Temperature model benchmarking in flowline environments

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

• receiving, by a processor of a computing device, from a data acquisition device of an acoustic detection subsystem that further includes a pressure wave generating device and a sensor that is physically positioned in fluid communication with a flowline and communicatively coupled to the data acquisition device, flowline pressure data generated by the sensor from a detected reflection of a pressure wave introduced into the flowline by the pressure wave generating device, where the reflection is caused by a target feature residing within the flowline at a known distance from the pressure wave generating device;
• and
• performing, by the computing device, each of the following additional operations:
• determining a predicted pressure wave velocity within a section of the flowline between the pressure wave generation device and the target feature based on a temperature value obtained from a known temperature model and fluid/gas characteristics at the temperature value obtained from the known temperature model, wherein the temperature model includes a plurality of predicted temperature values that form a predicted temperature profile of the flowline along a length thereof and the temperature value obtained from the temperature model corresponds to the section of the flowline between the pressure wave generation device and the target feature;
• calculating an expected time of flight of the pressure wave to the target feature based on the predicted pressure wave velocity and the known distance between the pressure wave generating device and the target feature;
• interrogating the flowline pressure data received from the data acquisition device of the acoustic detection subsystem to observe an actual time of flight of the pressure wave to the target feature;
• detecting a difference between the actual time of flight and the expected time of flight;
• in response to detecting the difference between the actual time of flight and the expected time of flight, calculating an actual pressure wave velocity based on the actual time of flight and the known distance between the pressure wave generating device and the target feature;
• calculating a corrected temperature value that corresponds to the actual pressure wave velocity;
• and
• outputting a command that causes the known temperature model to be revised by substituting the corrected temperature value for the predicted temperature value.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that are executable by a processor of a computing device, for causing the computing device to:

• receive, from a data acquisition device of an acoustic detection subsystem that further includes a pressure wave generating device and a sensor that is physically positioned in fluid communication with a flowline and communicatively coupled to the data acquisition device, flowline pressure data generated by the sensor from a detected reflection of a pressure wave introduced into the flowline by the pressure wave generating device, where the reflection is caused by a target feature residing within the flowline at a known distance from the pressure wave generating device;
• and
• perform each of the following operations:
• determine a predicted pressure wave velocity within a section of the flowline between the pressure wave generation device and the target feature based on a temperature value obtained from a known temperature model and fluid/gas characteristics at the temperature value obtained from the known temperature model, wherein the temperature model includes a plurality of predicted temperature values that form a predicted temperature profile of the flowline along a length thereof and the temperature value obtained from the temperature model corresponds to the section of the flowline between the pressure wave generation device and the target feature;
• calculate an expected time of flight of the pressure wave to the target feature based on the predicted pressure wave velocity and the known distance between the pressure wave generating device and the target feature;
• interrogate the flowline pressure data received from the data acquisition device of the acoustic detection subsystem to observe an actual time of flight of the pressure wave to the target feature;
• detect a difference between the actual time of flight and the expected time of flight;
• in response to detecting the difference between the actual time of flight and the expected time of flight, calculate an actual pressure wave velocity based on the actual time of flight and the known distance between the pressure wave generating device and the target feature;
• calculate a corrected temperature value that corresponds to the actual pressure wave velocity;
• and
• output a command to revise the known temperature model by substituting the corrected temperature value for the predicted temperature value.