Mapping advancements in oil flow measurement technologies by means of a technology roadmap from 1999 to 2022: A Brazilian case study

Abstract

The first version of the Brazilian Technical Regulation for the Measurement of Oil and Natural Gas (RTM) was elaborated in 2000, and it was a regulatory framework for the Brazilian oil industry. To meet the technical requirements imposed by the RTM concerning the flow meters, companies in the national and international market needed to be aligned with the Pattern Approval of Measurement Instruments (PAM) and international standards. The evolution of fluid flow measurement technologies is of great importance because based on them the volumes of oil and gas are measured and subsequently billed by the operators. Concomitantly, there was a development of studies on the technological advance of flow meters due to operational needs. In this context, the role of technological prospecting was to investigate scientific and technological progress by means of data collection from journal articles and patent data. This study aimed to evaluate the Brazilian evolution of fluid flow measurement technologies through a technology roadmap, based on the growth of patent and journal deposits from 1999 to 2022. The results indicated that the ultrasonic flow meters were the ones that presented the most technological development due to the number of patents deposited within the sample period. As for the periodicals related to ultrasonic flow meters, it was noticed that the lines of study are focused on custody transfer measurements and fiscal measurements meeting with the established requirements. Thus, based the patents and related periodicals, it was observed that the ultrasonic flow meters were highlighted. Finally, the implementation of the RTM, based on international standards, consolidated Brazil worldwide in meeting the metrological rigor rules for flow measurement crude oil measurement system; however, this study cannot guarantee that the technological advancement of meters did not occur solely and exclusively due to the advent of the RTM enforcement.