Uncertainty Reduction of Metering System in Kharg Island Oil Terminal by Adjusting Pipe Line Volume Flow rate

Accurate crude oil measurement at the metering station is one of main aims in an oil export terminal. The main objective is to decrease or remove any error at the metering station. It is found that crude oil temperature at metering station has significant effects on measured volume and may cause big uncertainty at the metering point, as crude oil flows through the pipeline pick up the solar radiation and heat up. This causes the crude oil temperature at the metering point to rise and higher uncertainty to be created. The amount of temperature rise depends on the main pipeline flow rate. In Kharg Island, there is about a 3 km distance between crude oil storage tanks and the metering point. The crude oil flows through the pipeline due to gravity effects as storage tanks are located 60m higher than the metering point. The flow rate could be controlled by the appropriate valves. In this study, based on the climate and geographical conditions of Kharg Island, the temperature at the metering point has been calculated and the effects of main pipe line flow rate have been investigated. Further, the uncertainty in the measurement system due to temperature rise has been studied