BPD Steam to Mass Flow 1

[marklobo]

What is the method for converting steam volume flow rate in barrels per day (BPD) to mass flow rate, given steam quality, pressure and temperature?

 

[25362]

One needs to determine the density of the wet steam. For wet steam one parameter, either the pressure or the temperature, would suffice to fix the other.

Assuming the steam is used in petroleum production sites,
1 Bbl = 42 gal = 0.159 m³.

Steam tables would give us specific volumes of the steam and of the water (moisture) at the given conditions. The relative masses of steam and water are given by the steam quality.

An example taken from the internet:

Wet steam quality: 95%. Pressure: 10 barg. Specific volumes from tables are:

dry steam, 0.1773 m³/kg; water, 0.0011 m³/kg.

The estimated volumes in m³ per kg of wet steam:

Dry steam: 0.95 [×] 0.1773 = 0.1684; in the same way,

Water: 0.05 [×] 0.0011 = 0.000055

Total volume: 0.1684 + 0.000055 = 0.168455

Since 1 Bbl = 0.159 m³, its mass would be:

0.159 m³ [÷] 0.168455 m³/kg = 0.944 kg.

The time factor remains unchanged.

 

[katmar]

I have never heard of steam flowrate being measured in barrels per day. Is this not a question of how much steam you can generate by burning X barrels of fuel oil per day?

 

[mbeychok]

I totally agree with Katmar ... and I,too, have never heard of measuring steam flow rate in barrels per day.

Milton Beychok
(Contact me at www.air-dispersion.com)

 

[25362]

Me neither.. However it seems that in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) by steam injection, in which the steam is supposed to heat and actually displace the heavy oil, or bitumen, steam flow rates are sometimes measured in BPD.
Comments by marklobo are gratefully requested.

 

[marklobo]

Thanks for the input on this subject. I'm not too familiar with the power realm, being immersed in valve engineering for many years. Now I'm having to get up to speed in the application end, too.