Apparatus and method for measuring flow of gas with entrained liquids
AssigneeSouthwest Research Institute
InventorsGregory J. Hatton, Steven J. Svedeman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for making and using two measurements to correct metered flow rate values when liquids are present in a multiphase flow stream. The apparatus includes a conduit (10), an orifice (12) positioned within the conduit for creating differential pressure, a gamma ray densitometer including a radient energy source (22) and a radient energy detector (26) placed at an upstream side of the orifice for measuring upstream cross-sectional area and a pressure recovery port (34) placed downstream of the orifice for measuring the pressure recovery value.
Claims10
An apparatus for the measurement of correction factors for determining the flow rate of a multiphase flow stream including a combination of liquid and gas fractions, said apparatus comprising:
- an orifice positioned within said multiphase flow stream for creating a pressure differential in said multiphase flow stream;
- means for measuring a reduction in a cross section of said multiphase flow stream due to the presence of liquids in said multiphase flow stream at a point upstream and proximate to said orifice;
- and
- means for measuring a pressure recovery value downstream of said orifice;
- wherein a measurement of said reduction in a cross section is used to correct a cross-sectional area value in a standard orifice meter flow rate equation, and a measurement of said pressure recovery value is used to correct a downstream pressure measurement in said standard orifice meter flow rate equation.
A method for measuring correction factors and correcting a flow rate determination for a multiphase flow stream including a combination of liquid and gas fractions, comprising the steps of:
- positioning an orifice within said multiphase flow stream for creating a pressure differential in said multiphase flow stream;
- measuring a reduction in a cross section of said multiphase flow stream due to the presence of liquids in said multiphase flow stream at a point upstream and proximate to said orifice;
- measuring a pressure recovery value downstream of said orifice;
- modifying a cross sectional area value in a standard orifice meter flow rate equation by a measured reduction in said cross-section of said multiphase flow stream;
- and
- modifying a downstream pressure recovery value in said standard orifice meter flow rate equation by a measured downstream pressure recovery value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.