© 2019 Department of Petroleum Resources. All rights reserved Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) PROCEDURE GUIDE

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2.1 Approved Proving Systems
Pipe prover of the bi-directional or uni-directional type shall generally be the approved
meter proving device at all custody transfer and production Monitoring points. However,
the use of a master meter or any other prover shall be allowed in special cases and on
specific request to and approval by the Director of Petroleum Resources.
Exceptional case should be when the pipe prover is out for maintenance. However, Coriolis
and ultrasonic meters of the same type with that in the meter bank shall be used.
2.2 General Specifications
2.2.1 Meter proving systems and procedures shall generally conform to the specifications
stipulated in the API Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards (MPMS) Chapters
4 and 12.
2.2.2 The bi-directional prover shall be equipped with a wall sealing four-way valve for flow
reversal.
2.2.3 Provers Shall be capable of continuous proving operation without interrupting any on-
going loading operation.
2.2.4 The minimum distance between detector switches (calibrated prover volume) shall be
15m (where detector’s resolution is less than or equal to 0.03”. When greater than
0.03”, distance may be reduced).
2.2.5 The maximum sphere velocity in the loop shall be 1.5m/s or 5ft/s (Bi-directional) and
3m/s or 10ft/s (uni-directional).
2.2.5.1 For piston displacers, a maximum of velocity of 3ft/s -- 5ft/s (1-1.5ft/s).
2.2.6 The repeatability of the bi-directional prover when the base volume is calibrated shall
be within 0.020% for forward, reverse and roundtrip; while for uni-directional prover,
the repeatability shall be within 0.020%.
2.2.7 The volume between the detectors shall be sized to enable at least 10,000 pulses to be
generated by the meter and collected in the totalizer during the proving run.
2.2.8 All the valves in the system shall be made bubble-tight.
2.2.9 The Automatic Temperature Compensator (ATC) set point of any meter shall fall within
±2o0F of the prevailing average field API gravity at 60oF.
2.2.10
Detection
devices
must
be
rugged
and
reliable
as
any
major
replacement/maintenance shall lead to Prover loop revalidation.
2.2.11 All Custody transfer loops shall be thermally insulated to enable thermal stability to be
achieved in good time during proving.
2.2.12 The insulation material shall be as specified in ASTM C-547.
2.3 Installation
The layout shall basically be as illustrated in the DPR approved Detailed Engineering Design
(DED). However, other devices to improve the quality and performance of the Prover may
be included.
2.4 Applicable Standards for Design, Installation, Operation and Maintenance of Proving
Systems