KN realizes EFM performance value through specialized training

Instructors covered specifically what technicians need to know for configuring electronic measurement units

By Arlin Mead and Joe Sargent, KN Energy, Inc., Lakewood, Colorado

While electronic flow measurement (EFM) is recognized as a breakthrough technology for natural gas production, transportation, and distribution companies, placing too much confidence in the instruments can lead to disastrous results without proper training in place.

Ironically, field automation, which is intended to lessen reliance upon individuals, cannot succeed without enlightened workers in the field who can make the electronic devices perform as anticipated.

Soon after KN Energy made a major commitment to EFM, it was determined that simply installing electronic devices was not enough to achieve the kind of results required by the company. To obtain the most accurate data on gas flows throughout an extensive pipeline system, an effective training program was essential to make it happen.

It was apparent that the field technicians who were initially entrusted with the new equipment just didn't fully understand their new jobs. Even though they were able to install the units in remote locations and get them running to measure gas flow and transmit data, the units needed to be configured according to company standards to deliver the level of accuracy the company was demanding. It was obvious field technicians, who were working with the new instruments, did not fully understand the need to enter information precisely according to KN requirements.

Because of this, a major challenge was developing because KN's plans called for installing hundreds of remote EFM units from the Canadian border all the way south into Mexico, using more than 200 field technicians, most of whom had little instrumentation knowledge. A laptop computer is used to configure these units, but many technicians had never even turned on a computer previously.

Training Needed

The company concluded that this field force could not be expected to service complex electronic measurement devices without sufficient training. The desired results just could not be achieved until those men and women fully understood what they needed to do each time a unit was installed.

As a result, an arrangement was made with Fisher-Rosemount Educational Services (FRES) for 16 weeks of training to be conducted at various sites across the operating area. The training was to be based on the Fisher Remote Operations Controller (ROC), which had been selected as standard equipment for EFM throughout KN Energy.

The ROC is a complex, microprocessor-based instrument capable of measuring gas flows and calculating volumes according to American Gas Association (AGA) formulas. Depending on the model, these units can measure multiple flows, store data, and transmit it to a host on a predetermined schedule or on demand.

KN elected to train primarily on the gas measurement capability of the ROC, instructing field technicians how to configure each device to ensure transmission of complete, error-free data in the company format.

The training goal was to:

• Assure the accuracy of all gas flow measurements

• Minimize EFM cost by making field technicians proficient in configuration

• Reduce cost of checking for and correcting errors

• Provide better service and better data for customers.

Modified Curriculum

After the initial class, it was apparent these goals were not being met, because the course was not sufficiently oriented to the KN Energy requirements. Field technicians had to learn exactly how to configure the remote units to deliver-error free data in a unique format. To accomplish this, the training had to be KN-specific, stressing just what the trainees needed to know without getting into all the capabilities of the instrumentation. Further, it was important for instructors to emphasize the importance of proper configuration and the economic impact of measurement errors resulting from erroneous entries.

KN Energy has a well-defined way of managing gas flow measurement that gives optimum results. The training manual and the instruction had to reflect this philosophy. Every parameter influencing measurement was given a hard look and changes were made to the basic manual, where necessary, to incorporate company standards. These changes are highlighted in the manual in bold type following a "KN Issues" heading. This is a flag to technicians that the following information is essential for them to know, and there are many such headings in the new manual.

For example, one section discusses the importance of entering the correct latitude during configuration and gives the south-to-north latitudes of the various states in which KN operates so a technician can select the correct latitude for the site where a unit is being installed. Another highlighted section discusses the importance of entering the elevation so that atmospheric pressure is correct.

Examples showing the cost of entering a wrong value during configuration were included. For example, entering a specific gravity value of 0.63 rather than 0.78 can result in a measurement difference of 291.26 Mcf per day or 8,737.8 Mcf per month, a dollar variation of $17,475 per month at that one unit. Driving home the economic impact of tiny configuration errors was a prime objective of this program.

In class, instructors covered specifically what the technicians needed to know to properly configure the ROC units, emphasizing the "KN Issues" sections in the manual. In the hands-on workshop sessions, each individual had an opportunity to configure a unit at least four times.

One of the best things the company did was develop a means of measuring the results of the training to be certain that the students understood what had to be done each time an EFM device was installed at a remote site. Every student had to pass a test, which consisted of configuring a unit using a set of parameters provided by the instructor. Those who did not succeed with this pass/fail test had to repeat the training.

Results

About 230 field technicians, supervisors, and engineers were trained to configure the ROC during the summer of 1997 with an excellent first-time pass rate of 95%. Most classes ranged from 10 to 16 persons, and, excluding the initial class, there was never more than one failure per class. All of those who attended that first class subsequently passed the test. In fact, with just one exception, every person who failed once and repeated the training passed on the second opportunity.

The results proved that people without computer skills can learn to configure a complex flow measurement instrument using a laptop computer after just one week of specialized training. They're not computer literate, but they do know how to hook up a laptop and communicate with a remote unit to make it operate correctly. This has resulted and will continue to result in accuracy improvements that will pay for the training. Within the first thirty days after training there were enough positive results to call the training effort a success.

The gas balance of inputs to outputs throughout KN's system also is improving. However, greater improvements are possible, and efforts will continue toward achieving better electronic flow measurement.