Fluxo Soluções
 / December 2013

Leak Detection in Campos Basin

Per Jorge Bueno

Controlotron, together with its exclusive representative in Brazil for oil and gas Fluxo Soluções Integradas, supplied around 80 ultrasonic clamp-on flow meters (non-intrusive) to Silvertech. Since 2001, this equipment has been installed in the Campos Basin as part of Petrobras' Pegaso project and its purpose is to detect leaks in the pipelines that interconnect the basin's platforms and the onshore reception units.

Meters are being installed at points of departure and arrival of pipelines to measure liquid flows at operating temperatures and pressures. As they are classified areas, the flow computers have explosion-proof enclosures, as well as the transducers (sensors installed directly in the lines).

Controlotron's “clamp on” ultrasonic meters met all the requirements imposed by Petrobras, as they allow installation without the need to stop oil production on the various platforms. The meters were tested by the UN-BC measurement and automation team at the Atalaia test site, where the operating and process conditions expected in the Campos Basin were reproduced.

The expected accuracy for the meters is 0.5% of the measured flow.

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