LACT Unit Operational Considerations

LACT Unit Operational Considerations
As covered in June’s Statement of the Month, custody transfer (i.e., buying, selling, or transferring) of crude oil and other hydrocarbon liquids is becoming ever more closely tracked as domestic production rates and product values continue to skyrocket. Accordingly, the ever-­‐present LACT (Lease Automatic Custody Transfer) unit, fundamental to such custody transfers, must be properly operated and rigorously monitored. And the same holds true for ACT (Automatic Custody Transfer) units, largely the same equipment but typically involved with receipt transfers which are not co-­‐located with a crude oil production lease. While the functional components of LACT units are relatively simple, proper operation and maintenance are paramount for ensuring that design accuracy is fully achieved. The major elements include pumping, metering, eliminating air/gas, straining, monitoring of S&W (sediment and water), and sampling. The equipment and instrumentation associated with each of these functions should be routinely inspected, verified, and properly maintained. The meter which measures the custody transfer volumes is, of course, at the very heart of LACT operations. It must be regularly examined and proved to confirm that it’s still properly sized and accurate. Other measurement components, such as temperature, pressure, and S&W, should also be verified for accuracy and reproducibility. With proper operation, regular maintenance and inspections, and periodic component upgrades, LACT units will reliably and accurately provide custody transfer for many years. The next Statement of the Month will address advanced LACT unit control and activity monitoring, including the nearly instantaneous generation and distribution of electronic delivery tickets for timely reconciliation and audit trail purposes. “If you need a new process and don’t install it, you pay for it without getting it.” ~ Ken Stork, past president of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence