DESIGN, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF LACT UNITS
Class LM 2090
Ben Stubblefield
Meter Check
P.O. Box 7736
Moore, Ok 73153-1736
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to help familiarize the
members of this class with basic design
maintenance and operation of a Lease Automatic
Custody Transfer or LACT. These units are
designed to transfer lease oil from the tank battery to
the pipeline unattended.
Design
In designing a LACT unit one has to first determine
the flow rate, operating pressure, gravity and
temperature of product being moved. The flow rate
must also be accomplished by allowing minimum
pressure drops thru the piping and components.
Meter
LACT units have traditionally been fitted with
Positive Displacement Meters but a turbine meter
can be used with certain types of fluid. New units
being built today are using Coriolis Meters. Coriolis
meters have no moving parts and offer a lower cost
of ownership for LACT units.
Accessories
Positive Displacement Meters require certain
accessories to read thru-put. Items such as a Large
Numeral Counter (LNC) equipped with a switch to
operate BS&W sample solenoid and meter fail
circuit. A Right Angle Drive (RAD) is also a
requirement for proving. A Photo-Electric
Transmitter is attached to the RAD to generate
pulses for portable provers when calibrating the
meter on the LACT unit.
The meter must be equipped with some type of
temperature compensating device. Automatic
Temperature Compensators (ATC) or Automatic
Temperature Compesator with gravity selector
(ATG) was the item commonly used in the past but
these units require special attention due to their
mechanical parts.
The electronic temperature averager is being used
on LACT units built today eliminating frequent
problems and repairs associated with the ATC or
ATG.
Coriolis meters are available with electronic
transmitters that provide a local display, temperature
averaging, sample solenoid switch, and high
frequency pulse for proving. These devices also
measure observed gravity and calculate corrected
gravity.
Pumps
Centrifugal pumps are commonly used on LACT
units making them low pressure which allows the
use of 150# ANSI flanges. This type of pump
provides a smooth flow without pulsation and does
not require pressure relief protection. Some LACT
units are built to handle higher pressures which
requires 300# ANSI to 600# ANSI flanges. These
units are very costly to build and maintain.
LACT units should require a strainer before the
pump to trap sediments. Failure to remove these
sediments could cause damage to the pump and/or
internal parts of a positive displacement meter.. The
LACT unit should also have a strainer / air eliminator
on a rise between the pump and meter to eliminate
air or vapors from pumped liquids. A sudden surge
of air could cause internal damage to a positive
displacement meter but these surges do not damage
a Coriolis meter.
B.S.&W. Monitor
LACT units are also equipped with BS&W monitors
that test the oil for the presence of water. The BS&W
probes are internally coated capacitance type
installed in a vertical run for continuous monitoring.
The BS&W monitors have a scale graduated in
percent units with an adjustable range of 0 to 3%
and require an accuracy of 0.1%. The monitor is
used to detect unmerchantable oil generally 0.5% or
more which sends a time delay signal to an alarm
panel. A BS&W monitor is used with a 3-way divert
valve. Upon receiving an alarm from the monitor the
divert valve will actuate from good to bad oil and
divert the flow back to the tank to be treated again
then recycled. The divert valve is normally closed to
the meter to prohibit flow when no actuating energy
is applied.
Sampling System
The sampling system is very important to the
operation of a LACT. Sampler locations and flow at
the sampling point are critical and should refer to
API MPMS Chapter 8.2 for details. The sample
probe can also be placed downstream of a static
mixer. Samplers should be paced by the Meter and
inject a common sample of 1.5 CC per stroke into
the sample container. The size of a sample
container is determined by thru-put of LACT. The
sample line from sampler to the sample container
must be sloped downward toward sample container
with no high or low points in the line. Sample
containers have a variety of features, some of which
are listed below.
! Quick open closure for inspecting and cleaning.
! Internal coated with elliptical bottom to prevent
corrosion and helps with rundown and drainage.
! Sight glass is for visual inspection and amount
of the sample collected.
! A circulating pump (centrifugal or gear type) to
agitate and circulate a collected sample with a
minimum rate of 5 G.P.M. to assure complete
blending of the sample.
! Spray bar on mixing stream within a sample
container to assure scouring of the bottom and
rolling the contents to promote good mixing.
! Pressure a regulator set to maintain pressure on
sample container contents.
Proving manifold
Downstream of the meter is a proving manifold. This
manifold consists of three (3) valves. The block and
bleed is the inline valve and must be a double block
and bleed type so it can be checked for leakage.
Proving requires no leakage through this valve. The
two (2) bypass valves divert the flow thru the prover
and back into the line for full flow.
Back pressure valve
The Back pressure valve should be installed
downstream of proving manifold. Its purpose is to
control the flow of the product to maintain back
pressure on meter and prover.
Check valve
The check valve is also needed downstream of the
Back pressure valve on a LACT unit so fluid cannot
flow back from the pipeline.
Pressure gauges
Pressure gauges are needed on pump discharge
also down and up stream of air eliminator / strainer
and at the meter to check for normal operation. This
can also tell whether strainer needs cleaning or if
meter problems exist.
Control Panel
The electrical panel on LACT controls the function of
the unit. The control panel can be mounted on the
skid or placed off skid depending on the
classification of the area. All electrical equipment is
installed following applicable codes. Newer units are
being built with programmable controllers thus
eliminating relays and allowing better control of flow
rate, pressure and BS&W piping.
Skid and Piping
LACT units are mounted on a skid this allows the
unit to be moved easily. The LACT unit has a
sample loop for taking a sample and measuring the
water content of oil. This flow should be vertical.
Most LACT units are flanged to allow easy
maintenance for leak free service.
Operation
Initial start-up requires some basic steps.
♦ Turn power off to pump and fill the unit with oil
and vent off air to prevent damage to P.D.
Meter. Check for leaks then start pump and
slowly open block and bleed valve. The flow rate
can be set by using back pressure valve.
♦ Check the sampler to be sure it is taking a
sample and storing it in the sample container
with no leaks.
♦ Calibrate BS&W monitor and temperature
averager following manufacturer’s instructions
for calibration.
♦ Check the divert valve by simulating bad oil to
be sure it will divert on bad oil.
♦ The meter fail switch also needs to be checked.
This can be done by blocking the flow causing a
signal to be sent to the unit telling it to shut
down. High and low levels need to be set for
proper starting and stopping of the LACT unit.
♦ The unit should be proved and a meter factor
established. This factor is used to calculate
thruput of the meter.
Maintenance
• Check the unit for leaks in meter and valve
drains. Also, seeps or drips in piping.
• Strainer needs to be cleaned periodically to
maintain normal flow rate.
• The BS&W monitor should be recalibrated
monthly or when a delivery is completed.
• PD Meters require periodic maintenance of the
gear train, packing gland, the counter, or right
angle drive.
Typical LACT Unit
• The ATC or ATG if equipped needs a hot and
cold test performed at initial proving time and
whenever a large change in meter factor occurs.
• Block and bleed valve should be inspected at
each proving for leakage. If a leak is detected a
proving should not be performed until the valve
is repaired.
• Pump needs to be checked for excessive
vibration or leaking seals. A drop in flow rate
may occur if the impeller is partially plugged.
• The meter factor is one of the key components
in determining if a meter needs to be repaired.
Meter Prover
LACT units need proved to establish a meter factor.
This requires a portable meter prover or a stationary
unit attached to the LACT unit. The portable meter
prover is more commonly used in our area. It should
be water drawn and sized according to API
standards.
Conclusion
Hopefully this paper will cover the basics of a LACT
and as a guideline for those learning about LACT
units. The use of Coriolis meters on LACT units
minimizes maintenance and cost of a LACT.