are larger
Uncertainty in delivered volume due to liquid property
changes (t changes)
Drainage uncertainty is proportional to Vc Vd

(t ref )
V = [Vc (tw ) Vd (tw )]

(
)
t

1/ 2

For a 400 L volume at 22 C, 17 parts in 106 more liquid

delivered due to a smaller viscosity than if used at 15.56 C
For a 20 L volume, the same temperature difference gives
48 parts in 106 increase in delivered volume
We handle as an uncertainty, not a correction
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Data Reduction Spreadsheet

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Neck Scale Calibrations

Done gravimetrically at -80%,

-40%, 0%, 40%, and 80%

Neck Scale Calibration

5
4
3
2

calculated

correction

[div]
-4.0
-1.0
-5.0
-5.0
-0.5
-202
-98
99
200.5

[div]
-8.7
-3.9
-8.8
-9.4
-5.6
-205.1
-101.9
93.0
193.0

[div]
-4.7
-2.9
-3.8
-4.4
-5.1
-3.1
-3.9
-6.0
-7.5

slope

intercept

0.989

-4.18

[div]

0.396
6.484E-06

-1.67
-2.741E-05

3
[in ]
3
[m ]

0.00
-1.00

Correction [div]

Reading

-2.00
-3.00
-4.00
-5.00
-6.00
-7.00

-8.00
-300.0 -200.0 -100.0
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0.0

100.0

200.0 300.0

Neck Scale Reading [div]

Uncertainty
Ref. Temp.
[C]

Thermal Expansion Corrected Prover Volume

Contained

Delivered

[m 3]

15.56
0.15900543

0.15895664

Contained

42.0048

Delivered

x / x

Temperature

9700.13

0.58

[C]

[in3]
41.9919

9703.11

Water
Density
Patterson & Morris
3

[kg/m ]

0.15903186

0.15896839

42.0118

41.9950

9704.72

9700.85

1.51

15.560

999.015

0.15901843
0.15901641
0.15901927

0.15896214
0.15895837
0.15895390

42.0082
42.0077
42.0084

41.9934
41.9924
41.9912

9703.90
9703.78
9703.95

9700.47
9700.24
9699.96

0.40
0.27
1.07

20.264

998.151

42.0082

41.9928
41.9918
35
0.012

9703.89

9700.33
9700.11
35
0.012

--- [m3]
295.58 [kg]

me

137.03 [kg]

59
0.016

eff= 7

1/V V/ x i Value of 1/V V/ x i

Value

h
mf

59
0.016

k = 2.36

Estimation of Uncertainty

Delivered

[gal]

0.1590183 0.1589599
0.1589563
59
35
0.016
0.012

xi

Contained

1/V
1/(m f -m e )
-1/(m f -m e )
3

1000 [kg/m ]

-1/ 0

0 [1/m3]
0.01 [1/kg]
-0.01 [1/kg]
3
-1E-03 [m /kg]

Averages, Thermal Expansion Corrected

Averages, Therm. Exp. & Viscosity Corrected
-6

Repeatability [x 10 ]
Expanded Uncertainty [%]

95% confidence, Taylor & Kuyatt

u(x i) for k =1
3
1.6E-06 [m ]
3.6E-03 [kg]

1/V V/ x i u(x i) [ x 10-6

0.0
22.6

0.00
508.95

-22.6

508.95

2.0E-03 [kg/m ]

-2.0

4.00

3.6E-03 [kg]
3

2.0E-04 [1/C]

-(T W -T ref,W )

-20.3 [C]

3.3E-07 [1/C]

-6.7

44.72

4.8E-05 [1/C]

-(T W -T ref )

-4.7 [C]

7.0E-07 [1/C]

-3.3

10.84

W- t

2E-04 [1/C]
3
1E-03 [m /kg]

6.1

37.11

2.0
12.9

4.00
165.91

TW

air

20.3 [C]
3

1.17 [kg/m ]

1/ 0

4.0E-02 [C]
3

2.0E-03 [kg/m ]

SIM Metrology School 2013; Gaithersburg, MD

(Vc - Vd)/Vc /%

Uncertainty
0.1
0.09
0.08
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0

1 .2

%
U e = 0.015 +

100

200

Vc/L
SIM Metrology School 2013; Gaithersburg, MD

300

400

4 Volume Calibrations at
CENAM

SIM Metrology School 2013; Gaithersburg, MD

CENAM
Organization
Volume and Flow

Small volumes
Large volumes
Water

Liquid Flow

Oil

Gas Flow
Viscosity

master meters

In situ services

proving tanks
pipe provers

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Laboratory Layout
Gravimetric Method

1
2
3
4
5
6

Water reservoir (deionized and filtered)

Device under test
Auxilliary reservoir
Mass comparator (60 kg / 0.01 g)
Reference weights (OIML F1)
t, p and hr sensors

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Laboratory Layout
Volumetric Transfer
Water quality: tap water (filtered)
Reference standards:

(50 0.002) L
(500 0.090) L

Calibration capabilities: up to 3 000 L

Typical uncertainties: (0.02 to 0.04) %; (k=2)
Applications: Verification of fuel dispensers (20 L)
Verification of LPG meters ( 500 L)
Calibration of compact provers
Calibration of pipe provers
Calibration of master meters (3 000 L)

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10 000 L

Math Models
Gravimetric: double substitution
n
n
a
+ Af Ai
mf mi 1
m
i =1
i =1

[ 1 (t w 20 ) ]
V 20 C =
w a

a
ms 1

Lf 2 + Lf 3 Lf 1 Lf 4
ms

Af =
2
Lf 3 Lf 2

ms 1

Li 2 + Li 3 Li1 Li 4
ms

Ai =

2
Li 3 Li 2

mf:
mi
a:
w:
m:
Af:
Ai:
L:

mass of the final reference weights

mass of the initial reference weights
air density
water density
reference weights density
final mass differential
initial mass differential
balance readings
ms: density of sensitivity weights
: prover thermal coefficient of expansion
tw: water temperature

SIM Metrology School 2013; Gaithersburg, MD

Math Models
gravimetric: direct reading

a
(If Ie ) 1
m

V 20 C = w a [ 1 (t w 20) ]
I f:
Ie

balance indication at full condition

balance indication at empty condition
a: air density
w: water density
: stainless steel thermal coefficient of expansion
tw: water temperature

SIM Metrology School 2013; Gaithersburg, MD

Math Models
water density; Tanaka et. al.

Other models:
Patterson & Morris
Bettin
Masui & Fujii
Kell
Watanabe
IAPWS

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Math Models
air density

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Math Models
air density; Excel add-in

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Math Models
data processing

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Math Models
data processing

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Volume Measurements
Large volume Laboratory
(2 3 000) L

Small volume Laboratory

(0.01 mL 2 L)

-glassware-

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Volume Measurements,
Main Customers
Large volume Laboratory
(2 3 000) L

Secondary laboratories
Verification officers
Petrol stations
PEMEX

Small volume Laboratory

(0.01 mL 2 L)

-glassware-

Secondary laboratories
Food industry; Pharmaceutical,
Chemical industry
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National Mass
Standard

10 g

Water density
formulation

Temperature National
Standard
0.02 mK

Digital thermometer
+ Pt-100

0.01 C

Volume National
Standard

50 L 0.0035 %

Reference tank prover

500 L 0.012 %

Working standard
3 000 L 0.018 %

Traceability chart for volume of liquids measurements by using

tank provers.
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Volume working
standard

3 000 L 0.018 %

water draw method

Bi-directional pipe prover

V20 C, 0 Pa 0.03 %

In line Turbine or PD
meter

Direct volume
comparison method

Vt,p 0.1 %

Traceability chart for volume of liquids measurements by using

bi-directional pipe prover
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5 International comparability

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CCM.FF-K4
Transfer standard artifacts

Glass pycnometer (6 items)

Type:

Gay-Lussac

Volume: 100 mL

Stainless steel pipette (3 items)

Type:

overflow

Volume:

20 L

Temperature:

Pt-100

Design:

to deliver

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106 (xi xcenam)/xcenam

CCM.FF-K4; APMP.M.FF-K4;EURAMET.M.FF-K4 AND

SIM.M.FF-K4

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