Pumping water from sources in remote locations for use in fracking — as well as some drilling applications — is a necessary but expensive task. The lingering problem is that while this requires accurate metering to compensate the owner of the water and keep costs down for the customer, it is often hampered by the reliability and durability issues of traditional meters.
To exacerbate the issue, meters in this situation may be moved from one location to another on a regular basis by hurried field operators who may not handle them as sensitively as they should. For example, it’s not uncommon for the meters to be tossed into the back of a truck by someone pressed for time.
Until recently, finding an optimal meter for these applications that meets all the specifications and withstands harsh conditions has been challenging. The good news is that McCrometer’s Dura Mag is emerging as an effective, accurate, and rugged meter that’s a cheaper alternative to the typical water transfer meter choices for oil and gas applications.
Defined By A Fusion-Bonded Liner
Water meters traditionally used in these scenarios contain a separate liner, making them more susceptible to damage. Once the liner is damaged, the electrodes will cease functioning, so the meter must immediately be removed from service and sent for repair. Therefore, it is critical to avoid liner damage, which is often a result of delamination. Mag meter liners can also be torn by large debris in dirty water applications or be the victim of a bad installation where the liner sticks out.
By comparison, McCrometer’s Dura Mag features a patented UltraLiner™ fusion-bonded epoxy — with a lifetime guarantee — that provides improved electrical insulation and protection against corrosion and abrasion.
With a five-year battery life, including a five-year battery warranty, the Dura Mag also eliminates the need for AC power connection and provides the easiest installation available on the market for a flanged mag flow meter. The batteries can be replaced in the field in just minutes without any special tools.
Use Case
TLR Energy, which is hired by companies to provide water transfer from farmers/landowners to oil and gas fracking companies, began using the Dura Mag about 18 months ago.
Leland Whitsitt of TLR Energy said the change was made because customers had been continuously complaining about issues with the accuracy and reliability of other meters. Some customers didn’t even attempt to fix their broken meters from other vendors. After switching to the Dura Mag, Whitsitt noticed the number of complaints dropped from an average of one per week to about one every six months.
“The improvement has been significant,” Whitsitt said. “By avoiding trips to the meter for issues, they save a lot of money and the landowner is happy. If the landowner is happy, then everybody is happy.”
Other Features
McCrometer’s Dura Mag is equipped with an internal datalogger with five years of storage, ensuring long-term access to historical data. It also has several telemetry-ready output options, and the converter settings are USB port accessible, which eliminates accidental setting changes. Other features include availability to fit a common range of line sizes, from 2” to 12” (including wafer style) diameter pipe, and accuracy of +/- 1 percent with only 2D of upstream and 1D of downstream straight pipe required for most installations.
As the pressure for efficiency continues to increase on energy producers, reliable measurement solutions have become paramount to overall operations. When it comes to water transfer applications, McCrometer’s Dura Mag is gaining a reputation for its effectiveness for water metering in oil and gas applications.
