Magnetic resonance based apparatus and method to analyze and to measure the bi-directional flow regime in a transport or a production conduit of complex fluids, in real time and real flow-rate

A magnetic resonance based method to analyze and to measure the uni and bi-directional flow regime in a transport or production pipe of complex fluids, in real time and flow, wherein said method includes the following steps:

• a. the prepolarization module is set in a way to obtain a zero effective length;
• b. of the prepolarization magnetic field, said module being located on the right end of the measurement and analysis magnetic resonance module;
• c. the prepolarization module is set in a way to obtain a first effective length of the prepolarization magnetic field, said module being located on the left end of the measurement and analysis magnetic resonance module;
• d. a first magnetic field gradient orientation is selected in the measurement and analysis magnetic resonance module;
• e. the selective measurement of the velocity profile and the relative proportions of the selected components of said fluid is started, preferably by the application of the volume selective CPMG pulses sequence, according to the following steps:
• i. a resonance frequency for a certain volume element inside the excitation and detection coil is selected by said control computer and said synthesized radio frequency generator,
• ii. the nuclei pertaining to a volume element are excited with a first soft pulse of 90°, by said pulses generator and said radio frequency transmitter,
• iii. the slope and the y-axis interception at t=0 of the spin echoes decay linear fit of the selected fluid phase and volume are read, which are obtained by application of a plurality of refocalization and reading pulses, by said radio frequency receiver, said magnetic resonance signal device, said plurality of connection interfaces and said control computer,
• iv. the slope and the y-axis interception at t=0 of the spin echoes decay linear fit are stored in said control computer,
• v. another portion of the inner volume of the excitation coil is selected, by a suitable modification of the excitation frequency of said first pulse, by said control computer and said synthesized radio frequency generator,
• vi. steps i) to vi) are repeated, until exhausting all the selected local volumes whose speed are to be measured;
• f. another gradient direction of the magnetic field is selected;
• g. steps d and e are repeated till exhausting all the non-redundant directions of the magnetic field gradient generated in the module;
• h. another length of the prepolarization field is selected;
• i. steps c to g are repeated until exhausting the information necessary to measure the relative proportions of the different phases that compose the fluid and that flow from left to right;
• j. by said control computer relative proportions are calculated for each selected volume elements, constituting a multidimensional matrix, with information of the average velocity and the relative proportions for each selected volumes;
• k. by said control computer, the bi-dimensional image of the velocity profile for each component of the fluid moving from the left to the right is obtained;
• l. to analyze the right to left flow the procedure above described is now repeated exchanging respectively left by right words.