流控制在中游存储应用中的作用
The role of flow control within oil and gas applications
流量控制是液体和气体的管理。执行器是允许自动化的关键设备，控制工艺核心的阀门。根据电源和客户需求，它们可以在电气，气动，液压或电力液压方面具有电力。
Electric actuators have varied roles within a large variety of applications in the oil and gas industry. They can control the flow of water, gas crude oil and condensate at the upstream applications, while in midstream applications isolating actuators are used for day-to-day flow control, fail-safe actuators are for critical safety duties and modulating actuators for process valves. Electric actuators (especially intelligent electric actuators, because of their ability to capture data) are increasingly the preferred choice for oil and gas operators. Powered by electricity, they are reliable, efficient, precise and simple to use. A watertight enclosure (such as one that is double-sealed) protects internal elements from the ambient environment, making actuators durable and robust. Actuators on oil and gas sites should have explosionproof certification, as part of the high degree of safety required within production and processing. They often provide Emergency Shutdown (ESD) and shutdown capabilities. Flow control safety provisions on tank farms are largely a combination of explosionproof certification and environmental protection (such as double-sealing). Electric actuators are also not subject to the negative impacts some flow control systems can have on the environment. Pneumatic actuators powered by gas have traditionally been used. Spring-return and diaphragm pneumatic actuators, for example, vent this gas (often methane) into the atmosphere. Electric actuators negates this, aiding in compliance with emission mandates that are increasingly imposed upon operators to aid in efforts tackling the climate crisis.
坦克农场
Tanks farms and storage terminals are a fundamental and essential part of midstream oil and gas operations. They are used for natural gas, crude and refined oil, and finished oil products, and are therefore often attached to or found near to refineries. These products are stored in tanks before they are moved (for example via pipelines) and enter the downstream stage of oil and gas activities. They can be stored for some time (depending on product) and international supply and demand will affect what happens, and when. This level of control is part of the global market for oil and gas; it can include actions like reserves of oil and gas, as seen in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the USA. Tanks and storage facilities can be above and/or below ground. Flow control plays a key role in most midstream applications. This occurs within the wide range of individual applications within terminals, such as receipt, storage and loading, pump stations, metering skids and blending systems, transfer safety/shutdown options and liquefaction (for Liquified Natural Gas [LNG]). On tank storage systems, actuators can be found in tank overfill protection, condition monitoring and tank gauging/measuring. Isolating actuators are used for routine flow control around the plant, fail-safe actuators for critical safety duties and modulating actuators for process applications. For example, 100 intelligent electric IQ3 actuators were installed at Moroccan terminal in 2019. The site has a capacity of 532,900 m³ for petroleum products and blending components and is a critical operation for oil provision in north-western Africa. The actuators operate gate and butterfly valves on tank inlets and outlets.
Safety
Flow control solutions play a key role within safety provision on midstream operations such as tank farms/terminals. Appropriate care and control is not only necessary to ensure smooth operation, but to prevent a safety incident like the Buncefield fire in 2005. Here, a storage tank overflowed and the vapour cloud ignited to cause a devastating fire. Safety systems to prevent this sort of incident are essential. Tank failures and safety incidents can lead to huge hazards and costs. Any site that contains flammable materials must always consider safety as the paramount operating consideration. Flow control systems contribute to this. Tank overfill protection is an important point to consider; this stops material overflowing from the tank (and the loss of product) and the subsequent safety concerns. Actuators operate isolating valves (inlets and outlets) and control valves (in some cases). All these elements of tank overfill systems require certified safety systems for filling, emptying, tank blanketing and level monitoring. Equipment should be explosionproof, SIL 2/3 capable and suitable for use in SIS systems, operating to API/ANSI Standard 2350 (the minimum standard operators must work to).
Other safety considerations include ESD/shutdown capabilities provided by actuators. They can stop the flow of oil and gas when required. This can be on loss of ESD signal, loss of power supply, or both, depending on customer specification. Making sure that flow finishes in a safe operating state avoids both safety and monetary concerns. For example, Rotork Skilmatic electro-hydraulic actuators control Remote Operated Shut-off Valves (ROSOV) at multiple tank farms in India. They provide a spring-return fail-safe control action, ensuring high degrees of safe operation. The choice of electro-hydraulic actuators provides operators with the speed and flexibility of hydraulic operation and the reliability of spring action with the convenience and control benefits of electric actuators. They are therefore a popular choice for providing safety functions. Another example of the use of Skilmatic actuators is at a terminal in Rotterdam. The Botlek Tank Terminal has 34 storage tanks, providing a combined storage capacity of 200,000 cubic metres, and benefits from ESD functionality from over 50 Skilmatics on site. They position inlet and outlet ports of the storage tanks (and on the marine and truck loading bays) to a pre-determined safe position.
Asset management
停机时间可能是昂贵和破坏性的。在石油和天然气生产中，坦克农场和终端需要经常运行关键流量控制资产，才能继续富有成效和有利可图。需要流量控制的站点需要执行器，以始终如一地提供可靠，安全，高效的操作。例如，在坦克农场的流量控制中断导致无法达到所需的最佳质量平衡和准确性。任何计划外的停机时间都会损害关键的运营目标。因此，这些重要资产的维护和维护必须位于操作员的最前沿。流量控制技术中的创新现在可以促进资产的持续可用性，从而增加基本的正常运行时间。关键在于使用数据来提高操作效率。
存在诸如Rotork的智能资产管理之类的资产管理系统，以确保执行器不断运行最佳性能水平，从而使站点可以可靠，有效，安全地工作。它们有助于中游石油和天然气运营所需的必需正常运行时间。由于缺乏资产的可用性而导致的计划外停机时间可能会造成经济损失和声誉损失，而不论网站脱机多长时间。工业互联网（IIOT）的一部分，像智能资产管理这样的系统允许操作员访问智能执行器中的数据，并采取行动以提高性能和正常运行时间，以防止上述损害。智能电动执行器包含可以提供大量数据的数据记录仪，例如气门操作，警报和阀扭矩配置文件的数量。扭矩的平均值，偏差，峰值水平和打开/关闭扭矩特别有价值，有助于理解执行器的健康。突然的变化可能表明潜在的问题。一个整体资产管理系统，该系统可帮助操作员以最佳水平运行资产/网站，从而最大程度地提高生产率并降低运营风险。系统比消除了手动审查数据的需求提高数据的访问障碍，而要简单明了。
Ensuring asset availability at tank farms can also be managed by battery technology. Such is the importance for process uptime on these sites, battery actuation can provide a solution for power supply concerns. If power is interrupted or can be intermittent, flow control that can continue with the help of a battery maintains operation and production activities. Such solutions can continue to operate while power is unavailable or bring the process to a safe stop; this safety provision is an additional benefit. Rotork’s intelligent electric IQT part-turn Shutdown Battery, for example, can fail-safe, fail-close, fail-open or stayput on battery power. Processes will finish in a safe operating state, preventing safety and monetary consequences. Innovative battery functionality of this kind assists tank farm operators in achieving a high level of uptime, as well as safety benefits.
结论
油田农场和储罐码头在石油和天然气行业中至关重要。流量控制在储罐农场和存储码头的多个应用中起着重要作用，例如防填充，状况监测和储罐测量/测量。执行器还在安全考虑必须至关重要的环境中提供基本的安全功能。