Measurements device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10175075-B2
Application number	US-201515118878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2015
Priority date	Feb 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

A device for measuring properties of a fluid flow includes a pipe having a first pipe section which includes a fluid flow modifying feature for causing a liquid part of the fluid flow to form an annular layer at an inner wall of a second pipe section arranged downstream of the first pipe section, the second pipe section including a near field probe for applying a low frequency signal to the annular layer and a full volume field probe for applying a high frequency signal into the second pipe section, and a third pipe section arranged downstream of the second pipe section, the third pipe section including a resonance enabling element that together with at least the second pipe section provides a resonator which captures parts of the frequency range of the full volume field probe.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for measuring properties of a fluid flow which comprises:
a pipe through which the fluid is directed, the pipe comprising first, second and third pipe sections;
the first pipe section comprising a fluid flow modifying feature arranged such that, during use, a liquid part of the fluid flow will form an annular layer at an inner wall of the second pipe section;
the second pipe section being arranged downstream of the first pipe section and comprising at least one near field probe having a first frequency range, the at least one near field probe being configured to apply a low frequency signal to the annular layer from a position flush with an inner wall of the second pipe section and to measure the reflected signal;
the second pipe section further comprising at least one full volume field probe having a second frequency range, the at least one full volume field probe being configured to apply a high frequency signal into the second pipe section from a position flush with the inner wall of the second pipe section to perform a resonance measurement and to obtain a quality factor and resonance frequency from the resonance measurement, wherein an upper limit of the first frequency range is lower than a lower limit of the second frequency range; and
the third pipe section being arranged downstream of the second pipe section and comprising a resonance enabling element, such that said resonance enabling element and at least the second pipe section provide a resonator able to capture parts of the frequency range of the at least one full volume field probe.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first frequency range comprises at least parts of the range from approximately 0 MHz to 600 MHz and the second frequency range comprises at least parts of the range from greater than 0.6 GHz to 4.0 GHz.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the first frequency range comprises at least parts of the range from 10 MHz to 600 MHz and the second frequency range comprises at least parts of the range from 0.8 GHz to 3.0 GHz.

4. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the first frequency range comprises at least parts of the range from 100 MHz to 500 MHz and the second frequency range comprises at least parts of the range from 1.2 GHz to 2.5 GHz.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one near field probe comprises two near field probes, each having a different penetration depth.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid flow modifying feature of the first pipe section comprises an inner diameter of the first pipe section which is smaller than an inner diameter of the second pipe section such that a Venturi-effect is obtained during use.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the resonance enabling element comprises a restricted portion of the inner diameter of the third pipe section, the restricted portion having an inner diameter which is less than the inner diameter of the second pipe section.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the resonance enabling element, the second pipe section and at least part of the first pipe section provide a resonator able to capture parts of the frequency range of the at least one full volume field probe.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the resonance enabling element comprises an annular flange which projects radially inwardly from an inner wall of the third pipe section.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the resonance enabling element comprises an annular inlay in the inner wall of the third pipe section and the second pipe section, wherein the inlay is made of an electrically insulating material and is arranged flush with said inner wall, and wherein the full volume field probe is arranged within the inlay.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the near field probe and the full volume field probe has a front end surface which is flush with an inner wall of the second pipe section.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one near field probe comprises:
a first probe conductor;
a dielectric insulator arranged outside of the first probe conductor;
a second probe conductor arranged outside of the dielectric insulator; and
an open-ended terminal arranged such that, during use, the first and second probe conductors are exposed to an annular liquid phase in the pipe;
wherein the open-ended terminal is part of a front end surface of the probe which is arranged flush with the inner wall of the pipe.

13. A method of measuring the properties of a multi-phase fluid flow in a pipe, the flow comprising an annular liquid phase located at an inner wall of the pipe and a gas phase located radially inwardly of the liquid phase, the method comprising:
applying a low frequency signal from a near field probe to the annular liquid phase from a position flush with the pipe wall, the low frequency signal comprising at least parts of the range from approximately 0 MHz to 600 MHz;
measuring the reflected signal;
applying a high frequency signal from a full volume field probe to the fluid flow from a position flush with the pipe wall to perform a resonance measurement, the high frequency signal comprising at least parts of the range from 0.8 GHz to 3.0 GHz;
obtaining a quality factor and a resonance frequency from the resonance measurement; and
calculating the thickness, the salinity, and the water-liquid ratio of the annular liquid phase and the water content of the gas phase by combining a full-wave resonance model and a near field model.

Assignees

• Fmc Kongsberg Subsea As

Inventors

• Eriksson Anders
• Hanserud Svein-Petter
• Larsen Truls-Martin
• Wee Arnstein

Classifications

• G01N22/00 Primary

  Investigating or analysing materials by the use of microwaves or radio waves, i.e. electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of one millimetre or more (G01N3/00 - G01N17/00, G01N24/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01F1/74

  Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid · CPC title

• G01F1/662 Primary

  Constructional details · CPC title

• G01F15/08

  Air or gas separators in combination with liquid meters; Liquid separators in combination with gas-meters · CPC title

• G01F15/00

  Details of, or accessories for, apparatus of groups G01F1/00 - G01F13/00 insofar as such details or appliances are not adapted to particular types of such apparatus · CPC title