API/IP/ASTM PETROLEUM MEASUREMENT TABLES

R. A. Webb, PE BP-Amoco, USA ABSTRACT The Petroleum Measurement Tables document the volume correction factors (VCF) which correct the effect of thermal expansion and compressibility on hydrocarbon liquids. This paper gives insight into the format of the 1980 revision to the tables which transformed the tables from hard copy format to an algorithm and implementation procedure format. The Petroleum Measurement Tables are designated as API MPMS Chapter 11, ASTM D1250, and IP 200. Details are provided on the various updates and revisions to the tables which include the integration of compressibility and thermal expansion correction into one process, the use floating point math over integer math techniques, the expansion of the tables limits to higher density and lower temperature ranges, and the introduction of a new temperature base (20o C), are discussed. Finally, the paper discusses future considerations in the publication of the tables. Possible formats and mediums are presented. INTRODUCTION The API/IP/ASTM Petroleum Measurement Tables (Tables) list volume correction factors that adjust volumes to an equivalent volume at a particular set of standard conditions of temperature and pressure. These "standard conditions" serve as a platform from which volumetric measures can be made equitable for general commerce. The volume correction factors, in their basic form, are the output of a set of equations derived from and based on empirical data relating to the volumetric change of hydrocarbons over a change in temperature or pressure. Traditionally the factors have been listed in a table format. These tables are called the Petroleum Measurement Tables and serve as a joint measurement standard for the American Petroleum Institute (API), The Institute of Petroleum (IP), and the ASTM. Oil producers, carriers, refiners, and marketers use the Tables as a basis of commerce to adjust petroleum densities and volumes to the base temperatures of 60 Fahrenheit, 15 Celsius, or 20 Celsius, which are common standards in various parts of the world. The Tables also serve governmental agencies with a means to assess taxes and tariffs equitably to all parties and commodities. Recent work on the Tables has resulted in significant updates. Basic changes in format to the crude oil, refined product, and lubricating oil tables have been incorporated into the standard. A need to combining the pressure and temperature correction into one general procedure has arisen in the industry. This paper discusses the history of the tables and the updates currently underway. Future formats for the documentation and distribution of the Tables are also given.

4th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement

Denver, Colorado USA June 27 - 30, 1999

HISTORY Early Tables. Correction factors to adjust the thermal expansion of liquid hydrocarbons were first formally developed in 1916 by the National Bureau of Standards (United States) under Circular No. 57. This data was based on density and temperature pairs data documented in the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) Technologic Paper No. 77. Circular No. 57 was superseded in 1924 by Circular No. C154 which in turn was superseded by a more widely known Circular C410, in 1936. By 1945 The Institute of Petroleum (IP) was publishing the Tables for Measurement of Oil in British units. In 1952 the British and the American tables were joined together and made available in three units of measure; US units, British (Imperial) units, and metric units. These tables were called The Petroleum Measurement Tables (Tables) and were published jointly by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the IP and are commonly referred to as the 1952 Tables. 1952 Tables . The 1952 Tables contained many sets of correction and conversion factor tables used in the measurement of hydrocarbon liquids. The tables were numbered one through fifty-eight, each dealing with a particular conversion of units, correction of density, or correction of volume. Only a portion of the entire set of tables dealt with the correction of density or gravity to base temperature, and the correction of volume to base temperature against density at base temperature. In the 1952 Tables, the following tables dealt with density and volume correction: Table 1. 1952 Table Designations Number Title o 5 API Gravity Reduction to 60 F 6 Reduction of Volume to 60o F Against API Gravity at 60o F 23 Reduction of Observed Specific Gravity to Specific Gravity 60/60o F 24 Reduction of Volume to 60o F Against Specific Gravity 60/60o F 53 Reduction of Observed Density to Density at 15o C 54 Reduction of Volume to 15o C Against Density at 15o C Note: Table 53, and 54 density units were kg/m3 . In 1965, the American Petroleum Institute (API) added its endorsement to the Tables and in 1980 started an initiative to re-confirm the tables. This effort culminated, however, in rewriting major sections of the tables. Specifically, the 1980 work (commonly referred to as the 1980 Tables) separated the density and volume correction tables listed above into two major commodity groups; crude oil and refined products. 1980 Tables. The 1980 Tables divided the tables into commodity groups. A letter designation, "A" for crude oil and "B" for refined products, and "C" for special applications was added to the table numbering system devised in 1952. Thus, the table designations as defined in Table 1, above were established as 5A, 5B, etc. The 1980 Tables, however, did not deal with density ranges indicative of LPGs and NGLs. Therefore the 1952 Tables were left valid for those density ranges. Furthermore, the data for lubricating oils was not complete at the time of the printing in 1980. Therefore, the

4th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement

Denver, Colorado USA June 27 - 30, 1999

lubricating oil tables, which are designated as D were not part of the 1980 tables. 1980 Implementation Procedures. The 1980 Tables constituted a major data collection and analysis effort and resulted in the re-establishment of the temperature effect on density and volume for crude oils and refined products as separate, independent functions. The NBS performed temperature/density measurements on a set of crude oil and refined product samples which spanned the world. Most importantly, the 1980 Tables replaced the 1952 printed Tables with mathematical formulas which, in turn, allowed for the incorporation of the tables, via standard implementation procedures, into computer subroutines. It is these implementation procedures which sets the standard. In 1980, the implementation procedures became the first attempt to provide the petroleum industry with a means to produce identical numbers on variety of computer hardware and software configurations. Due to computer hardware and software dissimilarities and relatively low capabilities, many times users would get different answers from the same subroutine. Therefore, before its release the procedure was modified in order to ensure consistent answers between different computer configurations. This made the procedure overly complex which, in turn, resulted in programming errors. Also, through the 1980's and 1990's several industry changes and needs arose which degraded the efficiency of the tables. INDUSTRY NEEDS Between the initial issuance of the 1980 Tables and the mid 1990s, a number of needs arose within the petroleum industry and a number of enhancements occurred in computer technology. These needs and enhancements prompted several changes to be made to the standard which are highlighted here: Tables for lubricating oils were developed and approved as a part of the Standard but were never documented. Implementation procedures were not written for the lubricating tables. Flow computers in the field became common for the real time measurement of petroleum fluids. This resulted in the development of improved convergence methods for the correction of observed density to base density. Real time density measurement (densitometers) became more prevalent in the industry. This created a need to incorporate pressure and temperature correction together into one procedure. Business needs dictated the need for extensions of the tables in both temperature and density to cover extremely low temperatures and higher densities. A consistent number of decimal digits was desired to enhance commercial relations. The previous standard used a significant digit format which resulted in 4 or 5 decimal digits depending on the mathematical sign of the delta temperature. Implementation procedures needed to be updated to reflect changes in computer technology. The 1980 Tables implementation procedure was made overly complex in order to allow all existing computer equipment to achieve consistent results. With the advent of the IEEE Standards and the predominance of 32 bit and higher level machines, the complexity of the 1980 procedure was no longer valid. A floating-point math format

4th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement

Denver, Colorado USA June 27 - 30, 1999

was adopted. The 20o C temperature base was needed to for international trade reasons.

NEW DATA No new data were taken on crude oils. The joint API/IP/ASTM committee, who authors the Tables reviewed the original data from which the 1980 Tables are based and found the data set to be comprehensive. Further, the crude oil tables are generalized. Therefore, it is unlikely that changes in crude oil densities would significantly change the generalized relationship. Lastly, the Tables already provide a means for crude oils which have different characteristics from the general case. An individual or specialized crude oil and/or product can be characterized based on its particular thermal coefficient of expansion. This section of the tables is referred to as Table C. Some data were taken on refined products in two specific areas. First, data were taken at lower temperatures than the 1980 Table boundaries dictate. This data confirmed the generalized algorithm to accurately predict thermal expansion. Second, some confirmation data were taken on reformulated gasoline (RFG). This data established a consistent match with RFG and the generalized refined product tables. No new data were taken for lubricating oils. However, the data taken for lubricating oils was obtained after the original issuance of the 1980 Tables and had never been documented in an algorithmic form. Therefore, the data on lubricating oils is, in a sense, new data. To summarize, for atmospheric stable liquids, some of the original 1980 data samples were tested at both higher and lower temperatures than those used in the original testing program. These data confirmed the correlation accuracy for temperatures up to 300 F (149 C), for all fluid types, and to temperatures down to -58 F (-50 C), mainly for refined products. The basic equation forms and the associated constants used to define CTL were not changed. UPDATES This standard provides the algorithm and implementation procedure for the correction of temperature and pressure effects on density and volume of liquid hydrocarbons which fall with in the categories of crude oil, refined products, or lubricating oils. The combination of density and volume corrections factors for both temperature and pressure are collectively referred to as volume correction factors (VCF). In particular, the temperature portion of the correction is referred to as the correction for the effect of temperature on liquid, CTL . The pressure correction is referred to as the correction for the effect of pressure on liquid, CPL. This procedure is referred to as the general procedure in order to distinguish it from earlier (less comprehensive) procedures. The temperature only 1980 correction tables are deemed as special cases of the general procedure where the pressure is set to exactly one atmosphere (the standard pressure). These special cases list density correction separate from temperature correction. The general procedure adjusts density for temperature and pressure to base conditions then volume is corrected for both temperature and pressure in one procedure. The procedure accommodates three base temperatures (60F, 15C, and 20C). The base pressure is one atmosphere in all cases.

4th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement

Denver, Colorado USA June 27 - 30, 1999

The procedure recognizes three distinct commodity groups; crude oil, refined products, and lubricating oils. A special application category is also provided which only provides volume correction based on a measured coefficient of expansion per increment in temperature. This set of correlations are intended for use with petroleum fluids that are considered to be single phase liquids under normal operating conditions and are considered to be either crude oils, refined products, or lubricating fluids as defined within this section. The CTL correlation is valid only for the particular petroleum products listed above while in a single-phase liquid condition. The correlation is not applicable to fluids which demonstrate non-Newtonian behaviors. Temperature and Density Limits In 1980 the correlation for CTL was established to be monotonic both in its function and its derivative. It also did not have any discontinuities over a very wide range of temperatures and densities. This does not say that the correlation is valid outside the data that was used to generate it. Due to industry needs to accommodate commerce at temperature and density ranges well outside those originally tested, the limits of density and temperature have been extended. This extension is purely mathematical. The algorithms which correctly predict volume correction within the original test limits have simply been applied to regions beyond the original temperature and density limits. However, extended temperature boundaries of the product tables have been substantiated with some laboratory data. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the original data limits, the extensions applied in 1980, and the current extensions boundaries for Generalized Crude Oils and for Generalized Refined Products. As such, computed values in these regions should be used with caution. Currently, there is no data in these regions to establish uncertainty. Integer Versus Floating Point Math In order to produce identical results in 1980 using the computer technology of that day, the 1980 Tables used an integer mathematical method. This method required a set of overly complex truncation and rounding routines. Since the issuance of the 1980 Tables changes in computer hardware, software, and standardization policies have eased this need. The standard computer chip now supports 32-bit floating-point operations. The proposed standard is designed to use that technology and simplify the arithmetic associated with the procedure. The standard uses a floating point mathematics format where integer creation of decimal numbers is not necessary. However, older chip technology, primarily 16-bit chips without math co-processors (or lesser powered technology), will likely not reproduce the factors to the fifth decimal place exactly. In order to produce exact (to fifth decimal place) factors between two different computers and/or computer software, absolute adherence to the procedure is still required. If the sequence of the procedure is not followed, exact reproduction is not likely to occur. The implementation procedures as herein can by careful and deliberate application produce consistent results through the majority of languages and word sizes in present and anticipated future use. Finally, all constants shown must be carried to the exact number of digits as presented and all calculations must be executed using 64-bit calculations.

4th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement

Denver, Colorado USA June 27 - 30, 1999

Figure 1. Crude Oil Table Boundaries

Temperature
o o 150

Crude Oil

Original 1980 Data 1980 Extension Current Extension

350 300 250

100

200 150

50

100 50

0 0 -50 -50 -100 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100

Density
120 o API

kg/m 3
1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500

Figure 2. Refined Product Table Boundaries

Temperature
oF o 150 350 300 250 100 200 150 50 100 50 0 0 -50 -50 -100 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100 Current Extension

Refined Products

Original 1980 Data 1980 Extension

Density
120 o API

kg/m 3
1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500

Input Variables The procedure produces base density and volume correction factors relative to a certain base temperature within the limits of the Table. The base density units are intended to be equivalent to the density input units, (i.e. oAPI, RD60/60, kg/m3) and the input temperature units are intended to be equivalent to the base temperature units. The input pressure units must be

4th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement

Denver, Colorado USA June 27 - 30, 1999

gauge pressure based and are used to set the constants for the compressibility equations. Due to these constraints, only certain combinations of input units are acceptable for this procedure. Furthermore to ensure consistency, the input variables must be rounded to a set number of decimal digits. The following table illustrates these combinations and conditions. Table 2. Temperature, Density, and Pressure Units Applicable Tables Density Temperature Pressure Above one x represents any atmosphere commodity group (i.e. A,B, or D) API-x-60, 5 x , 6 x 1 PSIG 0.1API 0.1 F RD- x-60, 23 x, 24 x 0.001 RD 1 PSIG 0.1 F 3 x -15, 53 x , 54 x 0.001 kg/m 5 kPa 0.1 C 3 x -20, 59 x , 60 x 0.001 kg/m 5 kPa 0.1 C Procedure The procedure for calculating the volume correction factors for liquid hydrocarbons has many facets. There are two basic corrections; the volume correction for temperature effects Ctl and the volume correction for pressure effects Cpl. However, since both these relationships are a function of density and density is a function of volume, the procedure to ascertain the a VCF is somewhat complex. In the past the procedure has been documented under the condition of standard pressure of one atmosphere. Thus, the 1980 tables were missing the pressure correction portion. Although, pressure correction was documented as a separate procedure, it was never made integral to the temperature correction. Therefore, the current standard update proposes a comprehensive general procedure where both temperature and pressure are considered within one procedure, and additionally are used in an iterative fashion to determine the density at base temperature from measured density, temperature, and pressure inputs. The general procedure then produces from on set of inputs the full complement of VCF related outputs (i.e. base, Ctl, F, Cpl, and VCF). base = density at base temperature and pressure Where: Ctl = correction factor for the effect of temperature on liquid F = compressibility factor per pressure increment Cpl = correction factor for the effect of pressure on liquid VCF = Ctl x Cpl Note: The recognized temperature bases are 60 F, 15 C, and 20 C. Base pressure equals one atmosphere or the equilibrium pressure for conditions which constitute a true vapor pressure above one atmosphere. The general procedure is subdivided into two subroutines. The first subroutine finds the VCF or the product of Ctl and Cpl given a base density at a certain temperature and pressure. The second subroutine utilizes the first subroutine to determine a base density from a measured density at a certain temperature and pressure. This subroutine requires an iterative process. Finally, the general procedure derives the above listed factors and the base density by applying

4th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement

Denver, Colorado USA June 27 - 30, 1999

the second subroutine (iteration) to establish the base density and then the first subroutine to find the VCF. This allows for a better understanding of the procedure as well as conveying an understanding to the user. Proposed New Table Designations A general procedure that incorporates both the temperature and pressure corrections into one iteration is the basis for this update to the Standard. This procedure, however, produces a practically infinite number of results and is not intended for listing in any printed or electronic form. Instead this table is intended to be used in only its algorithmic form. The existing Tables designations (i.e. Tables 5A, 6A, etc.,) plus a new Table set, 59 and 60, represent specific cases of the general procedure. In these specific cases the pressure equals exactly one atmosphere which is the base pressure. Therefore, all pressure correction is set to 1.0000. These "specific cases" are equivalent to the 1980 tables of the same designation and are intended to be documented in a printable electronic format. Furthermore, for reference, the output of the general procedure is designated as a table although there is no actual listing available. Table 3 shows the proposed table designation for this standard and the associated density, temperature, and pressure units. Documentation Medium Due to the extremely large size of the tables, the tables have not been printed in the full incrementation starting with the 1980 revisions. Today, however, with the advent of the CDROM technology, it is possible to effectively (electronically) record the output of the implementation procedure incremented at the smallest increment of temperature and density. Therefore, proposals have been made to record the output of the procedure in a database format onto CD ROM disks for the traditional (special cases) tables (i.e. 5,6,23,24,53,54,59 and 60) at standard pressure. Furthermore, it is proposed that the CD ROM disks be equipped with a utility program that allows the user to extract and print (hard copy) sections of the tables at user defined temperature and density increment levels. The CD ROM database would also serve as a verified replication of the standard which will remain to be the implementation procedure. Users who program devices per the implementation procedure may use the CD ROMs to verify or qualify their individual programming. The CD ROM disks are proposed to be packaged by temperature base. Thus, all commodities would be covered in one set of disks for a particular temperature base. Industry users normally purchase the tables in that fashion today. Unfortunately, the amount of information required will not fit on one single CD ROM disk in all cases. Therefore, sets of two or three disks will be the most common format. Printed tables may remain available for a time, but their need is expected to diminish as more users obtain more advances technology. Furthermore, the CD ROMs if developed as proposed would serve to allow individual users to create their own printed copies.

4th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement

Denver, Colorado USA June 27 - 30, 1999

Table Designation(s) API-A-60 API-B-60 API-D-60 5A, 5B, 5D 6A, 6B, 6D RD-A-60 RD-B-60 RD-D-60 23A, 23B, 23D 24A, 24B, 24D A-15 * 53A, 53B, 53D 54A, 54B, 54D A-20 * 59A, 59B, 59D 60A, 60B, 60D C-60 C-15 C-20

Table 3 Proposed New Table Designations Base Density Pressure Temperature Units Units Output Units 60o F APIo obs. PSIG base ,Ctl, F, Cpl, VCF 60o F 60o F 60o F 60o F 60 F 15o C 15o C 15o C 20o C 20o C 20o C 60o F 15o C 20o C
o

APIo obs. Base Pressure APIo base RD60/60 PSIG

base
Ctl

base ,Ctl, F, Cpl, VCF base

Ctl

RD60/60 RD60/60 kg/m3 KPa obs. kg/m3 obs. kg/m3 base kg/m3 KPa obs. kg/m3 obs. kg/m3 base Enter with COE / o F and Temperature Enter with COE / o C and Temperature Enter with COE / o C and Temperature

base ,Ctl, F, Cpl, VCF base

Ctl

base ,Ctl, F, Cpl, VCF base

Ctl Ctl Ctl Ctl

4th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement

Denver, Colorado USA June 27 - 30, 1999