The Flow Measurement Technical Section (FMTS) was created to engage the SPE technical community in flow-measurement-related issues and technologies, and for members to enhance their own technical competencies that meet the needs of the oil and gas industry. The scope of the section will cover the full spectrum of flow measurement, including single-phase and multiphase flow measurement; subsea, topside, and downhole applications; virtual flow measurement; and industry standards and recommended practices.
Flavia Viana, FMTS chair and a senior multiphase measurement specialist at Chevron, said the section should help bring greater awareness within SPE to the role that flow measurement issues play in everyday oil and gas operations.
“Over the years, there have been different meetings and workshops and roundtables that cover flow measurement. There isn’t a consistent one that’s been going over the years. Flow measurement is essential for the oil and gas industry, but it wasn’t quite well represented within SPE. If you put it all together, you have the need to have a consistent forum for people to get together, as well as the need for SPE to cover the gaps in providing more for the oil and gas community on the topic.”
Like other SPE technical sections, the FMTS will utilize study groups, monthly meetings, forums, and workshops. The monthly meetings will eventually feature speakers presenting topics related to multiphase flow measurement. The section also plans to release four webinars next year. Speakers, topics, and release dates have yet to be finalized, but Viana said one of them may be in collaboration with the Flow Assurance Technical Section, covering the ways in which PVT (pressure, volume, and temperature) affects multiphase flow measurement. She said there may also be another webinar on multiphase flowmeters in tight reservoir applications.
The FMTS will host a workshop on multiphase and wet-gas flow measurements in conventional and unconventional data-driven environments from 28–29 January at the San Luis Resort, Spa, and Conference Center in Galveston, Texas. The workshop will focus on how companies can harness multiphase flow measurement technology to maximize recovery while lowering operating costs. It is currently scheduled to feature speakers from BP, TechnipFMC, Anadarko, and ConocoPhillips, among others.