Business

Singapore: Coriolis Master Meter for MFM verification garners international interest

Master meter will be used for verification operation of duty MFMs installed on board Singapore bunker tankers due for yearly re-validation, learns Manifold Times.

Published

5 years ago

February 18, 2020

Admin

The internal test of an Endress+Hauser Coriolis master meter which will be used by the Singapore bunkering industry for future verification/proving of its mass flow meters (MFMs) was being conducted at Jurong Port on Wednesday (5 February).

The master meter was utilised to carry out a performance verification test of the MFM unit installed on board Singapore bunker tanker Kantek 2.

The flow test, designed to identify and address the potential drift of MFM units, will reinforce the traceability and integrity of such systems used by Singapore’s MFM-equipped bunker tankers for fuel custody transfer.

Several delegates from Russia including representatives from PJSC Lukoil who came to the Republic to learn about the use of MFMs for bunkering and in particular, its MFM verification maintenance programme, witnessed the trial, learned Manifold Times.

The importance of MFM verification

Sergey Tyubekin and Andrey Kurochkin, both Chiefs at the Department of Metrology and Standardization of PJSC Lukoil, respectively overseeing the oil major’s downstream and upstream operations explained the importance of MFM verification to the Singapore bunkering publication.

“MFMs can be used by both supplier and buyer for the custody transfer of oil products, including marine fuel,” said Tyubekin and Kurochkin in a joint statement.

“Meter Verification or Meter Proving is a recurring periodical confirmation of the measuring instrument’s [MFM] compliance with its established requirements, including accuracy indicators.

“With reduced measurement errors, information related to the product’s parameters is more reliable from a custody transfer point of view.”

In reality, determining the true value during measurements is more complex due to external operating conditions.

“Environmental conditions such as precipitation and ambient temperature, process/product conditions and/or construction design features such as wear out of certain parts, and more, can lead to increased measurement uncertainty during operation,” both explained.

“Meter Verification or Meter Proving of MFMs allow these systematic errors to be detected and eliminated or reduced to acceptable values.”

Depending on the company’s practices, MFMs being used for the transfer custody of oil products in Russia are returned to their respective re-calibration facilities at a frequency of between once a year to once every four years.

For example, the Lukoil company conducts additional Monitoring of Metrological Characteristics (MMCh) for its custody transfer MFMs once a quarter under different weather conditions (winter, spring, summer, autumn) in accordance to internal regulations.

“Such large interval between proving operations (confirmation of conformity) indicates the stability of the Coriolis measurement method and the trust in its measurement,” they stated.

Benefits of using the Coriolis Mass Flow Meter as a master meter

Tyubekin and Kurochkin further believed the use of a MFM master meter for verification offer advantages over other technologies such as the reference piston prover system currently used in Russia for verification of its MFMs.

“In my opinion, the mass flow master meter has some advantages over the piston prover due to its smaller dimensions. Therefore, it is easier to move between objects of verification,” they said.

“The verification process using MFM master meters are also faster, the units are cheaper to acquire when compared to piston provers, and the technology offers the possibility to compensate for viscosity effect.

“At the same time, using an MFM master meter allows proving under real operating conditions and the real oil product. Coriolis-based MFMs also encounter minimal wear and tear due to the lack of mechanical moving parts when compared with the piston prover.”

Sherman Lee, Marketing, Sentek Marine & Trading Pte Ltd, believes the master meter will be a “game changer” for the Singapore bunkering sector when officially introduced as it shortens the time and reduces resources required for bunker MFM verification.

“This represents quite a significant amount of cost saavings for operators in maintaining the system,” notes Lee, whose company owns the Kantek 2.

“With a master meter, the setup and completion in the verification of the duty meter [MFM installed on the barge used for custody measurement] should be done in less than a day and only involving one bunker tanker.

“Arguably, the most important aspect of this operation is the ability to trace the meter’s performance in meeting international metrology standards as differences in any MFM measurements will cost the company commercial losses.”

The master meter is scheduled to undergo further tests involving Singapore authorities during the next half of February before being approved for verification operations of duty MFMs installed on board Singapore bunker tankers due for yearly re-validation.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 18 February, 2020

Kantek 2

Metcore and Sentek personnel working on master meter

Overview of performance verification test

Endress+Hauser manufactured master meter

Endress+Hauser briefing on master meter

Biofuel

Argus Media: Bunkering sector needs deeper dive into B24 bio bunker fuel market

‘As we advance into 2025, the need to understand how B24 matures in terms of market fundamentals, pricing and dynamics will be a key indicator for the marine sector,’ says Mahua Chakravarty of Argus.

Published

19 hours ago

October 4, 2024

Admin

Argus Media organises free admission ‘Argus Asia B24 Forum’ for bunkering sector

Ahead of Argus Asia B24 Forum, Manifold Times interviewed Mahua Chakravarty, Head of Marine Fuels Pricing (Asia) of independent global energy and commodity market intelligence provider Argus Media; she explains the growing prominence of B24 bunker fuel in the marine sector and believes it is imperative for the bunkering sector to deepen its knowledge on it:

MT: Why is it important for the bunkering sector to know more about the B24 bunker fuel market?

B24 has emerged as the first alternative marine fuel that allows ship-owners and charterers a drop-in fuel option, and make greenhouse gas (GHG) savings, for their voyages into EU and territorial waters.

It has proved to be the most practical solution for ship-owners that eliminates costly retrofitting charges. The easy availability of used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME) as a blendstock from China and southeast Asia, also adds to its overall attractiveness as an alternative fuel.

B24 consumption in the port of Singapore recorded multi-fold jumps to touch 518,000t in 2023 as ship-owners fuelled for trials in preparation for the implementation of EU-led mandates like the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and the Carbon Intensity Index (CII) rating. In 2024, B24 demand has continued to grow with 377,800t of consumption seen up to August, according to statistics from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

As we advance into 2025, the need to understand how B24 matures in terms of market fundamentals, pricing and dynamics will be a key indicator for the marine sector. Being the first generation of new marine fuels, B24 has shown the way that biofuel blends can provide a solution for ship-owners/charterers to meet compliance mandates set by the EU and IMO.

MT: Why has Argus developed its own B24 Singapore price index? What's so special about it and why should the industry adopt it as a benchmark?

Argus was the first to launch its spot B24 delivered on board (DOB) Singapore assessment in January 2023, thus introducing price discovery for this market at its point of inception. The past 1.5 years of daily price assessments of B24, using a robust market survey approach, has built Argus’ understanding of this market from the start.

We have seen the growth of liquidity and the quest among refiners, traders, ship-owners to find pricing solutions for a nascent market. We have been at the forefront of capturing spot liquidity growth and in assessing prices for this market.

This index is now considered a key price assessment by key refiners, traders, ship-owners and other stakeholders in the market.

MT: What takeaways can each segment of the bunkering sector such as bunker buyers, bunker traders, and shipowners receive from the upcoming Argus B24 forum?

The Argus B24 Asia Forum is aimed at showcasing some of these learnings by a global team that covers key markets like Singapore, China and Europe. Our global team will present their insights on the key trends driving demand for marine biodiesel globally.

As the marine sector marches onwards with the bunkering of higher biofuel blends, this forum will allow the audience to reflect on the key factors that have driven the marine biodiesel sector. It will provide insights to make better decisions about infrastructure, pricing, feedstock-related issues and what blends are likely to be prevalent in the coming year.

We will be hosting a panel discussion at this forum that will include key players driving the marine biodiesel space in Singapore and other regions.

The Argus Asia B24 Forum will be held in The Village Hotel (The Events Centre by Far East Hospitality), Sentosa, Singapore (Google Maps) on 8 October between 4.00pm to 7.00pm Singapore Time.

Participants are encouraged to register for the free event via the custom link here.

Photo credit: Argus Media
Published: 4 October 2024

Bunker Fuel

Brazil: Raízen launches new bunkering operation in Itaqui

Operation will support both coastal and oceangoing vessels at Off Port Limits, allowing the firm’s customers to avoid full port call fees and unnecessary deviations, says Paula Georgopoulos Tinoco.

Published

19 hours ago

October 4, 2024

Admin

Brazil: Raízen launches new bunkering operation in Itaqui

Brazilian energy firm Raízen has launched its new bunkering operation in Itaqui at the Outer Anchorage Area, according to Paula Georgopoulos Tinoco, Bunker Sales Coordinator at Raízen on Wednesday (3 October).

The firm is providing local supplies for the grades VLSFO380 (max. 0.5%S) and LSMGO DMA (max. 0.1%S).

“The new bunkering operation will support both coastal and oceangoing vessels with different sizes and class at the Off Port Limits, allowing our customers to avoid full port call fees and unnecessary deviations at different bunkering ports,” she said in a social media post.

In September last year, Bunker Holding subsidiary Bunker One announced that it partnered with Acelen, the largest bunker producer in the Brazilian state of Bahia, to offer the only outer anchorage bunkering operation in Brazil at the time.

Starting September 2023, vessels such as large cargo ships and tankers can be supplied in the anchorage area of the Port of Itaqui in São Marcos Bay (MA).

Photo credit: Raízen
Published: 4 October, 2024

Business

Rahim Oberholtzer named as new Infineum Chief Financial and Strategy Officer

Oberholtzer, a finance executive with over 25 years of experience, joins Infineum from Shell, where he has held various senior positions including Senior Vice President of Shell Finance for Chemicals and Products.

Published

19 hours ago

October 4, 2024

Admin

Rahim Oberholtzer named as new Infineum Chief Financial and Strategy Officer

International fuel additives company Infineum on Thursday (3 October) announced the appointment of Mr. Rahim Oberholtzer as the new Chief Financial and Strategy Officer, effective 1 October.

Oberholtzer will succeed Mr. Philippe Creteur, who has retired at the end of September 2024, after 18 years of dedicated service to Infineum.

Oberholtzer, a seasoned finance executive with over 25 years of diverse experience, joins Infineum from Shell, where he has held various senior positions. His most recent role was Senior Vice President of Shell Finance for Chemicals and Products.

During his career, Oberholtzer has acquired extensive expertise in public accounting, investment banking, and trading. He began his professional journey at KPMG in San Francisco as an auditor. He then moved on to Merrill Lynch, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and equity offerings within the energy sector, ultimately serving as Head of Structured Finance at Merrill Lynch Commodities.

In 2011, he joined Shell’s Mergers and Acquisitions team in the U.S., leading key projects such as the launch of Shell Midstream Partners and the Eagle Ford divestment. He subsequently managed finance teams in Trading & Supply, covering European Gas & Power, Global Crude, and Global Products & Operations.

Infineum CEO Aldo Govi, said: “We are deeply grateful for Philippe’s years of dedication and excellent contribution to Infineum. At the same time, I am thrilled to welcome Rahim to our corporate leadership team.”

Photo credit: Infineum
Published: 4 October, 2024