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With the acquisition of Coastal Flow in 2019, we saw an opportunity to expand Quorum SCADA to better serve the needs of Measurement specialists. This included expanding the variety of data we collect from field devices to include alarm and event readings stored on RTUs, e.g., when a meter was re-configured or when an orifice plate has been changed. In addition to collecting more data, we have created an interface to FLOWCAL that facilitates pushing data into the measurement system.

This creates a more streamlined flow of information from the field and helps improve the accuracy of that data for downstream systems, specifically FLOWCAL.

Why Utilize a Measurement System

The value of SCADA is well established in the broader oil and gas industry, and the integration of these two systems improves anomaly detection and identification.

Further, FLOWCAL provides the tools to ensure that volumes reported to partners, royalty owners, and state/federal agencies are correct, reducing financial, operational, legal, and reputational risks.

For those less familiar with utilizing a measurement system, consider various situations where your current processes add risk due to lack of data validation, inability to gain insight into the periodic data, or erroneous changes occurring at the meter level. For example, if you have a meter that receives daily readings, the reading would ideally provide the exact volume of hydrocarbons that flowed through the meter in that period.  Often, the reading provided will be off due to a myriad of factors. Most commonly, this variance has to do with the last time the meter was calibrated, and it is not uncommon for the meter to have a five percent variance of the actual flowing volume. There are even some cases where our customers have identified a 10% meter drift before a re-calibration.

So how can this and other errors, like an incorrectly configured plate size, mistyped atmospheric pressure, or bad samples, be captured in real-time and corrected to ensure compliance with regulatory and contractual rules? FLOWCAL automatically reviews records flowing in from SCADA and identifies anomalies as they occur. An alert will then fire for variances while keeping an API 21.1/21.2 audit trail.

Not only is FLOWCAL helping you keep tabs on your metered and purchased volumes, but it is doing so in a much more rapid manner than before. This means you can work with counterparties to identify and resolve any errors that may arise more quickly, such as uncovering differences in metered volume to purchased volume with the added benefit of verifiable, auditable data.

Many small producers don’t have an in-house measurement team, meaning they rely on the reported number at the flow computer as a source of record for volume data. Better options exist!

Quorum provides Measurement as a Service through our Coastal Flow Remote Measurement Analyst Services (RMA). RMA gives you access to an outsourced measurement expert who reviews your data, makes corrections, identifies lost and unaccounted for volume, closes your month out, and provides you with a corrected month-end volume statement.  Even if you don’t have a measurement group, you should have confidence that your volumes are accurate.

Quorum SCADA + FLOWCAL in the Cloud

For midstream and upstream companies, the built-in integration of Quorum SCADA and FLOWCAL means that you no longer need to worry about getting data from a 3rd-party SCADA system into FLOWCAL. Rather, Quorum will take care of setting up and maintaining this interface as part of your software subscription, providing your organization with a one-stop-shop for on-going customer support.

Quorum SCADA + Coastal Flow Measurement Services

Suppose you don’t have a measurement department in-house. In that case, the combination of Quorum SCADA and Coastal Flow’s RMA Services can provide the ability to monitor and control your assets remotely through SCADA and utilize all the collected readings to receive an accurate volume statement produced by Coastal Flow.

Quorum SCADA + Quorum Production + FLOWCAL/Coastal Flow Measurement

If you are a producer, an added requirement to what we have discussed thus far is the need to perform daily and monthly allocations for revenue and expense distributions to your partners and royalty owners. Quorum Production allows you to capture daily readings, tank levels, and other gauges that you do not have automated on SCADA; it also allows you to capture pumper comments, downtimes, run tickets, and other work that is happening on location. Access to that information provides additional insight to your in-house or outsourced measurement group to interpret data irregularities and allow for a faster close of the month.

By combining these solutions, you can have real-time data going directly from SCADA into Production. It is immediately allocated to the well so that production engineers and forepersons can make quicker decisions. At the same time, your periodic data is pushed to FLOWCAL, where anomalies are identified and corrected automatically, which are then pushed into your Production system for comparing against purchaser statements and in monthly production allocations. Finally, monthly allocated volumes are automatically sent to your accounting system to be used in Joint Interest Billing and Revenue Distribution.

In Closing

Without getting into a belabored point about reducing costs, it is important to consider other areas that impact profitability. As mentioned, your volumetric data’s accuracy can directly impact your bottom line vis-a-vis counterparty risks and variances in expected to actual volumes. While it seems mundane to discuss data quality, it is absolutely critical in an industry so reliant on data. Integrating our SCADA system and FLOWCAL is an example of how we leverage our broad product portfolio to deliver value in all areas of the oil and gas value chain.

Want to learn how to achieve accurate measurement quickly and more reliably? Download our 5 Tips for Oil and Gas Measurement Accuracy article to streamline your measurement processes.

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©2024 Coastal Flow Liquid Measurement, Inc. and Coastal Flow Gas Measurement, Inc., entities of Quorum Business Solutions, Inc.

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