In-Situ Measurement of Gas Entrainment in a Multi-Phase Fluid
OwnerMarshall C. Hudson, Nolan Erickson +1inventors
InventorsMarshall C. Hudson, Nolan Erickson, Francisco A. Espinal
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Abstract
A method of measuring gas entrainment of a gas within a multi-phase fluid (a gas within a liquid) contained in a passageway, vessel, or other container. An open-ended coaxial probe is installed though a wall of the passageway such that an open end of the probe is flush or nearly flush with the inner wall. The probe is then used to measure permittivity of the multi-phase fluid. The volume fraction of the gas within the fluid is calculated, based on a mixing function that expresses permittivity as a function of the pure gas permittivity and the pure liquid permittivity.
Claims18
A method of measuring gas entrainment of a gas within a multi-phase fluid (a gas within a liquid) contained in a passageway, both the gas and the liquid having measurable permittivity, comprising:
- measuring the permittivity of the gas in a pure gas state and the permittivity of the liquid in a pure liquid state, thereby obtaining a pure gas permittivity value and a pure liquid permittivity value;
- installing a coaxial probe though a wall of the passageway such that an open end of the probe is flush or nearly flush with the inner wall of the passageway;
- using the coaxial probe to measure permittivity of the composite multi-phase fluid;
- and
- calculating the volume fraction of the gas within the multi-phase fluid, based on a mixing function that expresses permittivity as a function of the pure gas permittivity value and the pure liquid permittivity value.
A system for measuring gas entrainment of a gas within a multi-phase fluid (a gas within a liquid) contained in a passageway, both the gas and the liquid having measurable permittivity, comprising:
- an analyzer processor that stores values representing the permittivity of the gas in a pure gas state (a pure gas permittivity value) and the permittivity of the liquid in a pure liquid state (a pure liquid permittivity value);
- an open-ended coaxial probe installed though a wall of the passageway such that an open end of the probe is flush or nearly flush with the inner wall of the passageway;
- wherein the analyzer processor is further operable to receive data from the probe representing the permittivity of the composite multi-phase fluid, and to calculate the volume fraction of the gas within the multi-phase fluid, based on a mixing function that expresses permittivity as a function of the pure gas permittivity value and the pure liquid permittivity value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.