Microwave probe sensing location for Venturi-based real-time multiphase flowmeter

• Main Authors: Zhan, Mengke, Xie, Cheng-Gang, Shu, Jian-Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 02-10-2022
• Subjects: Physics - Fluid Dynamics
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2210.00622

Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 218, pp.
111027, 2022 Real-time in-line interpretation of liquid properties is important for
multiphase flow measurements. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a
sensor, such as a microwave sensor, which can continuously measure the salinity
of a flow. In addition to salinity measurement, the microwave sensor can also
measure water fraction, which is required for a multiphase flowmeter based on
single-energy gamma-ray attenuation; however, choosing a suitable probe sensing
location for a microwave salinity sensor in a multiphase flowmeter can be
challenging, as the sensor needs to be located at near-wall liquid-rich region
to accommodate a wide range of flow conditions. Currently, a microwave sensor
is installed in the lower area of a horizontal blind-tee inlet spool of a
multiphase flowmeter for salinity measurement. Integrating the microwave sensor
into the vertically mounted multiphase flowmeter can reduce the flowmeter
(carbon) footprint and manufacturing costs and can improve water-to-liquid
ratio measurement due to faster local oil-water mixing. The associated
challenge is that the sensor needs to be located at near-wall liquid-rich
region to accommodate a wide range of flow conditions, including high
gas-volume-fraction flows, where the near-wall liquid layer present in the
vertical pipe is usually very thin. In this study, computational fluid dynamics
modeling is used to evaluate the suitability of four different sensing
locations along the vertical cross-section of a Venturi-based multiphase
flowmeter based on near-wall liquid-richness. The results show that the Venturi
inlet is the most suitable location for microwave sensor measurement, compared
to the mid-convergence section, the mid-divergence section, and the Venturi
outlet for a range of inlet liquid-volume-fractions. The findings have been
validated by experimental microwave sensor measurements in a multiphase flow
loop facility.