Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents its technology leadership award to a company that has pioneered the development and introduction of an innovative technology. The technology must either have impacted on, or have the potential to impact on, several market sectors and be expected to bring significant contributions in terms of adoption, change and competition.
This year’s winner is Emerson Process Management, for its introduction and continuing development of Micro Motion Coriolis advanced flow and density measurement technology.
Coriolis technology, ideal for a large number of gas and liquid applications, offers high accuracy measurement for a range of operating environments. While other measurement technologies may require additional pressure and temperature devices, a single Coriolis meter measures mass and density directly for improved efficiency and reliability in the process.
“Emerson’s Micro Motion division has made extensive contributions in Coriolis technology development and has been awarded over 150 US patents that cover a wide range of product, technology and applications for their technology,” says Frost and Sullivan research analyst Miriam Nagel.
Since introducing the first practical Coriolis metering devices in 1977, Emerson has further developed the technology and installed over 500000 Micro Motion Coriolis devices in a vast array of applications around the world, establishing itself as the leader in this area (Fig.1).
Due to its accuracy and ability to measure flow and density with a single device, says Frost & Sullivan, the impact of Coriolis technology is also great across diverse sectors where measurement accuracy is critical, such as the custody transfer of LNG, and compressed natural gas (CNG), as well as in other oil and gas industries.
“Significantly, Coriolis flow measurement technology is also being used for ethanol production and quality control due to the ability to measure alcohol concentration and flow with a single device,” added Nagel.
“We are honoured to be recognised for Coriolis technology that has improved accuracy and performance of applications for customers around the world,” said John Berra, president of Emerson Process Management. “It is gratifying that our pioneering of this technology in the 1970s and the development that we continue today is expanding the use of this innovative measurement approach.”

A laser on custody transfer

Meanwhile, Invensys Process Systems has successfully completed a substantial contract to supply a novel custody transfer system (CTS) for use on the new ‘Provalys’ 150000m3 Gaz de France LNG tanker. The tanker has just started commercial operations in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
The French company was looking for a state-of-the-art solution that did not rely on traditional, but expensive and difficult to maintain radar- or capacitance-based technologies.
Known as CTS V, the new Invensys system fits these requirements perfectly. It is based on innovative non-contact pulsed light detecting and ranging (LIDAR) laser technology that combines the
well-proven accuracy of traditional capacitive-based systems with the lower total cost of ownership of
non-intrusive, radar-based level measurement systems.

High accuracy

Certified by Nippon Kaiji Kentei Kyokai (NKKK) of Japan, the world’s leading survey organisation in the area of custody transfer measurements for LNG, this is the first time that LIDAR has been installed on an LNG carrier. It is capable of high accuracy measurements and data logging of levels, temperatures, and pressures required for the calculation of total LNG cargo loaded or discharged. The data is then converted to volumetric measurement.
According to Invensys, LIDAR has many other advantages and user benefits over conventional capacitance and radar-based systems. For example, easy external access to all measurement components means that the LNG compartment itself never has to be entered, while high-resolution, non-contact pulsed laser technology eliminates the need for complicated and costly in-tank wave guides. The fully industrial components in high-availability, redundant configurations ensure many years of trouble free operation in demanding marine environments, and a state-of-the-art Windows XP user interface makes it easier for operators to handle and to interface with other shipboard subsystems.
The contract includes a complete Foxboro I/A control and cargo operation system for the ‘Provalys’ and was won against stiff competition from radar-based CTS systems offered by Emerson SAAB and Konsberg Autronica.
“We decided to award the contract to Invensys Process Systems as the LIDAR solution provides the accuracy we require at a much reduced cost when compared to the conventional radar alternative. The fact that the company could combine this technology with the proven Foxboro I/A DCS was an important factor,” said a spokesperson from Gazocean, the Gaz de France ship operator.
The measurement principle of laser-based custody transfer is simple. It is performed by a laser sensor using the well-proven time-of-flight (TOF) measurement principle that relies on short laser pulses.
The level sensor is installed on deck at the top of a circular still pipe that extends into the LNG tank. Its explosion-proof enclosure is equipped with a safety glass window and is used to contain the process.
The laser beam passes through the glass window with minimal diffusion and attenuation. The still pipe extends vertically from the top of the tank down to its bottom. Brackets connected to the inner tank structure guide the still pipe for a straight vertical installation. Sleeves located inside the guide brackets allows for vertical movement of the still pipe due to its thermal contraction or expansion. The still pipe isolates the laser beam from adverse measurement conditions.
It is important to note that the still pipe is not an integral part of the level measuring device and that the accuracy of the measurement is not dependent on its characteristics. Pipe equalisation holes are used to balance the pressure between the inside and outside of the pipe.
The system operates by measuring the distance between the liquid surface and the LIDAR sensor. The sensor generates short infrared light pulses – laser pulses – which travel through the glass window and then reflect back off the LNG liquid surface. These reflected pulses are received back by the LIDAR sensor receiver detection electronics. An electronic timing circuit measures the TOF between the transmitted and the received laser pulses.
Time measurement is then converted to a distance measurement by the LIDAR processing unit. This is accomplished by taking one half of the product of the measured TOF and the speed of light. This measurement principle allows for both a high-speed sampling rate and suppression of any signal disturbance through the use of statistical calculations.
Both the advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and system software are executed in the CTS-V processor. The level gauging is calculated by subtracting the distance measured by the LIDAR from the actual distance between the LIDAR sensor and the tank floor.
Up to four level alarms with relay outputs are provided for each LNG tank, while their trigger points and deadbands are fully adjustable during system configuration. The overall system accuracy is ±7.5 mm over the entire gauging height.
In terms of generating reports, CTS V automatically scans and prints the values of selected sensor measurements. The measured data is then conveniently arranged in columns that correspond to the tank number and to the measured parameter such as level, temperature, or pressure.
Each report includes date, time, and name of ship. Other selected information can be input manually. The layout of the report and the rounding of the input measurement and its outputs can be adjusted to meet the needs of gas buyers, gas sellers, and the gas contract.