A Return
API Gravity - An industry method of referring to the relative density of
oils and products.
There is a direct correlation between API and specific gravity.
ACT
- Automatic Custody Transfer A system for automatically measuring and sampling
oil or products at points of receipt or delivery (other than at leases).
Analog
Display - A gauge or readout that displays
information as a percent of a full scale.
Annunciator Panel- A panel with "flags" to
indicate the cause of trouble at a pump station. One section is usually devoted
to unit protective shut down devices such as low suction pressure, high bearing
temperature, etc. Another section will indicate station troubles such as high
sump, low air supply or high discharge pressure. The relay flags must be
manually reset if tripped.
Appurtenances -
The nozzles, man-ways, ladders, mixers, etc. which are added to a
storage tank.
Arm
- Used in reference to selecting a control point preparatory to making a
change. Controls
for the valve, pump or meter are first armed, and then, upon an execute signal,
the status change can be made. As a security measure, no change can be made
until the device is armed.
Auto-Refrigeration - The unassisted reduction in
temperature generated by expanding a fluid from a pressure to a lower pressure.
Auto-Ignition -Temperature at which ignition will
occur without presence of spark or other ignition source.
B Return
BHP
- Brake Horse Power, the input horsepower to the pump shaft from the driver.
B.S.& W. -
Basic Sediment and Water. Impurities contained in crude oil and
products. Generally, pipeline tariffs limit the content of B.S.&W. to 1% of the volume of oil.
Back
Pressure Valve - A control valve used to maintain a
minimum pressure at a meter installation, station or terminal. Such valves are
used on LPG and other high vapor lines to assure that sufficient pressure is
maintained on the product to keep it in the liquid state.
Ball
Valve - Similar to plug valve except that
it uses a ball-shaped piece of steel with a hole to allow fluid to pass when
aligned with pipeline. It will block line when the hole is rotated 90° or
perpendicular to pipeline.
Batching - Pumping shipments (tenders or batches) of a product or crude through
the line without mixing with other tenders.
Barrel-Mile - A unit
of measurement of pipeline shipment of oil, which signifies the movement of one
barrel a distance of mile.
C Return
Check
Valve - A valve designed to allow flow in
one direction only. It usually has a clapper, which closes, against a seat when
there is no flow. Flow in the right
direction lifts the clapper from the seat; flow in the reverse direction forces
the clapper against the seat.
Combinator - A device that accumulates a number of separate readings
and combines them into one composite total.
Common Carrier - Any
transportation system available for hire by the public for transporting cargo. Almost all interstate pipelines are
common carriers.
Computer - A data processor that can perform substantive computation, including
numerous arithmetic or logic operations, without intervention by an operator
during the run.
COMPRESSIBILITY - The ability to change volume with
a change in pressure or temperature.
Control
Valve - A control valve is provided at
trunkline stations to assure that the discharge pressure does not exceed a
value, which can be set into the "discharge pressure controller".
Should the pressure reach the set point, the controller will cause the valve to
throttle as necessary to maintain the discharge pressure at the discharge
pressure control setting. Several
controllers can be used with one control valve. At intermediate stations where
the pumps are filled by the incoming stream pressure (i.e., no booster pumps) a
"suction pressure controller" is provided. The control valve will
then throttle to maintain the suction pressure at a preset minimum. Other
controllers which have been used are "flow controllers" (to restrict
flow to a preset minimum) and load or "demand controller" which
control flow to maintain the total power supplied by the station to a preset
maximum.
Custody Change - A
transfer of custody of a crude oil or product batch from one common carrier to
another.
Cycles - A scheduling term denoting a complete delivery of
products from, for instance; gasoline to kerosene to fuel oil to jet fuel and
then back to gasoline. The cycle might recur every
3-1/2, 7, or 10 days, depending on tankage,
throughputs, batch sizes, etc.
D Return
DOT
- Department of Transportation. This is a federal agency authorized to regulate certain
aspects of the pipeline industry. The DOT issues rules, which have the weight
of law through the Code of Federal Regulations. In general, liquid pipelines
are covered by CFR 195; gas pipelines by CFR 192. Both require certain minimum
standards, record-keeping and reporting. Shell construction, operating and
maintenance standards are written to cover DOT and all other pertinent
governmental regulations. For instance, contingency or emergency plans spell
out reporting procedures required by law.
Data
Processing - The execution of a systematic
sequence of operations performed upon data. This usually denotes a series of
calculations by a computer rather than the performing of supervisory chores
such as scanning, etc.
Dead Wood
- Structural
members on the interior of tanks. Their volume is deducted when computing the
capacity of a tank.
Dearm - To de-energize a control point that has been selected.
Demand - Demand, as an electrical energy term, denotes the instantaneous power
requirement of a motor or electric pump station. Demand in kilowatts (KW) is
usually measured by a kilowatt-hour meter (over a period of 15 or 30 minutes),
which is scaled to read out in KW. Power in electrical terms (KW) is equal to
0.746 times horsepower (HP). Therefore,
if the input to a motor used to drive a pump is equivalent to a load of 1,000
horsepower, and the unit is operated for the full 15 or 30 minute span measured
by a KW meter, the demand created by this unit will be 746 KW.
Delivery
Man - An employee representing the
shipper or pipeline company when custody of a batch of
product takes place.
Density - The mass of a substance per unit volume.
Developed
Pressure - Developed pressure is the
resulting head (expressed in psi) which a pump will
produce at a given flow rate. In a centrifugal pump, the head developed at a
given flow is virtually constant. The developed pressure will vary according to
the specific gravity of the liquid in the pump. Assuming that a pump develops
1,000 feet of head, the pressure with water (specific gravity of 1.0) will be
433 psi; with a 0.85 specific gravity oil 365 psi.
DEW POINT - The temperature at which a sample
of air has a relative humidity of 100%.
Digital
Display - A gauge or other readout that
displays information in numerals.
Discharge
Pressure - Discharge pressure is the pressure
measured on the outlet side of a pump or station. At a pump station, the
discharge pressure is the pressure downstream of the control valve. Station
case pressure is measured upstream of this valve.
Displacement - Line fill between stations stated in barrels.
Downstream - The pipeline direction towards which the stream moves,
i.e., to the terminal of the system.
DOE - Department of Energy. Established
Dye Plug
- A colored dye
injected at the interface of two batches to identify the interface.
E Return
EPA - Environmental Protection Agency. Coordinates a governmental action on behalf of the
environment. EPA endeavors to abate and control pollution.
Emergency stop - An emergency stop pushbutton
(crash or panic button) is usually provided at trunkline stations to completely
shutdown and isolate the station from the rest of the system. In some cases,
the emergency stop trips the main breaker, cutting off all electric power at
the station. This usually requires that an electrical technician be called out
to reset the breaker before the station can be restarted. In any event, an
emergency stop normally will shut down all operating units and, at some
stations, close the station suction and discharge valves. Fittings - The ells,
tees, flanges, etc. used along with valves and line pipe to make up a pipeline
manifold. Valves and fittings are pressure rated to indicate the type of
service in which they may be used.
F Return
FERC - Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission. A commission in the
Department of Energy, which handles functions of former Federal Energy
Administration, Energy Research and Development Administration, the Federal
Power Commission, and some functions of Interstate Commerce Commission (setting
oil pipeline rates).
Flag - A warning or indicating marker. Annunciators have several premarked
flags to indicate the source of trouble. The word flag is also used to denote
the warning tag (usually red) used to tag a switch or valve (during maintenance
work), which must not be operated until the man who placed the tag removes it.
Floating
Roof - A tank roof, which floats on the
surface of the oil contained in a tank rather than being supported on structural
members. It rises and falls with the level of the liquid in the tank. Its
purpose is to reduce the amount of vapor space and hence the loss of vapors
from the tank.
Float
Tank - A tank whose main gate valve is
open to the main line at a station. Oil from the main line may enter the tank
and leave it as pumping rates in the line vary.
Format - The arrangement of data. Usually the way data is listed on a sheet of
paper from a computer printout or on the display screen of a CRT.
G Return
Gate Valve - A device used to block the flow
of fluids in pipelines using a sliding plate of steel.
Gathering Line - A pipeline, usually of small
diameter, used to gather crude oil from the oil field to a point on a main
pipeline.
Gauging - Determining the volumetric
content of a tank by measuring the liquid level.
Gravitometer - A device used to continuously
measure the API or specific gravity of a flowing stream.
Grind Out Machine - A centrifuge used to determine
the amount of B.S.&W. in a crude sample.
H Return
Hardware - Physical equipment of a computer
as opposed to the computer program. This Contrasts with "software"
which defines the use of the equipment.
"Hot" Product - A product batch, which has been
contaminated as, in off specification. Usually this is an indication of excess
vapor pressure or flash point.
Hydraulic Head - Pressure exerted by, or imparted
to a column of fluid. It is usually expressed in feet or inches of water or
other liquid. It may be converted to units of pressure.
Hydrocarbon - An organic compound containing
only carbon and hydrogen.
I Return
I.C.C. - Interstate Commerce Commission. A Federal agency, which has
jurisdiction over pipelines engaged in interstate commerce. Authority to set
oil pipeline rates has been transferred to FERC in DOE.
Input Data - Information put into the I/O
(Input/Output) device used with a supervisory computer to call for data or
initiate a specific sub-routine or event.
Integrity - State or quality of being
complete, undivided or unbroken. In a pipeline, leak-free.
Interface - When products or crudes are
handled as separate batches or tenders in a pipeline, the interface is that
portion of the stream where two grades of material join. A mixture of the two
grades is usually present in lengths varying from a few feet to several
thousand feet in the line, depending on the size of pipe, flow rate and
characteristics of the two materials. Tank switches on crude lines are normally
made at the center of the interface. On product lines, care must be exercised
to keep gasolines out of oils and switches (or cuts) are always made to keep
the oils clean - i.e., switch so that only oil goes to an oil tank and all of
the interfacial mixture is cut to the gasoline (or to slop).
Interfacial
Mixture - The blend
of two products at the interface of batches in the line. The interfacial mixture must be
kept to a minimum to maintain product purity.
J Return
Joint Movement - The shipment of a tender of oil
through the facilities of two or more pipeline companies.
Joint Tariff - A rate sheet issued jointly by
two or more companies setting forth charges for moving oil over the facilities
of each.
K Return
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L Return
LACT - "Lease Automatic Custody
Transfer". An automated unit for
measuring, sampling and transferring oil from a lease into a pipeline.
LPG - Liquefied Petroleum Gas, such as
butane, propane, etc.
Leaching - The adding of fresh water to a
salt formation to enlarge a cavity size or create brine.
Line Fill - Line fill is the term used to
describe the volume of product in a line or a particular section of line. The
line fill, divided by the pumping rate, indicates the time required for a new
barrel moved to the line to clear the line. Capline
has a line fill of 5,023,561 barrels. At a rate of 555,000 B/D, it takes 9 days
to move a barrel from St. James to Patoka.
Log Sheet - Daily report sheet on which
operating data is entered. Log sheets are permanent records and should never be
destroyed.
Logic - The science of correct reasoning.
As applied to a computer, the successive steps which make up a program.
M Return
MACRO - A set of computer instructions to
perform a specific operating function. The term macro means large (versus micro
which means small) and usually a macro is prepared to handle several sequential
tasks.
This may include switching valves,
starting or stopping pumps, etc.
Magnetic Drum or Disk - A cylinder or circular plate with
a magnetic surface on which data can be stored by selectively magnetizing a
portion of the surface.
Manifold - An arrangement of piping and
valves to provide interconnecting lengths between a number of pumps, tanks, and
lines at a pump station or tank farm.
Mainline - A trunk pipeline.
Memory - In computer language, pertaining
to a device into which data can be entered, in which they can be held, and from
which they can be retrieved at a later date.
Usually a disc, etc., which can be readily magnetized
and demagnetized.
Meter Report - A form, designed to be completed
at
Microwave - Ultra-short wave radio
communications system. The signal waves in this system are focused to travel on
a line-of-sight between sending and receiving equipment.
Mile Pole - A location on the pipeline rights
of way. This is a holdover from the days when a company owned telegraph or
telephone line was installed along the line for communications. The poles were
numbered, beginning at the originating station. The pole one mile out became
MP1 and the next pole MP1+1, etc. Airpatrol markers were later placed on top of
the poles and carried the same number as the pole. Locations are now marked in miles and tenths
of miles rather than miles and "poles".
Mnemonic Symbol - A symbol or abbreviation to
convey a meaning, chosen because it is easy to remember. For instance, LO for
lockout, VLV for valve, etc.
Module - In computer language, a program
unit that is discrete and identifiable with respect to compiling. A packaged
functional hardware unit designed for use with other components.
Molecular Weight - Summation of the atomic weights of individual atoms, e.g., ethylene =
C2H4 = 2 x 12 = 24 4 x 1 Molecular Weight.
Motor Efficiency - A measure of the useful power
provided by a motor in relation to the amount of electrical energy supplied to
the motor. Mainline motors range from 90-97 percent efficient.
N Return
NPSH - Net positive suction head is the
total available head (adjusted for the vapor pressure of liquid being pumped)
available to a pump. A centrifugal pump has a specific required NPSH. If the
suction head provided to a pump is less than the required NPSH, the pump will
cavitate and the pump may be seriously damaged.
O Return
OSHA - Occupational Safety and Health
Administration. Develops and promulgates occupational safety and health
standards, develops and issues regulations, and conducts investigations to
determine status of compliance with safety and health standards and regulations.
Orifice Plate - A plate of steel with a machined
hole in the center that is placed between two flanges in a pipeline to create a
known resistance to flow. The difference in pressure on either side of the plate is
used for flow measurement and indication.
Output Data - Information from the supervisory
computer that may include operating data and the status of various pieces of
equipment.
P Return
PPM - WT. VOL. - Parts per million, Weight - 1 pound
per 1 MM pounds; Volume - 1 gallon per 1 MM gallons.
Parameter - A parameter is a unit of measure,
which may be assigned arbitrary values or limits. Parameters, or assigned
limits to a given variable such as flow-rate, help to define a problem by
restricting the maximum and/or minimum value, which might be expected. For
instance, a pipeline to be designed to handle 20,000 to 100,000 B/D eliminates
consideration of a lot of pipe sizes, since no size less the 12" diameter
or over 18" diameter would be practical.
Pig - A scraper used to internally
clean the pipeline. Also sometimes called a Go-Devil.
Plug Valve - A device used to block the flow
of fluids in pipelines using a round wedge-shaped plug of steel. The plug has a
hole that allows fluid to flow when aligned with pipeline. When plug is rotated
90°, the flow is blocked.
Positive Displacement Pump - A pump whose propulsive effort is
effected by the reciprocating motion of plungers or
pistons operating in a cylinder, or a pump that moves fluids with gears, vanes
or lobes.
Pour Point - A characteristic of crude or lube
oil, which indicates the temperature at which the product goes from the solid
to fluid state.
Pre-Select - A panel with devices, which allow
an operator to set up a tank or valve switch to occur at some future time. The
preselected scheme may execute on a barrel count. Several valves may be
switched in a specific sequence to divert the flow from one tank to another upon
execution.
Pressure Enthalpy - Depicts thermodynamic
relationships between CHART pressure, temperature, specific volume, entropy and
enthalpy.
Products Cycle - The sequence or order in which a
number of different products are batched through a pipeline.
Products Line - A pipeline used for the shipment
of refined products.
Program - A series of computer actions
arranged in order to achieve a certain result. A program in the overall
solution or event, it may include several "routines" or
"sub-routines" which handle a particular part of the total problem.
Prover - A device used to prove meters and
determine their accuracy.
Meter factors are developed from
proving each grade of crude or product measured by the meter.
Pump Efficiency - A measure of the useful work
performed by the pump in relation to the horsepower provided by the driver.
Mainline pumps range from 70-90 percent efficient.
Q Return
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R Return
ROC - Rate of change. While it is most
common to rely on specific values for status indications, the rate at which such values change 'are better indicators at
times. For instance, where a discharge pressure might normally vary from 500 to
700 psi, any specific value (say 625 psi) within these limits might appear normal to a
Controller. However, if the discharge pressure should rise from 500 to 625 psi in a relatively short period of time, this might
indicate a blocked line. Conversely, when the Controller starts a unit he
should expect a rather quick rate of change in discharge pressure. If this
increase in discharge pressure does not occur, it may indicate trouble. While
we do not ordinarily think of it, flow is the rate of change of barrels pumped.
On small diameter lines, integrity checks are made by measuring barrels
received vs. barrels delivered, usually over a period of one, four or eight
hours. An instantaneous check can be made when flow rates are checked at
various points along a system. To go one
step further, the ROC of flow can be watched and compared. Should the flow rate
abruptly change, a line block or break might be indicated.
REID VAPOR PRESSURE - Vapor pressure at 100°F.
Relief Valve - A valve, which can be preset to
open automatically when a continuously monitored pressure exceeds a given
amount. Most
relief valves are pressure or spring loaded, although some relief valves are
held closed by a pin or nail which will shear off and allow the valve to open
if the pressure exerts enough force to shear the pin.
Right of Way - A strip of land usually from 30
to 80 feet wide on which permission has been granted by landowners for
construction and operation of a pipeline.
S Return
SCADA – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition.
Scan - To examine sequentially, part by
part. The repetitive checking of pre-selected, remote points in a
specific order by the supervisory equipment.
Scraper Trap - Special piping used to launch or
receive a scraper or sphere.
Segment - A portion of a pipeline, usually
between two stations.
Set Point -
A variable limit, which can be manually set, which then becomes a control point.
For instance, the discharge pressure controller may normally be set to control
at 600 psi. This set point may be reduced to 200 psi when welding is scheduled on the line downstream of the
station.
Shipper - Owner of crude or product moved
by common carriers. The customer.
Slip Stream - A portion of the main stream
being moved in a pipeline, which is directed, to a customer tank, sampler or gravitometer.
Slop - On product lines where the
interfacial mixture cannot be handled in either of the batches being handled,
the mixture is termed "slop" and is moved into a suitable tank (slop
tank) to be disposed of as convenient. Short line fills are sometimes run to
slop to prevent degrading a different product scheduled for movement through
the line.
Specific Gravities - The ratio of the density of crude
oil or product to the density of pure water.
SPECIFIC VOLUME - Number of cubic feet of product required to make 1 pound; Inverse of
density.
Software - A set of computer programs,
procedures, and possibly associated documentation concerned with the operation
of a data processing system. The software contains the instructions and logic
through which the "hardware" - i.e., the physical equipment, is able
to perform its desired function.
Standby Power Supply - Normally, a battery or an
engine-driven generator, which is immediately available in case of power
failure. In some cases, the engine is started automatically within seconds
after primary power supply is interrupted.
Stock - The amount of crude oil or
product in storage at a given time.
Strapping -
Physical measurement of a tank and calculations to determine the capacity of
the tank. This is done to provide tables to convert feet, inches, and fractions
of liquid level into barrels.
Strip - To make a side delivery or slip
stream delivery. For instance, if a 5,000-barrel delivery of gasoline is
scheduled at a location, it may be "stripped" off of a passing
50,000-barrel batch during the time the gasoline passes that location. The
delivery is started after the gasoline interface passes the take-off lateral
and stopped before the end of the gasoline batch.
Stratify - The division of two or more
products or crude grades into layers when stored in a tank: Stratification
occurs because of the difference in gravity, the heavier fluid settles to the
bottom and the lighter fluid rises to the top.
Suction Pressure - Suction pressure is the incoming
pressure at a station or the inlet pressure to a pump. Suction pressure is
usually controlled to some minimum (say 50 psi) to
assure that the first pump will be filled.
Supervisory
Controls - Those
pieces of equipment that allow remote monitoring and control of pipeline
facilities. This
includes the devices at the remote station, which read and transmits local status
as well as the equipment at the control center.
System
Integrity - The
test of a system's security. In pipelines, it is usually a comparison of barrels in and
out of the system.
T Return
Tariff - A rate sheet of charges made by
pipelines companies for moving oil.
Tank Bottoms - The accumulation of heavy
elements in the bottom of a tank. In a products tank, this could be rust or
scale, water and other dense liquids. In a crude tank, this could be a waxy or asphaltic build-up, foreign matter, etc.
Tank Farm - Several storage tanks connected
to a pipeline and a pump station so that oil can be received into and withdrawn
from tankage as scheduled.
Tank Table - A tabular listing of the volume contained
in a particular tank when the liquid level is at various specific heights,
usually stated in feet, inches and eighth-inches. The volume is dependent upon
tank diameter and the "deadwood" in the tank. Deadwood is the
structural members, hoses, etc., within the tank, which fill the space, which,
would otherwise be available to the liquid in the tank.
Tender - A shipment of oil or products
presented to a pipeline company for movement.
Terminal - A point to which oil is
transported through pipelines. It usually includes a tank farm and may include
tanker loading and unloading facilities.
THERMAL EXPANSION - Increase in volume or pressure in a closed container caused by an
increase in temperature.
THERMODYNAMICS - Science that deals with heat and
work, and those properties of substances that bears a relation to heat and
work.
Thief - A device used to sample a tank
for suspended and settled B.S.&W.
Throttling - To throttle is to control flow by
partially closing a valve. Throttling is detected by noting the difference in
the station case and discharge pressures. While any valve, which can block the
mainline, can be used to throttle, it is usually a station control valve in the
control position that throttles the flow on a pipeline. It is usually pressure
(rather than flow) that the control valve is designed to monitor and control.
See "Control Valve". The pressure drop across a control valve (like
any other restriction in a pipeline) represents a loss of energy or power
available to move the oil in the line. Some throttling, particularly in a line
handling batched crude or products, cannot be avoided. Excess throttling is a
waste of energy. For example, if one or more control valves on a system
throttle 200 psi, the energy loss is equal to that
required to operate a pump capable of producing 200 psi
at the system flow rate.
U Return
Ullage - The space at the top of a tank,
compartment or other liquid container, which is not filled with the liquid. This
is a vapor space for volatile liquids. This is the space initially gauged in
the "outage" method.
Upstream - The pipeline direction from which
the stream moves, i.e., towards the beginning of the system or initial station.
V Return
Velocity - Time rate or linear motion in a
given direction. Usually expressed in feet per second for
pipelines. Normal range of flow is
5 to 6 feet per second (3 to 4 miles
per hour): 10 feet per second is considered the upper range for pipelines.
Viscosity - The quality of a fluid that
resists internal flow.
Viscosity Index - The degree of change in
resistance of a fluid to flow with a change in temperature.
W Return
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X Return
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Y Return
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Z Return
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