A method for determining at least one characteristic of a multiphase fluid including the steps of applying alternating energy of a predetermined amplitude to a portion of a multiphase fluid and measuring the electrical impedance spectrum across the portion of multiphase fluid whereby a characteristic of the multiphase fluid can be determined from the measured electrical impedance spectra.

Method and apparatus for characterising multiphase fluid mixtures

A monitoring apparatus for monitoring a multiphase flow in a pipe, the apparatus comprising: a first monitoring module coupled to the pipe and adapted to provide first output data representing a respective concentration of one phase of a plurality of phases, or a mixture of at least two of the phases, in the multiphase flow by processing at least one first variable representing electrical permittivity of one phase or a mixture of at least two of the phases of the multiphase flow; a second monitoring module coupled to the pipe and adapted to provide second output data representing a respective concentration of one phase, or a mixture of at least two of the phases, of the plurality of phases in the multiphase flow by processing at least one second variable representing electrical conductivity of one phase or a mixture of at least two of the phases of the multiphase flow; and a third monitoring module coupled to the pipe and adapted to provide third output data representing a respective velocity of at least one phase of the plurality of phases in the multiphase flow by processing at least one third variable representing velocity of at least one of the phases. There is a further provided a monitoring method for monitoring a multiphase flow in a pipe. There is a further provided an oil well system including a plurality of oil wells, and one or more monitoring apparatus for monitoring a multiphase flow in a pipe. There is a further provided a method of operating an oil well system using a multiphase fluid flow model which is calibrated or modified based on measured parameters of the multiphase flow.

Method and apparatus for monitoring the flow of mixtures of fluid in a pipe

A method for determining characteristics of a multi-material object is provided The method includes producing a rotating electric field by providing an applied electrical signal set of individual electrical signal patterns to electrodes surrounding the multi-material object The method also includes obtaining a measured electrical signal of electrical signals from the electrodes corresponding to each electrical signal pattern applied An electrical network is determined based on the applied electrical signal set, the measured electrical signal set and an inverse of the applied electrical signal set The method further includes determining the characteristics of the multi-material object by analyzing the electrical network

Electrical network representation of a distributed system

An apparatus for obtaining information on the content and flow rate in a fluid flow, e.g. a mixture of oil and water flowing in, for example, a pipe, including means for conveying a flowing fluid, means for generating a differential pressure in said fluid, and means for measuring said differential pressure. Means for measuring a capacitance are provided including at least one electrode, and the differential pressure generating means is arranged substantially at the same position along the pipe as the electrode of the capacitance measuring means. Thereby the differential pressure generating means effectively defines an earth electrode for said capacitance measuring means. Means are provided for combining a result from said differential pressure measuring means with a result from said capacitance measuring means to thereby obtain information on the content and flow rate in a fluid flow.

Flow measurement apparatus

Various methods of metering a multi-phase composition in a pipe using patch antenna(s), that operate in a radio or microwave frequency range, are disclosed including locating and then exciting the patch antenna(s) over a range of frequencies; measuring transmitted and reflected signals over time; estimating a shift in a resonant frequency from a baseline resonant frequency; then calculating a permittivity of the composition, based on the shift; and calculating a phase composition of the multi-phase composition. The present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiment(s), and it is recognized that equivalents, alternatives, and modifications, aside from those expressly stated, are possible and within the scope of the appending claims.

Multiphase flow metering with patch antenna

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flowmeter for multi-phase flow, which can accurately measure the flow rate of each component, namely, each phase of a multi-phase fluid by preventing the occurrence of capacitance measuring errors which occur due to the nonuniform distribution of a mixture. SOLUTION: The flow rate of each phase of a multi-phase fluid 11 is found from the phase proportion and flow rate of each component of the fluid 11 and the differential pressure of a Venturi tube 51 by providing mesh-like first electrodes 23 and 33, which are provided in a conduit line 12 nearly perpendicular to the flowing direction of the fluid 11 flowing through the pipe 12 and have nearly the same size as that of the cross section of the pipe 11, mesh-like second electrodes 24 and 34 which are respectively faced opposite to the first electrodes 23 and 33 in the conduit line 12 and have nearly the same size as that of the cross section of the pipe 11, and phase proportionity measuring sensors 21 and 31 for a mixture which find the phase proportion of the fluid 11, by respectively measuring the capacitances between the first and second electrodes 34 and 33 and 24 and 34 at two locations, which are installed from each other by a prescribed distance in the pipe 12 and furthermore connecting the Venturi tube 51 to the pipe 12.

Flowmeter for multi-phase flow

PURPOSE: To provide a densitometer for measuring the density of each phase of a multiphase fluid accurately through simple structure by determining the volume ratio among respective phases based on the dielectric constant depending on the frequency. CONSTITUTION: A multiphase fluid mixed with water oil or gas flows through a duct 10 in the direction shown by an arrow Y and passes between the electrodes 21a, 21b of a multiphase densitometer 20. In the multiphase densitometer 20, a high frequency sine wave having variable frequency is applied from an impedance measuring circuit 22 between the electrodes 21a, 21b secured to the duct 10 and the capacitive impedance between the electrodes is measured. Since a predetermined relationship is satisfied between the dielectric constant of a dielectric and the capacitance between the electrodes, the density of the fluid can be determined for each phase by measuring the variation in the capacitance, i.e., impedance, for each phase of water, oil or gas when the frequency is varied and then determining the volume ratio among respective phases through an arithmetic circuit 23. COPYRIGHT: (C)1996,JPO

Densitometer for multiphase fluid

PURPOSE: To provide a multiphase flow meter, by which the constitution can be comparatively simplified, and a flow by each phase can be measured with high accuracy. CONSTITUTION: Impedance measuring circuits 22, 32 measure a change of electrostatic capacity between electrodes varied according to a dielectric constant of a mixed-phase fluid of multiphase by applying the voltage, the frequency of which is varied between the electrodes. Arithmetic circuits 23, 33 receive the output of the impedance measuring circuits 22, 32 to obtain the ratio of each phase of a mixed-phase fluid by operation. Further, there are provided two sets of mixed-phase density meters 20, 30 constructed so that both electrodes are installed at a designated space in a pipeline 10 where a mixed-phase fluid to be measured flows, and a correlative arithmetic circuit 40, to which ratio signals obtained from two sets of mixed-phase density meters 20, 30 are added, and which is adapted to obtain a flow by each phase of a mixed-phase fluid by detecting fluctuation caused by the flow of a mixed-phase fluid to obtain the delay time corresponding to the peak of the correlation function of the respective signals. COPYRIGHT: (C)1996,JPO

Multiphase flow meter

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more accurately measure the constituent of each fluid for composing a polyphase fluid. SOLUTION: In a method for calculating the constituent rate of each fluid for composing a multi-phase fluid by measuring specific physical characteristics regarding the multi-phase fluid consisting of liquid that is made of water and oil flowing in piping and gas, an average relative dielectric constant of the multi-phase fluid that is obtained from the specific physical characteristics being measured at the moment when the piping is filled with water and oil is calculated by a function for expressing a calibration curve 61 of the average relative dielectric constant, and the average relative dielectric constant of the multi-phase fluid obtained from the average value of the measured physical characteristics is calculated by a function for expressing a calibration curve 65 of the average relative dielectric constant for connecting a value 63 that is determined from the physical characteristics of the liquid consisting of water and oil and a value 64 that is determined from the physical characteristics of gas.

Method for measuring constitution rate of multi-phase fluid and constituent rate meter utilizing the same

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique by which a flow rate can be measured with good efficiency even in a single path when the flow rate inside a pipe is measured, to provide a technique by which the flow rate can be measured without increasing the number of paths which are changed into a multipath and to provide a technique by which ultrasonic waves propagated along the wall of the pipe are detected or canceled without improving the pipe itself. SOLUTION: As compared with the acoustic velocity of ultrasonic waves from a transmitting sensor which is provided with a piezoelectric element used to generate the ultrasonic waves and which can be attached to the pipe, the acoustic velocity of ultrasonic waves which are transmitted in a material for the pipe is made small. The ultrasonic waves are detected in a position decided by Snell's law. When the ultrasonic waves are totally reflected, plate waves are used. The wall thickness of the pipe is set in a limited thickness. The ultrasonic waves which excite the plate waves along the wall of the pipe are passed through an average flow velocity path, and the flow rate is measured.

Clamping-on ultrasonic flow rate measuring method and multipath ultrasonic flow rate measuring method as well as clamping-on ultrasonic flowmeter and multipath ultrasonic flowmeter

仁章田中

Papers

Flowmeter for multi-phase flow

Densitometer for multiphase fluid

Multiphase flow meter

Method for measuring constitution rate of multi-phase fluid and constituent rate meter utilizing the same

Clamping-on ultrasonic flow rate measuring method and multipath ultrasonic flow rate measuring method as well as clamping-on ultrasonic flowmeter and multipath ultrasonic flowmeter

仁章 田中

Papers

Flowmeter for multi-phase flow

Densitometer for multiphase fluid

Multiphase flow meter

Method for measuring constitution rate of multi-phase fluid and constituent rate meter utilizing the same

Clamping-on ultrasonic flow rate measuring method and multipath ultrasonic flow rate measuring method as well as clamping-on ultrasonic flowmeter and multipath ultrasonic flowmeter

仁章田中