FUNDAMENTALS OF CORIOLIS METERS

(FOR GAS MEASUREMENT)

Tom O’Banion, Micro Motion, Inc.
Karl Stappert, Daniel Industries, Inc.

ABSTRACT gas composition must be accurately measured or

Coriolis meters have gained worldwide acceptance in
liquid applications since the early 1980’s with an installed
base or more than 350,000 units. Newer designs have
shown greatly improved low-flow sensitivity, lower
pressure drop, and immunity to noise; factors which now
enable their successful use in gas-phase fluid
applications. With more than 20,000 units on gas around
the world, groups including the AGA, API, Measurement
Canada, German PTB, and Dutch NMi are all involved in
writing standards for this “emerging” gas flow technology.
An overview of theory, selection, installation and
maintenance of Coriolis meters will be presented.
Application details will be presented to illustrate both
the range of natural gas applications, including
production, fuel flow control to gas turbines, master
metering, and city/industrial gate custody transfer as well
as third-party test data. Laboratories include the
Colorado Engineering Experiment Station Inc. (CEESI),
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), and Pigsar
(Germany).
controlled, the devices regularly maintained (orifice plates
checked, turbine bearings rebuilt), and adequate flow
conditioning provided for profile-sensitive technologies.
Since Coriolis measures the flowing mass of the gas,
and accuracy is independent of composition and flow
profile/swirl, the meter is more accurate under a wider
range of operating conditions and is often lower cost to
install and maintain.
Coriolis is a smaller line-size technology: the largest
offering from any vendor for gas applications is a 6” meter
(handling natural gas flows up to 8 -10” lines). While capital
cost, installed cost, and “cost of ownership” of newer
designs are very low for this technology (e.g. Micro
Motion’s R-series™ is under $2800 in 1/4”, 1/2”, and 1” sizes
and $3700 for 2”), Coriolis cannot serve all applications.

INTRODUCTION

Coriolis is one of the fastest growing technologies, and

growth in gas phase applications is approximately four
times faster than for liquid applications. Older designs
were known to have some fairly well-justified limitations Micro Motion R-series™ (1/4” to 2”)
for use on gas; in general, a relatively high pressure drop
(around 1000” H2O) was required to obtain a high
accuracy flow reading, and large meters (3”- 4” meter)
did not work well due to sensitivity to noise and effects
of process pressure. Since the market was rapidly
growing, Coriolis vendors focused mostly on liquid
applications. Note that the extensive range of liquid
applications will not be addressed here. Please contact
the authors for more information, or log onto
www.micromotion.com.

Newer designs and technology developments since the

early 1990’s have changed this, allowing accurate gas
flow measurement for even low-pressure gases (50-100
psi). Sensitivity has been dramatically improved, and
pressure drop lowered (a typical 500 psi distribution
application can now be sized as low as 90” wc ). All in
all, it can be argued that Coriolis technology solves more
problems and offers even more value for gas than liquid
measurement. This is because gases are compressible,
and with traditional technologies (dP/orifice, turbine,
rotary, diaphragm), process pressure, temperature, and
Installed R050 (1/2”) meter, preferred installation for gas
(tubes “up,” prevents accumulation of condensate)
Coriolis meters are very cost competitive with other
metering technologies on an installed cost basis, where
installed cost includes:
• Instrument purchase price
• Temperature and pressure compensation
(volumetric technologies)

2001 PROCEEDINGS PAGE 37

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
 • Flow conditioning and straight runs (profile
sensitive technologies)
• Flow computer (volumetric technologies) for
mass flow & standard volume calculations
Application “sweet spots” include:
• Line sizes 8-10” and smaller (single 6” meter, or
smaller meters in parallel)
• High turndown requirements (20:1 up to 50:1 is
common), eliminating parallel metering runs of
other technologies
• Dirty or wet gas where maintenance can be an
issue
• No room for adequate straight-runs (re: AGA-3
revision)
• Changing gas composition and density
• Critical phase fluids such as Ethylene (C2H4) or
Carbon Dioxide (CO2), where volumetric meters
are very expensive, especially where custody
transfer or process control is mass based
Currently, as measured by flowmeter units sold, around
10% of the worldwide market for Coriolis meters is for
gas phase applications. This is in a flow market that is
approximately one-fourth (26%) gas, not including steam
(Process gas is thought to be approximately 16% with
Natural gas being 10%, and steam being 10%). Coriolis
is primarily a single-phase flowmeter, although promising
early
g resultsgfrom wet-gas testing will be mentioned.
Gas
Steam (10%)
Gas
(26%)
Liquid
Coriolis Industry
Precision Flow Market $300M/yr
$2.6B (50,000 units/yr)
(1.2 million units/yr)
Coriolis offers an improved primary element, with familiar
outputs. Much like liquid petroleum applications, users
desire improved reliability and accuracy, but in traditional
units such as MMscfd.
CORIOLIS STANDARD OR NORMAL VOLUME
OUTPUT:
Coriolis technology measures the mass of fluid (gas or
liquid) flowing through the primary element. For liquid
applications, the on-line density from the Coriolis meter
(similar to other vibrating element densitometers) is used
to output actual volume. This is useful for fiscal transfers
of liquid petroleum, and if often corrected to base
conditions, such as barrels of oil at 60 deg F.
For gas applications, the meter output can be configured
for familiar standard or normal volumetric flow units, such
as MMscfd or NM3/hr. The on-line density from the meter
PAGE 38 2001 PROCEEDINGS
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
is not used; rather the standard or normal density of the
gas is entered into a flow computer from either a sample
or on-line analysis, using a gas chromatograph (GC).
Coriolis technology uses the following approach to
output a highly accurate standard or normal volumetric
output, in common usage throughout much of the world:
Flow Computer
Mass
MMI Flow Standard or Normal
Transmitter Computer volume flow
Gas
QSTP = QMass / standard density
standard
density 3
Q (scfm) = Q (lb/min)/ (lb/ft)
Measured Input by user
by MMI
Somewhat like multipath Ultrasonic technology a few
years ago, Coriolis “caught the eye” of the natural gas
industry. Now, work is actively underway by (among
others) Task Group #11 of the AGA’s Transmission
Measurement Committee (TMC). As of the time of this
writing (June 2001), the “for publication” Tech Note has
been submitted to AGA.
Coriolis has been used since the late 1970’s for liquid
process applications, and has now been used since 1992
for process gas with more than 10,000 installed units.
Another 10,000 have been used for Compressed Natural
Gas (CNG), natural gas at 3000+ psi for vehicle fueling.
This paper will discuss why the technology is now a bona
fide option for natural gas applications. Status of major
worldwide standards will be presented, with an emphasis
on the Americas and Europe, plus a sampling of
applications from “wellhead to burner tip.”
HOW THE TECHNOLOGY WORKS: THEORY OF
OPERATION
A Coriolis meter is comprised of two main components,
a sensor (primary element) and a transmitter (secondary).
Coriolis meters infer the gas mass flow rate by sensing
the Coriolis force on a vibrating tube or tubes. The
conduit consists of one or more tubes and is forced to
vibrate at a resonant frequency. Sensing coils located
on the inlet and outlet sections of the tube(s) oscillate in
proportion to the sinusoidal vibration. During flow, the
vibrating tube(s) and gas mass flow couple together due
to the Coriolis force, causing a phase shift between the
vibrating sensing coils. The phase shift, which is
measured by the Coriolis meter transmitter, is directly
proportional to the mass flow rate.
Note that the vibration frequency is proportional to the
flowing density of the fluid. For gas applications, the
flowing or “live” density is not used (standard or normal
volumetric flow rate is based on gas composition, but
not conditions of P and T). For liquids, the “live” density
is often used.
 STANDARDS WORK AND APPROVALS
Drive Coil
and Magnet
Coriolis meters have long been used for process control,
and a number of worldwide approvals or documents exist
for fiscal (custody) transfer of liquids. These include:

Leftt Pickoff Coil Right Pickoff Coil • USA NIST C.O.C.

and Magnet Case and Magnet • USA API
• German PTB
• Dutch NMi
Flow Tubes RTD • Numerous other countries, including Canada,
Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, and Russia

Beginning in the mid-1990’s, some of these groups and

the industry also began studying the technology for
Process Connection Process Connection gaseous applications. The German weights and measures
Flanges Flanges
group (PTB) extended custody transfer approval to include
both gas and liquid phase fluids in 1999. As well, Dutch
weights and measures (NMi) has performed testing and
published a statement that the flow calibration factor
Left
established on water transfers without field calibration
to gas phase applications, within a certain tolerance.

In spring of 2001, Measurement Canada granted Micro

Motion Coriolis meters approval for use in fiscal transfer
of natural gas.
∆t
Copies of these approval documents are available from
Right the author/speaker.

Shown below are two recent calibration curves on 3”

custody transfer meters (model CMF300). These are
being used in “Industry Gate” applications in Australia.

Laboratory is Pigsar-Dorsten, with natural gas at 725 psi.

Flow rates ranged from 350 to 7300 scfm (0.5 to 10
MMscfd). Accuracies were better than ±0.2% over the
20:1 test range.

&RULROLVVLJQDOSURFHVVLQJ
'63EDVHG

Note the transmitter can either be integral or remote,

depending on the design. The transmitter provides both
drive power to sustain the sensor resonance as well as
interprets and configures the Coriolis signal.

For a more complete discussion of the Coriolis theory of

operation, please see Micro Motion’s website at:

www.micromotion.com (TUTOR™)

2001 PROCEEDINGS PAGE 39

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
 Most exciting to the natural gas industry in the
“Americas” and world areas influenced by “Americas”
expertise, is Task Group #11 of the AGA TMC. At the
time of this writing (June 2001), a Tech Note covering
Coriolis meters for custody transfer of natural gas has
been submitted to AGA for publication. It is expected
that this document will be available before the date of
the American School (Sep 2001).
As well, testing work toward a formal report is underway
at SouthWest Research Institute in San Antonio, TX. After
baseline testing (Coriolis meters with no flow
disturbances and clean, dry gas), the two main focus
areas of study are:
1) Flow Profile: Establish if Coriolis is truly
insensitive to flow profile and swirl. Test matrix
includes “AGA-3 like” testing for single and
double elbows in and out of plane. Early results
from Micro Motion show there is no effect at least
within 5d; one researcher (Dr. Umesh Karnik of
TCPL/NOVA) found some profile dependence,
as reported at the 4th International Fluid Flow
Symposium (July, 1999 Denver, CO USA). Other
Coriolis vendors have indicated some small
profile sensitivity, so this testing is critical to the
establishment of a technical note and/or
standard.
0.5
Mass Flow Rate Error, %
0.4
0.3
Baseline
0.2
0.1 Single El
0 Double El
-0.1 Single El
-0.2
Double El
-0.3
-0.4
-0.5
10000 100000 1000000
Reynolds Number
Results from a 1995 study (T. Patten; North Sea Flow
Workshop) using hot water. Within a few pipe diameters
of the primary element, no effect of flow profile or swirl
was found.
PAGE 40 2001 PROCEEDINGS
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
Gas testing at CEESI during product development of
Micro Motion’s R-seriesTM is shown in the prior column.
Note the installation details: meters are mounted flange-
to-flange and a Micro Motion ELITE™ is used as a
reference meter.
2) Wet Gas: The industry is very interested to
quantify the amount of entrained liquid Coriolis
technology can handle, while maintaining good
accuracy. Initial results from a consortium study
in Canada indicate good tolerance for entrained
liquids, but additional testing is necessary and
desired. Produced or wellhead gas are the target
applications.
The AGA work focuses on two “sweet spots” for Coriolis:
1. Medium to high pressure distribution metering
points. These city-gates or industry-gates often
have high turndown requirements, and new
installations must meet the recently revised,
more stringent AGA-3 straight run requirements,
adding additional cost to using traditional
measurement technologies. As well, Coriolis’
proven stability over time offers reduced
maintenance and field proving/verification.
2. Wet gas measurement. If Coriolis is capable of
measuring wellhead or produced gas, prior to
processing, significant operational savings are
possible.
SIZING AND SELECTION
Selection of a Coriolis meter for gas applications is quite
straightforward but different than traditional technologies
used on natural gas, such as orifice and turbine meters.
There are two reasons for this; one being that Coriolis is
available in discrete sizes (like turbine or rotary); the
second being that the Coriolis meter can be sized for a
much higher pressure drop than is the industry norm.
This can be useful as it increases useable turndown.
Coriolis can be installed upstream of a pressure regulator,
resulting in a smaller and less expensive primary (sensor)
and increased turndown.
Coriolis flow meters for gas measurement are currently
available in line diameters from 1/4 to 6 inches. There are
three major considerations when sizing a Coriolis meter:
1) Pressure loss,
2) Velocity of the gas inside the sensor, and,
3) Total meter error.
PRESSURE DROP
The sensor geometry, gas density and velocity determine
the permanent pressure loss through the meter.
Pressure loss is also determined by any pipe fittings
required for meter installation. Pipe reducers, valves, and
additional straight pipe requirements should be
considered when calculating the loss in pressure for the
selected meter.
VELOCITY
Some Coriolis meters have performance limitations at
higher gas velocities due to noise imposed on the meter
signal. Such signal noise can affect meter accuracy and
repeatability. The gas velocity at which signal noise
becomes a problem is design (vendor) specific. Seldom
is signal noise a concern when the gas velocity in the
meter is below about 200 ft/s. A Mach number limit is
usually provided by the meter manufacturer to define
the maximum recommended velocity.
If abrasive contaminants are present in the gas flow
stream, erosion of the wetted meter components may
be a concern when the meter is exposed to high gas
velocities. This effect is design specific.
METER ERROR VS. FLOW RATE
Meter error versus flow rate is determined from a
performance curve, similar to the one shown below. The
error versus flow rate curve is based on the results of
laboratory calibrations. Most manufacturers state the
probable meter error as a percentage of rate, plus the zero
stability value. Third party meter error data are referenced
in Appendix B. The error is typically expressed as:
% Error = ± (0.50% ± (zero stability/flow rate) x 100)
The base error value (0.50%) in equation (9) was chosen
for illustrative purposes. The actual meter error can be
established from laboratory calibration. This should
include the effects of laboratory uncertainty, linearity,
hysteresis, and repeatability.
Flow Error and Pressure Loss vs. Flow Rate, 3" Bending Mode Coriolis Meter
Gas Conditions: Gr = 0.59, Tf = 60 F
3.00
2.00
1.00
Flow Rate Error, %
0.00
-1.00
-2.00
-3.00
0 200000 400000
Flow Rate, SCFH
Meter Error and Pressure Loss Versus Flow Rate
ZERO STABILITY
The zero stability value defines the limits within which
the meter zero may drift during operation, and is constant
over the operating range (all other affecting parameters
fixed). It may be given as a value in flow rate units, or a
percentage of a stated nominal mass flow rate. The zero
stability value is the limiting factor when establishing
meter turndown ratio. The stated zero stability value is
achievable when the Coriolis flow meter is installed, and
re-zeroed at operating conditions.
Because process temperature or pressure changes, and/
or, environmental temperature changes will affect the
meter zero stability, the estimated value of the zero
stability is usually limited to meters at thermal and
pressure equilibrium. Limits for changes in these
parameters may be given, which when exceeded, will
require a re-zeroing of the meter to reestablish the
specified zero stability.
TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE COMPENSATION
Both pressure and temperature affect the meter vibration
characteristics, hence the magnitude of the sensed
Coriolis force. In comparison to zero stability, these effects
are small, but should be compensated for to achieve
optimum meter performance. Most meter designs
compensate for temperature effect automatically, using
the temperature of the tube(s), and for pressure effects
either continuously using an external pressure transmitter,
or by entering a fixed adjustment for the known pressure.
Other meter designs periodically check meter sensitivity
by applying a waveform reference force to the tube(s),
during field operation, and compare the system response
to that achieved under reference flowing conditions. This
system will compensate for both pressure and
temperature effects.
Errors and compensation methods for pressure and
temperature effects should be stated in the meter
performance specifications, and included, if necessary,
when establishing meter performance for sizing
600
considerations. Errors are estimated from data for each
Error limit
meter design and with the use of error propagation
Pressure loss-1000 psig 500 methods.
Pressure loss-500 psig
Pressure Loss, inches H2O
400
TURNDOWN RATIO
300
Flow meter turndown ratio is the ratio of the acceptable
200
maximum mass flow rate to the acceptable minimum
mass flow rate. The turndown ratio is application specific
100 and dependent on gas conditions, allowable pressure
loss across the meter, and allowable meter error.
0
600000 800000 1000000
The maximum pressure loss (at maximum flow rate)
across the meter can be determined once the meter
diameter, piping installation configuration, and maximum
allowable gas velocity are specified. Typically, the meter
selected is one line diameter smaller than the size of the
2001 PROCEEDINGS PAGE 41
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
 Error at Minimum Flow vs Turndown
3" Bending Mode Coriolis Meter, Natural Gas, Gr = 0.59, Tf = 60 F
Pressure Loss at Max Flow = 1% of Line Pressure
100
1480 Psig
80
1000 Psig
500 Psig
100 Psig
Flow Turndown
60
40
20
0
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
Error at Minimum Flow, Percent
Error at Minimum Flow Versus Flow Turndown Ratio
pipe in which the meter is installed. This usually provides
more accurate measurement at lower flow rates.
However, the resulting permanent pressure loss for a
given flow rate is higher than if the meter diameter is the
same as the pipe diameter. Because higher pressure gas
has a higher mass flow rate for the same velocity, higher
pressures will produce higher flow turndowns for the
same meter arrangement.
A family of curves can be generated showing flow
turndown for different gas pressures. The figure above
presents example values of this relationship for a
pressure loss of 1% of pipe pressure at the meter inlet.
INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
Mounting
Proper mounting of the sensor is required. Consideration
should be given to the support of the sensor, the
alignment of the inlet and outlet flanges with the sensor.
A spool piece should be used in place of the meter to
align pipe-work during the construction phase.
Piping should follow typical industry piping codes. Meter
performance, specifically zero stability, can be affected
by axial, bending, and torsion stresses from pressure,
weight and thermal effects. Utilizing properly aligned
pipe-work and properly designed supports can minimize
these stresses and associated loads.
Mount the Coriolis transmitter so that it may be easily
accessed to attach communications equipment, to view
displays, and to use keypads. Coriolis meters are
configured in two basic ways – the transmitter mounted
to the sensor or the transmitter mounted remotely.
Orientation
As a general rule, orient the sensor tubes in such a way
as to minimize the possibility of “settling” heavier
components, such as condensate, in the vibrating portion
PAGE 42 2001 PROCEEDINGS
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
of the sensor. Solids, sediment, plugging, coatings or
trapped liquids can affect the meter performance,
especially when present during zeroing. Allowable
sensor orientations will depend on the application and
the geometry of the vibrating tube(s).
Fluid Swirl and Flow Profile Effects
The effect of fluid swirl and non-uniform velocity profiles
caused by upstream and downstream piping
configuration on meter performance differs from one
meter design to another. Flow conditioning and straight
upstream and downstream piping lengths may or may
2.5 3.0 not be required. Further testing is recommended to
evaluate these potential effects.
Effects of Contaminants, i.e. Compressor Oil, Liquids
and Free Mists
Testing has shown that liquid carried in a gas stream may
not have the same adverse affect on performance as gas
carried in a liquid stream. However, the meter will measure
the mass flow rate of the total flow stream, including the
liquid i.e., condensate, glycol and compressor oil. The
allowable liquid fraction will depend on the application
and sensor geometry. Care should be taken to remove
liquid slugs before measuring the gas flow.
Vibration and Fluid Pulsation
During product development, extensive analysis and
testing have resulted in meter designs that are inherently
stable under a wide range of “normal” plant vibration
conditions.
Operation and Maintenance Considerations
Other than the vibrating sensor element(s), Coriolis meters
have no moving parts, requiring minimal maintenance.
There are three common types of field checks which
include meter zero, sensor checks, and transmitter
checks.
COMMON FIELD CHECKS
Meter Zero
Should be checked periodically and adjusted if it does
not meet the manufacturer’s specifications. If the meter
zero check shows degradation, then the following check
should be performed. Physical internal inspection may
be needed.
Sensor Checks
Product buildup, erosion or corrosion will affect the meter
performance.
Product buildup (coating) may bias the meter zero. If the
buildup is causing a zero drift, cleaning and re-zeroing
the meter should bring performance within specification.
If coating of the sensor continues, the zero will continue
to drift.
Although rare, erosion or corrosion will permanently affect
meter calibration and will compromise sensor integrity.
When used within the specified fluid and ambient
condition limits, fatigue of the sensing tubes of a Coriolis
meter due to vibration during the stated meter lifetime is
rare and does not need to be considered when inspecting
a meter. However, operating the meter in more extreme
corrosive or erosive applications will shorten the
expected lifetime.
Secondary Element (Transmitter)
Diagnostic LED(s) and display may be provided to
indicate operating status of the primary and secondary
elements. See the manufacturer’s documentation for
detailed description of secondary element diagnostic and
trouble shooting procedures. In addition, refer to API
Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standard (MPMS)
Chapter 21.1 for security issues.
Density Checks
As of this writing, operating density measured by the
meter should not be used to convert mass flow rate to
volume flow rate. However, it is useful as a diagnostic
tool to monitor changes in meter performance or
operating conditions.
Checking and Adjusting Meter Zero
Improper zeroing will result in measurement error. In order
to adjust the zero of the meter there must be no flow
through the flow sensor, and the sensor must be filled
with gas at process conditions. The meter zero must be
established at process conditions of temperature,
pressure and density. Even though the stream is not
flowing, the flow meter may indicate a small amount of
flow, either positive or negative. Causes for the zero error
are usually related to the differences between the
calibration conditions and the actual installation, which
include but are not limited to the following:
• Differences between the calibration media
density and the gas density
• Differences in temperature
• Differing mounting conditions
The meter should read a mass flow rate that is less than
the manufacturer’s zero stability specification under the
no-flow condition.
The zeroing of the meter must be performed at nominal
operating condition with no flow through the meter. Once
it has been confirmed that there is no flow through the
meter, the zeroing procedure specified by the meter
manufacturer should be followed.
APPLICATION EXAMPLES
Coriolis meters have been used in a wide variety of
applications, from the “wellhead to the burner tip”.
Coriolis meters are primarily a smaller line size meter,
ideally suited to these “sweet spots”:
• Line sizes 8-10” and smaller
• High turndown requirements
• Dirty, wet, or sour gas where maintenance can
be an issue with other technologies
• There is no room for long straight-runs
• Changing gas composition and density
Coriolis meters can be sized for very low-pressure drop
(100” H2O), but can also be installed upstream of the
pressure regulator for increased useable turndown. For
instance, in one application for custody transfer of
nitrogen, a 50-psid drop (2000” H2O) was taken through
the primary element, and the pressure regulator adjusted
accordingly. This allowed the use of a 1” primary element
instead of a 3” element, and a 40:1 useable turndown
(better than 2% accuracy at minimum flow). The only
other alternative was two to three parallel orifice runs at
much greater installed cost ($8k vs. $20k).
Test/Production Separators: The application shown
below is a “before and after” scenario. Coriolis meters
on both the liquid (oil/water) and gas streams streamlined
the separator design, saving over $100k in design,
engineering, and fabrication. As well, numerous parallel
orifice runs were eliminated by the superior turndown of
the Coriolis meter.
Saudi Aramco Separator Gas: Saudi Aramco uses a
number of Coriolis meters on both the liquid and gas
side. This application is of particular note because
the gas stream is wet with entrained condensate.
Measurement of this stream is within a few percent over
a wide range of conditions, greatly enhancing separator
operation.
Fuel Control: A major US vendor of gas turbines designs
a high-efficiency, low emissions offering. This design
utilizes a trio of Coriolis meters to measure the natural
gas burned in each of three combustion zones (fuel
2001 PROCEEDINGS PAGE 43
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
 five times, even with the parallel meters required to
handle the highest flows.

Additionally, periodic maintenance costs were much

reduced due to the intrinsic reliability of Coriolis meters
(i.e. no moving parts). Similarly, reliability improvements
had a very positive effect on calibration and proving costs.

Internal checks by the customer have shown agreement

“rails”). The combination of high turndown, high accuracy,
immunity to vibration in a very high vibration environment,
along with ease of installation due to no straight pipe run
requirement, makes Coriolis technology a perfect fit. Note
that this fuel-consumption application is a non custody-
transfer application, allowing the use of Coriolis meters in
the field, without any formal AGA standard or guideline.
to better than 0.1% on all gas transfers. The meters have
been installed and operating for over four years: 48
months of proving data is being requested from this utility
as part of the AGA TMC#11 effort.
PROVING
The data shown in Figure 1 was taken on natural gas,
but the meter was calibrated (i.e. the meter factor was

Natural Gas Fiscal Transfer Example

One specific example of gas measurement capability is
at a natural gas utility in Western Australia. Two 3” meters
are used in parallel with a third used as a “hot spare”.

The justification for using the Coriolis meters was based

on installed and calibration/maintenance cost
improvements over the more traditional turbine metering
systems. Since Coriolis meters require no straight runs
or flow conditioning the installed costs were reduced by

Western Australia: Previous installation using turbine

meters for 50:1 turndown

“After” installation since 1996, with two operating and

one “hot spare” meter for 80:1 turndown. Custody
transfer between utility and cogeneration project. 0.3 –
24 MMSCFD at 500 psia
Coriolis meters on low NOx gas turbine for pipeline
compressor

PAGE 44 2001 PROCEEDINGS

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
established) on water at the factory. Based on an
extensive database of water vs. gas calibration data,
there is no change in calibration between water and gas.
In addition, a history of over 250,000 installed meters on
liquid and gas indicates no change in meter factor over
time (barring corrosion or erosion issues).

Since proving any gas meter in-situ is difficult, the stability

of Coriolis meters makes them ideal for use on gas. By
utilizing the transferability of water calibration to gas and
the meter stability over time, an extremely accurate and
stable metering system can be established. The following
methodology was proposed by the Australian utility in
the previous example to establish traceability for high-
value gas transfers: Distribution metering: 3.5MMscfd, 1000 psia, ModBus,
high turndown
1. Establish the meter factor on water Distribution metering: Of special interest to the AGA
2. Validate the meter factor on gas (i.e. natural gas working group are medium to high-pressure distribution
at Pigsar) applications as shown below. In this example, natural
3. Periodically remove the meter from service and gas at 1000 psig is transferred, and requires Modbus
verify the meter factor on water communications protocol.

Although this methodology requires that the meter be
removed from service, it defines very accurately the in-
situ performance of the meter. Since steps 1 & 2 establish
the meter traceability between water and gas, verifying
water performance in step 3 automatically validates the
meter in-situ (gas) performance. After some experience,
it is likely that the period to repeat step 3 would be
lengthened from every year to every two or three years.
A variation of this proving methodology is to use a Coriolis
meter as a master meter. By establishing the traceability
between water and gas measurement on the master
Energy Metering: Coriolis meters have the potential to
be excellent energy meters, with or without on-line
chromatography. Three basic levels of energy metering
exist, as follows:
1. Small lines, where volumes do not justify on-
line GC. Coriolis meter alone can be used to
measure energy content typically within 1-3%.
2. Medium lines, where volume justifies an on-line
GC. Single or parallel Coriolis meters can be tied
to the GC, per the sketch below:
Mass/time

meter, it can be used to prove other meters (of any type). Core Processor
Flow
Computer
Energy flow
(BTU/hr, etc)
“Puck”
Figure 3 shows a 1” Coriolis meter being used as an in-
E/mass
situ master to prove an in-line turbine meter. Since in GC

this example the master meter is moved from one

installation to another validating the measurement on Key advantage is that mass measurement is more accurate
water periodically can be easily accommodated.
3. Large lines, with on-line GC and multipath
ultrasonic meter.

Energy per scf varies tremendously, depending on

molecular weight, with ethane having almost twice the
energy content of methane. If energy is measured per unit
mass, it can be seen that energy varies only 4%. For natural
gas energy metering, if composition is relatively constant
(especially of inerts such as nitrogen), the Coriolis meter by
itself offers a very affordable method of measuring energy
transferred. In this application, the meter’s output is
configured to represent energy per time (e.g. BTU/hr)
instead of mass or standard volume (lb/hr or scfh).

Heat of Combustion Air required for Combustion

B TU / s cf B TU / lb s cf air / s cf fue l lb a ir / lb fue l

M ethane 911 21600 9.6 17.2
E tha ne 1630 20500 16.8 16.1
P ropa ne 2360 20000 24.3 15.7
FIGURE 3. Master meter proving of a turbine meter n-B uta ne 3110 19700 32.1 15.5
using a 1” Coriolis meter. H y droge n 273 51900 2.4 34.3

2001 PROCEEDINGS PAGE 45

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
 Combustion Control to Boilers: In this application, a Pulp
mill in Quebec sought a more reliable way to meet EPA
emissions requirements. Combustion control was easier,
based on the mass (standard volume) ration between
the natural gas and combustion air, over wider turndowns
with no flow conditioning.
Check Metering: An emerging application is in the use
of Coriolis meters to “check” the billing from utility
companies. In this application, a major US specialty
chemical manufacturer on the West Coast used a large
amount of natural gas for process boilers and furnaces.
When plant energy balances did not match utility
company billing, check meters were installed. Note that
this user relied on the NIST-traceable water calibration
factor transferring to gas applications in their discussions
with their utility supplier.
Ethylene Gas Transfer: Ethylene is commonly viewed as a
difficult to measure gas, due to its highly non-ideal nature.
In this application, Coriolis meters are used for intra-plant
transfers, helping to meet both unit mass-balance goals,
PAGE 46 2001 PROCEEDINGS
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF GAS MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
as well as reactor feed rate requirements. Ethylene is fed
continuously to a polymerization reactor, where various
grades of polyethylene (LDPE, etc) are made.
SUMMARY
Although relatively new technology for natural gas
applications outside of compressed natural gas (CNG),
Coriolis have gained worldwide acceptance for other
fluids and other industries. With a worldwide installed
base of around 300,000 units, Coriolis technology is
seeing expanded use for both liquid petroleum and
natural gas. A number of countries and groups have
either drafted standards or are in the process of studying
the technology. Most notably the AGA Task Group #11
has published its Tech Note covering Coriolis for Custody
Transfer of Natural Gas.
Technology limitations of earlier designs have been
largely overcome, with high accuracy measurement now
possible at low-pressure drop, typically 90” wc. Coriolis
“sweet spots” are mainly in lines of 8-10” and smaller,
where high turndown is needed, flow conditioning to
meet new AGA-3 requirements is costly, and/or the gas
is of dirty, sour, or of changing composition. Also, good
potential exists for “simple” energy metering, using the
Coriolis meter output directly, scaled for energy units.
Coriolis is an ideal complement to multi-path ultrasonic
meters. These two technologies overlap 4” to 8” line size
range.
Third-party data from CEESI, Pigsar, SwRI, and others
show little if any effect of flow profile, and little if any
shift in meter factor from factory calibration to natural
gas application. As the AGA Task Group progresses
toward a formal Report, testing to quantify these effects
will be done. Testing is also planned to quantify the
effects on accuracy for wet and dirty gas.
Common Coriolis gas applications range from wellhead
and separator gas to turbine and boiler combustion
control to medium/high pressure distribution metering.
Several Coriolis vendors are currently active in supporting
the AGA’s work to develop both a Technical Note as well
as a formal Report. Strong continuing support from
industry, vendors, AGA and API will help assure the
formal Report is published in calendar 2002. Until then,
Coriolis technology merits serious consideration as a
bona fide contender to complement Ultrasonic for natural
gas applications.