Ultrasonic flow measurement for multiphase fluids using swirl blade section causing vortical flow for central gas flow region

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10845224-B2
Application number	US-201816207356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2018
Priority date	Dec 3, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

Ultrasonic measurements are made of a multiphase fluid (oil, water and gas) in pipe or conduits with high values of gas content in the multiphase fluid. Ultrasonic transceivers are positioned around the pipe wall in acoustic contact with the fluid system. The fluid flow is caused to move in a vortex or swirling flow with vortex inducing elements located in the pipe upstream of the transceivers, forcing the gas phase to a cylindrical area at the center of multiphase flow in the pipe, with water and oil multiphase fluid components forming an outer annular flow. Measures of cross sectional composition of the gas portion of multiphase fluid are provided based on the reflected waves from the interface. Tomographic images of the relative presence and position of the three fluid phases are also formed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for forming measures of cross sectional composition of a three phase oil, gas and water fluid mixture in multiphase flow in a conduit, comprising:
(a) a swirl blade section mounted in the conduit causing vortical flow in the fluid mixture in the conduit causing the gas to form a central flow region within an outer annular region of the oil and water of the mixture along a longitudinal of the conduit, the swirl blade section comprising four or more swirl directing flow blades, each swirl directing flow blade comprising a curved fin fixedly attached to and extending from an inner wall of the conduit;
(b) an array of a plurality of ultrasonic transceivers mounted about the periphery of the conduit downstream of the swirl blade section, the ultrasonic transceivers transmitting ultrasonic energy pulses for travel in the mixture in multiphase flow in the conduit;
(c) the array of a plurality of ultrasonic transceivers mounted about the periphery of the conduit further receiving ultrasonic signals after travel of the transmitted ultrasonic energy pulses in the mixture in multiphase flow in the conduit;
(d) a digital control circuit controlling a measurement sequence to enable ones of the ultrasonic transceivers;
(e) an output signal processing circuit receiving measures of the ultrasonic energy from the enabled ones of the plurality of ultrasonic transceivers and transferring data signals for processing to determine the cross sectional composition of the oil, gas and water mixture in multiphase flow in the conduit; and
(f) a data processing system forming an output display of the determined cross sectional composition of the three phase oil, gas and water mixture in multiphase flow within the conduit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each swirl directing flow blade comprises
a swirl flow inducing blade body extending inwardly into the fluid mixture in multiphase flow in the conduit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the swirl flow inducing blade body extends radially inwardly a uniform distance from the inner wall of the conduit.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the swirl flow inducing blade body extends radially inwardly an increasing distance from the inner wall of the conduit in the direction of movement of the fluid mixture through the conduit.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the swirl flow inducing blade body extends longitudinally along the inner wall of the conduit in the direction of movement of the fluid mixture through the conduit.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the swirl flow inducing blade body extends longitudinally along the inner wall of the conduit in a plane aligned with the longitudinal axis of the conduit.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the swirl flow inducing blade body extends longitudinally along the inner wall of the conduit in a plane transverse the longitudinal axis of the conduit.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the swirl flow inducing blade body comprises an upstream section extending longitudinally in an upstream section along the inner wall of the conduit in a plane aligned with the longitudinal axis of the conduit, and a downstream section extending in a plane longitudinally along the inner wall of the conduit in a plane transverse the longitudinal axis of the conduit.

9. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the swirl flow inducing blade body comprises an upstream section extending longitudinally in an upstream section along the inner wall of the conduit in a plane aligned with the longitudinal axis of the conduit, and a downstream section extending as an arcuate surface along the inner wall of the conduit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein ultrasonic transceivers in the array receive reflected ultrasonic energy signals from an interface of the central gas flow region with the outer annular region of the oil and water of the mixture.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the measures of ultrasonic energy received by the output signal processing circuit comprise measures of the travel time of the reflected ultrasonic energy signals.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the data processing system determines the cross sectional composition of the three phase oil, gas and water mixture based on the measures of the travel time of the reflected ultrasonic energy signals.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including:
(a) the data processing system forming measures of the speed of travel of the ultrasonic energy between individual ones of the plurality of ultrasonic transceivers; and
(b) the data processing system forming measures of the attenuation of the ultrasonic energy between individual ones of the plurality of ultrasonic transceivers.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including: the data processing system forming a synthesized composite image of the relative presence and position of the three fluid phases over a cross-sectional area of the conduit based on measures of speed of travel and attenuation of energy in the conduit.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the data processing system forms an image of the synthesized composite image of the relative presence and position of the three fluid phases.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including:
(a) an input signal forming circuit sending a pulse to be emitted as ultrasonic energy during the measurement sequence to a selected one of the plurality of ultrasonic transceivers for travel through the mixture in multiphase flow in the conduit;
(b) the input signal forming circuit including a multiplexer responding to the control signal from the digital control circuit to isolate the selected one of the plurality of ultrasonic transceivers during emission of the pulse of ultrasonic energy; and
(c) the input signal forming circuit multiplexer further responding to the control signal to enable assigned ones of the plurality of ultrasonic transceivers to receive measures of the emitted pulse of ultrasonic energy after travel through the mixture in multiphase flow between the transceivers.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including: a pulse driver forming pulse drive signals to cause travel of ultrasonic energy signal pulses of the measurement sequence through the mixture in multiphase flow in the conduit.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including: (a) a plurality of analog switches to receive measures of the ultrasonic energy from the enabled ones of the plurality of ultrasonic transceivers; and (b) the output signal processing circuit further including an analog to digital converter converting the received measures of the ultrasonic energy signals from the plurality of analog switches into digital data signals.

19. A method of forming measures of cross sectional composition of a three phase oil, gas and water fluid mixture in multiphase flow in a conduit, comprising the steps of:
(a) forming a vortical flow in the fluid mixture in the conduit, causing the gas to form a central flow region within an outer annular region of the oil and water of the mixture, the forming of the vortical flow in the fluid mixture in the conduit comprising passing the fluid mixture over a swirl blade section mounted in the conduit, the swirl blade section comprising four or more swirl directing flow blades, each swirl directing flow blade comprising a curved fin fixedly attached to and extending from an inner wall of the conduit;
(b) transmitting ultrasonic energy signal pulses for travel in the mixture in multiphase flow in the conduit;
(c) receiving ultrasonic energy signal

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Noui-Mehidi Mohamed Nabil

Classifications

• G01N29/036

  by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves · CPC title

• G01F1/3218

  bluff body design · CPC title

• G01F1/66 Primary

  by measuring frequency, phase shift or propagation time of electromagnetic or other waves, e.g. using ultrasonic flowmeters · CPC title

• G01F1/20

  by detection of dynamic effects of the flow · CPC title

• G01F1/74 Primary

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