AuditFlow gets NMi certification

AuditFlow V7 was granted another important certification in the legal metrology area. In addition to INMETRO approval, the system now has certification from NMi, the technical agency located in Dordrecht, Netherlands. This certification complies with the Measuring Instruments Directive (2004/22/EC) responsible for the area in Europe. The directive was issued on April 2004 and the legal implementation measure has a transition period from October 2006 to October 2016. The great novelty in the new legislation is the approval of a model with automatic validity in all European Union countries. Prior to it, the model approval was required by the metrology agency of each country.

The certification is compulsory for a flow computer that will be used on flow measurement system at the European Union. Besides, many countries use the certificate to issue a local certificate, as only a few laboratories or bodies in the world are competent to perform the process. Even countries that do not adopt the model approval process for a flow computer, like the U.S. for example, will benefit from the reliability and the credibility that the NMi enjoys in this area.

The change is very small in relation to the version approved by INMETRO and the equipment hardware is the same. The alterations on the software are related to parameters added to comply with OIML R117-1, EN12405-1 and Welmec 7.2 standards.

The principal AuditFlow V.7 features are:

• Use of the Foundation Fieldbus H1 and HSE protocols while eliminating the A/D and D/A converters, thus favoring the reduction of uncertainties on the measurement system. Furthermore, it provides rich diagnostics information that only this protocol offers, which are so important in SCADA systems, as the operation and maintenance teams are increasingly smaller.
• Meets a number of substances  for pressure and temperature compensation: crude oil, refined products, special applications (MTBE), lubricant oil, GLP, crude oil and water emulsion, ethanol, natural gas, steam, humid steam, argon, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia and others.
• Advanced features for applications on well tests and appropriation measurement, providing analysis of the well life cycle and the effects of the methods of recuperation used.
• Meet applications on the area of exploration and productions, refine and distribution in SCADA system.
• The HFCView software tool provides monitoring, parameterization and management of reports. Allows high level analysis of a large amount of information, which is stored in database.

The AuditFlow market at large is the entire production, refining and distribution chain of oil and gas. But the flow computer is employed on any application for custody transference (buy/sell, payment taxes and royalties) of fluids (liquid or gaseous state) in flow measurement systems.

“This certification is an evidence of the quality and competence of SMAR hardware and software projects” states Sergio Tateishi, Electronic Development Engineer, the responsible for the project. “The equipment hardware underwent severe EMC temperature and vibration/shock tests. The software investigation included the analysis of complex compensation calculus in temperature and pressure of the fluids measured, as well as demanding characteristics in terms of information diagnostics, reliability and traceability “, concludes Sergio.