Apparatus for measuring parameters of a flowing multiphase mixture

An apparatus for measuring the composition of a mixture flowing through a pipe, said apparatus comprising:

• an ultrasonic sensor apparatus disposed along the pipe that transmits an ultrasonic signal through the mixture and receives the ultrasonic signal, to provide a measured signal indicative of the transit time of the ultrasonic signal through the mixture, wherein the mixture includes particles suspended within a fluid;
• and
• a processor, responsive to said measured signal, that determines the speed of sound propagating through the mixture and, responsive to the speed of sound, that determines an output signal indicative of the composition of the mixture flowing trough the pipe using a dispersion model, wherein the processor compares at least a transitional frequency range of the dispersion model to determine the average size of the particles in the mixture.

An apparatus for measuring the composition of a mixture flowing trough a pipe, said apparatus comprising:

• an ultrasonic sensor apparatus disposed along the pipe that transmits an ultrasonic signal through the mixture and receives the ultrasonic signal, to provide a measured signal indicative of the transit time of the ultrasonic signal through the mixture, wherein the mixture includes particles suspended within a fluid;
• and
• a processor, responsive to said measured signal, that determines the speed of sound propagating through the mixture and, responsive to the speed of sound, that determines an output signal indicative of the composition of the mixture flowing through the pipe using a dispersion model, wherein the processor compares at least one of the lower frequency range and the transitional frequency range of the dispersion model to determine the phase fraction of the mixture.

A method for measuring the composition of a mixture in a pipe, said method comprising:

• measuring the transit time of an ultrasonic signal propagating through the mixture, wherein the mixture includes particles suspended within a fluid;
• and
• determining the composition of the mixture by determining the speed of sound propagating through the mixture as a function of frequency, in response to the measured transit time, to characterize dispersion properties of the mixture and comparing the dispersion properties of the mixture to a dispersion model of the mixture.

A method for measuring the composition of a mixture in a pipe, said method comprising:

• measuring the transit time of an ultrasonic signal propagating through the mixture, wherein the mixture includes particles suspended within a fluid;
• determining the composition of the mixture by determining the speed of sound propagating through the mixture in response to the measured transit time, and using a dispersion model, and
• comparing at least a transitional frequency range of the dispersion model to determine the average size of the particles in the mixture.

A method for measuring the composition of a mixture in a pipe, said method comprising:

• measuring the transit time of an ultrasonic signal propagating through the mixture, wherein the mixture includes particles suspended within a fluid;
• determining the composition of the mixture by determining the speed of sound propagating through the mixture in response to the measured transit time, and using a dispersion model, and
• comparing at least one of the lower frequency range and the transitional frequency range of the dispersion model to determine the phase fraction of the mixture.