FMC INVALCO

BS&W Monitors
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API Definition of BS&W

 A material coexisting with, yet foreign to
petroleum liquid, that requires a separate
measurement for reasons that include sales
accounting. This foreign material includes
free water and sediment (FW&S) and
emulsified or suspended water and sediment.
The quantity of suspended material (SW&S)
present is determined by a centrifuge or
laboratory testing of a sample petroleum.
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Methods Used to Measure BS&W

Capacitance
Microwave
Density
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Monitor Components

 Monitor is an electronic instrument.

 Designed to measure, display & transmit the
percent of water.
 Installation consists of electronic readout unit &
probe.
 Probe consists of outer body, element tube,
trimmer rod & Teflon insulators.
 Explosion-proof electronics housing standard on
probe.
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Model CX-645 Probe and 4528 Detector

 The model CX-645 Probe and
4528 Detector provide a direct
analog (0-5 VDC or 4-20 mA)
output of percent emulsified
water and free water (as S&W) in
the process stream. This signal
is designed to be used externally
by our monitors or customers
control devices such as PLC’s or
Distributive Control Systems.

Series GT
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Multipulse
Model CX-645Positive Displacement
Probe and 4528 Detector
Meters
 The probe is constructed of two concentric tubes. Wetted and internal
surfaces are coated with a fused epoxy powder. The inner tube is
insulated from the outer tube by Teflon spacers and is electrically
connected to a terminal within the sensor housing. The internal element
spacers can be fitted with trimmer rods should it be necessary to adjust
the base capacitance.

Series GT
Pipe Sizes Available
Pipe Size Dim. "A"
2" 17"
3", 4", 6", 8" 32"
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Dielectric Constant
 Dielectric Constant is the name given to a particular
electrical quality of an insulator that will determine
the value of a capacitor. Dielectric constant values
vary widely from one material to the next.
 The Dks of the things that normally concern us with
BS&W monitoring are as follows:
 Air/Gas...1 (actually, a vacuum is 1)
 Oils.........2+/-
 Water......80
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Causes of Variations in BS&W Monitor Readings

Some things, other than water cut fluctuations, cause the

readings of a BS&W monitor to vary.
 An increase in the amount of a lower gravity crude in a
stream of mixed crudes will cause the monitor readings to
increase. This is because the Dk of oil vary inversely with
the gravity. As the API gravity of a stream goes down, the
Dk will go up, indicating more water. If the gravity goes up,
the Dk goes down.
 As a matter of interest, the amount of increase is not a
constant - due to the different components of oil that may
have the same API gravity. Increases in monitor readings of
.25% to .3% per degree of gravity increase are not
uncommon.
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Causes of Variations in BS&W Monitor Readings

 An increase in the amount of gas in the oil will cause

readings to decrease. This is because the Dk of gas is
close to 1, which is less than that of oil. Another way
to look at it is that the more gas you have means you
have less liquid oil in the probe for the monitor to
measure.
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Causes of Variations in BS&W Monitor Readings

 An increase in the amount of chemical in the oil will

usually cause the readings to increase. Changing
chemicals will often require recalibration of the
monitor.
 Note that if the chemical tends to plate out on the inside of the
flow line, it will also plate out on the inside of the probe. This
will cause erroneous readings which tend to worsen with time.
When this happens, the probe must be pulled and washed out
with a solvent. The frequency of pulling/washing will vary from
location to location depending on the severity of the problem.
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Causes of Variations in BS&W Monitor Readings

 A decrease in oil temperature will cause monitor

readings to go up. Conversely, an increase in
temperature will cause the readings to decrease.
Normally, a temperature fluctuation of 10°F in a mid 30
oil will cause .1%± change in monitor readings.
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Causes of Variations in BS&W Monitor Readings

 Paraffin tends to hold water. So if you have enough

paraffin in the oil, such that it sticks to the inside of the
flow line, then it probably is also sticking to the inside
of the probe. The monitor will then “see” the water in
the paraffin sticking to the inside of the probe and show
it as if it were water in the flowing oil. Paraffin
deposition tends to worsen with time, causing
erroneous readings. Periodic cleaning of the probe is
required if accuracy is to be maintained.
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Changes in Temperature

On the average a 10°F change in temperature

will result in a .1% change in BS&W.

Since the monitor has no way of knowing that

the temperature of the fluid has changed, it will
indicate it as a change in water content.
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Change of Gravity

On an average, a 1 API change will cause a

change in the oil’s Dk that is the equivalent of a
.2% to .3% water change.

Since the monitor has no way of knowing what

is causing the Dk to change (if the oil mixture
changes) it will indicate it as a change in water
content.
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Typical Applications
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Typical Applications
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Three-Phase Separator Well Test System

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Analyzer Applications

 LACT – Lease Automatic Custody Transfer Units

 Monitor water content at point of transfer.

 Pipeline Loading
 Monitor transfer of petroleum/condensate.

 Dehydration Equipment
 Determine & enhance equipment efficiencies

 Fuel Oil Monitoring

 Determine contamination by condensation

 Storage & Treating Facilities

 Monitor & detect undesirable conditions & interface
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BS&W Probe Installation Tips

 Don’t mount the probe directly to the output of the pump. The pump
does “mix” the fluid so that you may get a slightly more homogenized
stream, but unless you have fairly high water cuts, the water is already
dispersed as small droplets and any benefits realized by additional
mixing will be quite small. The bigger concern is that unless the pump
speed is perfect, the impeller is not worn such that an absolute minimal
slippage of fluid around the blade ends exits, the pump suction is
correct, etc, it will cause bubbles to form in the oil going into the direct
mounted probe which cause wide (often wild) fluctuations in monitor
readings. Normally having the probe 5-6 feet downstream of the pump
gives enough pipe length for the bubbles to collapse/disperse so you
can get steady readings from the monitor.
 Don’t expect an air eliminator to take out all gas. An air/gas eliminator
takes out large bubbles/slugs of gas, but will not remove the small-
entrained bubbles flowing within the oil.
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BS&W Probe Installation Tips

 Do have back pressure valves on the sales line and the bad oil line.
Often a back pressure valve on the bad oil line is omitted for economy
reasons. This may be ok, but usually gives troubles as the pressure on
the oil in the probe will be different when the unit goes from good oil to
bad oil and vice versa. Unless the oil has weathered in a tank for a long
time so that it is “dead” with all the gas having vented off, the solution
gas in the oil will react to changes in probe pressure. If the pressure
decreases, the small solution gas bubbles will become larger causing
the fluid Dk to decrease making the oil appear to have less water.
Conversely, if the pressure on the oil in the probe increases when the
unit goes to good oil, it will compress gas bubbles even smaller, raising
the Dk of the oil and making the oil appear to have more water. For a
monitor to produce consistent, reliable readings, the line pressure must
be the same regardless if the unit is in a good oil or bad oil position.
Remember, the monitor has no way of knowing, it can only look at the oil
in its probe and advise of its Dk.
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BS&W Probe Installation Tips

 Do check the monitor readings with flow through the probe, and with no flow,
anytime you experience erratic readings. If the readings are steady with no flow,
but become erratic with flow, then the problem is related to changes in the fluid
caused by flow. If the reading fluctuates downward, then something is causing
the Dk to decrease during flow. In other words, something related to flow is
probably causing bubbles to form in the oil. This can be caused by vortexing in
the working tank oil outlet caused by running the level too low, a rag or stick
caught in the pump suction, loose bolts or fittings on the pump suction allowing
it to suck in air, the pump speed may be too high for the inlet piping size or the
impeller may be worn allowing excessive fluid “slippage” between the impeller
and the pump housing with resultant bubble formation. Also, a broken end strap
holding the inner electrode inside the probe will allow the inner electrode to
wiggle with flow. This will cause fluctuations with readings going both high and
low. The best way to ascertain, if reading changes are caused by flow, is to
disconnect the wire going from the electronics to the probe stud coming up into
the condulet, and then measure the electrical capacity value in picofarads from
the probe stud to gound, under flowing and non-flowing conditions. Please note
that it is normal for the value to be steady at no flow and to be a different steady
value at flow. This is OK. What causes problems is if the flow value is
continuously changing. Remember, a change of only a little more than 4 pf will
give a monitor reading change of 1% water.
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BS&W Probe Installation Tips

 Do realize that you may get wide reading changes with gravity
changes in the oil. The Dk of oil varies inversely with API gravity,
so that if you calibrate on high gravity oil and then run a low
gravity through the probe, the readings normally will go high,
even if both oils are dry. It is usually best to calibrate on the
lowest gravity oil. Admittedly, this allows the possibility of some
water slipping through when you ship high gravity oil. But, since
higher gravity oil normally won’t hold much water in emulsion,
the risk of shipping water is extremely small.