The purpose of this paper is to present a discussion of a typical automatic tank battery. In this case, the installation is Mene Grande's Guara Discharge Station N7. This battery was converted to automatic operation late in 1957 and has since been operated on a test basis to determine the practical value of such equipment for service in Meneg's Eastern operations.
The battery is equipped with an electro-pneumatic well-test system and a positive displacement meter type automatic custody transfer system. A detailed explanation of these systems is included in the paper.
When it became apparent that automatic operation of discharge stations might possibly result in savings due to reduced capital expenditure and lower operating costs, it was decided that one typical discharge station be automated. Both the equipment and the procedures involved were to be evaluated to determine their practicability for service in future Meneg operations. Guara Discharge Station N7 was selected as the test station. The selection of this particular battery as the test site was influenced by its proximity to San Tome, availability of electric power and to the fact that a variety of crude types are produced to the station by natural flow, gas lift, and by pumping. Table N1 illustrates the characteristics of the various individual wells produced to the station.
The conversion to automatic operation was completed in November 1957. An electro-pneumatic well test system and an automatically controlled positive displacement metering system comprise the automatic features of the station.
