DI G ITAL TR AN S FOR MATION
“In situations involving hazardous
gases, it’s critical for facilities to
respond quickly to incidents, from
detecting gas leaks as they happen
to making informed decisions and
mitigating risks wherever possible.”
- Jessica Wood, Honeywell
Siemens’ FS230 clamp-on ultrasonic flow system, launched
in 2020, was developed to improve the accuracy in liquid and
gas flow measurements, even in harsh conditions.

To combat those limitations, the company developed gamma
ray scintillator sensors with lanthanum halide and cerium bro-
mide crystals, materials that have a higher density than sodium
iodide. The higher density levels improve the sensitivity and
spectral resolution of the sensors, enabling faster data acquisi-
tion with more accurate spectroscopic measurements. They also
increase the sensor’s life by reducing high-voltage requirements.

Baker Hughes currently offers the crystal combinations in cus-
tomizable sensor configurations, with different options for crystal
size and aspect ratio, optical interfaces design and construction
and various mechanical interfaces.

The company noted that, while lanthanum halide offers better
light output than cerium bromide and sodium iodide, lanthanum
has a naturally occurring radioactive lanthanum isotope close to
that of potassium . In certain applications, this can contribute to
background radiation. Cerium bromide has less sensitivity than
lanthanum halide, but background radiation is not an issue.

Siemens’ Sitrans FSS200 Widebeam clamp-on sensors are
attached to pipe walls to capture ultrasonic signals gener-
ated from fluid flow. A digital sensor link built into the sensor
sends the data to a transmitter for processing.

24 Gas detection devices
Different types of gases, such as toxic, combustible or volatile
gases, can create hazards for workers on the rig, which means
gas detection is a crucial part of the safety regimen on a rig. Early
detection helps field personnel find and repair leaks quickly,
reducing the risk of major accidents.

The technology for communicating gas hazards has improved
over the years, with real-time monitoring now commonly avail-
able. In addition, the sensor networks that measure environmen-
tal factors are becoming more connected to one another, which
helps onsite leaders identify problems sooner . This connectivity
is a key feature in a line of gas detection sensing technologies
launched by Honeywell in late 2021, the Searchline Excel Plus
and Searchline Excel Edge. These open-path gas detectors have
improved ability to stay online in adverse weather conditions.

Open path gas detectors are designed to identify the presence
of combustible levels of hydrocarbon gases in open areas. They
consist of an infrared source that transmits a focused beam
of infrared light across an area to be monitored into a detector
located some distance away. Gases passing between the trans-
mitter and the detector interfere with the infrared beam, and the
detector uses this drop in energy to determine that gas is present
– the amount of energy decrease is proportional to the level of
gas present.

“Open path gas leak detection creates this invisible line that
senses the presence of flammable and toxic gas passing between
the transmitter and receiver. With these detectors, we’re utilizing
improvements in optical coupling between the transmitter and
receiver to help these devices maintain consistent operational
uptime at long distances and in tough conditions,” Ms Wood said.

Unlike a conventional point gas detector that measures the
amount of gas present in a specific area, an open path detector
measures the quantity of gas in an area that covers the distance
between the transmitter and receiver. This allows a single open
path detector to monitor larger areas than point gas detectors.

Since the open path detector relies on its ability to measure
light intensity, harsh weather conditions can affect the visibility
of the source light. A standard open path detector uses a non-dis-
persive infrared light source, which analyzes the concentration
of target gases based on their characteristic infrared absorption.

These light sources are not filtered, so when the light beam passes
through and interacts with the sample gases in a chamber, only
a portion of the optical energy is absorbed by the gases at their
J U LY/AU G U ST 2023 • D R I L L I N G C O N T R AC T O R




DI G ITAL TR AN S FOR MATION
characteristic absorption wavelength. In harsh weather condi-
tions, where light visibility can be limited, this makes it more
difficult to detect the presence of gases .

The Searchline detectors use a near-band infrared (NBIR) light
source, which requires less absorption and scattering to detect the
concentration of gases. NBIR light sources are used in a variety
of applications, including thermal imaging, fiber optic commu-
nications and night vision goggles, but only recently have been
adopted for gas imaging.

The detectors also feature Bluetooth connectivity, which allow
for quicker device maintenance and calibration for rig crews.

Field personnel can also connect the detectors to Honeywell’s
Fixed Platform app from 60 ft away to run performance checks,
reducing the need for them to climb to high locations to check
devices if they are located off the ground.

Flow measurement accuracy
Achieving repeatable and accurate flow measurements at the
wellsite – for instance, measuring the flow of hydraulic fracturing
fluid as it goes downhole and the flowback that comes up from
the well at the wellhead – is a critical but challenging function.

Traditionally, turbine meters are used to measure flow rate, but
their moving parts do not mix well with grit or sand, and the sen-
sors within them can often show wear, reducing measurement
accuracy and increasing nonproductive time.

Siemens has worked to minimize durability issues in flow
measurement by designing electronic flow meters, launching
its FS230 flow meter in 2020 for hydrocarbons. At the heart of
the meter is the Sitrans FSS200 Widebeam clamp-on sensor, a
Lamb wave transit-time sensor developed for flow measurement.

Widebeam sensors use an FS-DSL (digital sensor link) electronic
module that captures ultrasonic signals generated from the fluid
flowing through pipe. Those signals are then evaluated by the
sensors and recorded as measured values. The analog values are
then digitized and sent to a transmitter, which processes, corrects
and saves the data.

“With Widebeam, we’re really looking to improve the accuracy
in liquid and gas flow measurement, even in difficult conditions,”
said Paul Limpitlaw, Head of Business Development – Oil & Gas,
Minerals Measurement Intelligence at Siemens. “We’re intelli-
gently integrating the pipe wall into the measuring system, and
that’s going to lead to significantly stronger sound waves spread
out over a broad section of the flow profile. The sensors’ ability
to transmit waves that are individually adapted to the resonance
range of the pipe for each measurement is really key to acquiring
the data needed for high-precision measurements.”
Different versions of the flow meter can measure either oil or
gas. The gas meter is applicable for things like check metering
and flow survey verifications, while the oil version can be applied
to things like process control metering and leak detection. DC
55 THE
C O N N E C T I O N
ADVANTAGE AD
4 4-1/4"
-1/1/1 4/4/ " ID IDIDI
L LARGEST
LA A RGE
G ES
GE E S T ID IDIDI
O ON N T THE
TH H HE E MARKET
M RKE
MA K T
KE 51,800
51,1,1 8 00 FT-LBS*
FT-T-T LBS*
MAKE M K KE E UP
MA U TORQUE
T RQUE
TO U
UE CAPACITY
C A PA
P CICIC TY
CA SERVICE
S ER
SE E R VIVIV CE
C &
REPAIR REP
E PA
EP P A IRIRI CENTERS
C EN
CE E N TE
T ER
E R S
www.drillpipe www.drillpipe.com
(832) 230-8228
IN ININI YOUR
Y UR
YO U PLAY
P LA
PL L A Y
*Based on 1.00 FF @ 60% Yield Strength
D R I L L I N G C O N T R AC T O R • J U LY/AU G U ST 2023
25