Minimally intrusive monitoring of a multiphase process flow using a tracer and a spatially arranged array of at least two sensors on a flow pipe

An apparatus for monitoring a multiphase fluid flow passing within a pipe, which fluid flow includes a gas component, an oil component, and a water component, the apparatus comprising:

• a fluid flow meter operable to be attached to an exterior of the pipe, the flow meter including a spatial array of at least two sensors disposed at different axial positions along the pipe, which flow meter is adapted to produce flow velocity signals indicative of a velocity of the fluid flow passing within the pipe;
• a tracer measurement system including a tracer injection device and a tracer measurement device, which tracer injection device is operable to inject one or more tracers into the fluid flow disposed within the pipe, and which tracer measurement device is connected to the pipe downstream of the tracer injection device, and is operable to sense a sample of the fluid flow for the one or more tracers, and is operable to produce tracer concentration signals representative of a concentration of one or more of the tracers within the sample;
• and
• a processing device adapted to receive the flow velocity signals and the tracer concentration signals and determine one or more of a gas component flow rate, an oil component flow rate, and a water component flow rate, using one or more of a flow pressure value, a flow temperature value, the flow velocity signals, and the tracer concentration signals.