Systems and methods for analyzing multiphase production fluids utilizing a vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12504129-B2
Application number	US-202318485379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2023
Priority date	Aug 31, 2020
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

System and methods for analyzing a multiphase production fluid, calculating production fluid phase flow rates, and calculating an oil/gas and oil/gas/water volume fractions of the multiphase production fluid, are provided. Contemplated systems and method may utilize fluidic piping, a production fluid supply valve, a fluidic separation chamber, an inert gas exhaust valve, a separation chamber pressure sensor, a fluidic separation detector, and a fluidic supply and analysis unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for analyzing a multiphase production fluid, the system comprising fluidic piping, a production fluid supply valve configured to supply multiphase production fluid, an inert gas supply valve configured to supply an inert gas, the inert gas being separate from and comprising a lower density than a gaseous phase of the multiphase production fluid, a vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber, an inert gas exhaust valve, a separation chamber pressure sensor, a fluidic separation detector and a fluidic supply and analysis unit, in which:
the fluidic separation detector comprises a plurality of active sensors, a plurality of passive sensors, or a plurality of active sensors and a plurality of passive sensors; the fluidic piping is configured to supply multiphase production fluid from the production fluid supply valve to the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber; the inert gas exhaust valve is configured to exhaust inert gas from the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber; the separation chamber pressure sensor is configured to provide an indication of gas pressure in the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber; and the fluidic supply and analysis unit is in communication with the production fluid supply valve, the inert gas supply valve, the inert gas exhaust valve, the separation chamber pressure sensor, and the fluidic separation detector, and is configured to:
supply the inert gas to the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber through the inert gas supply valve,
communicate with the production fluid supply valve to supply the multiphase production fluid to the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber through the production fluid supply valve after supplying the inert gas,
communicate with the separation chamber pressure sensor to stabilize the gas pressure within the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber by exhausting the inert gas through the inert gas exhaust valve as the multiphase production fluid is supplied,
communicate with the fluidic separation detector to monitor a growth rate Q C of a gaseous phase column of the multiphase production fluid in the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber through the fluidic separation detector, and
convert the growth rate Q C of the gaseous phase column to a production fluid gas flow rate Q G .

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of active sensors comprise microwave transceivers, acoustic transceivers, an illuminating vision system, or combinations thereof; and the plurality of passive sensors comprise a combination temperature sensor-gas sensor array, a non-illuminating vision system, or both.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic supply and analysis unit is configured to convert the growth rate Q C of the gaseous phase column to the production fluid gas flow rate Q G by accounting for a gravitational separation rate Q S of the gaseous phase column resulting from gravitational forces in the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein Q G =Q C −Q S .

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic supply and analysis unit is configured to convert the growth rate of the gaseous phase column to the production fluid gas flow rate Q G by:
measuring a change of height Δh of the gaseous phase column over a time Δt; calculating an increase in gaseous volume ΔV as a function of Δh and a cross sectional area of the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber; and calculating the production fluid gas flow rate Q G as a function of ΔV and a gravitational separation rate Q S , which accounts for volumetric growth of the gaseous phase column resulting from gravitational forces in the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the fluidic supply and analysis unit is configured to supply a sufficient volume of the multiphase production fluid via the production fluid supply valve to ensure that a completely separated gaseous phase column resides within the fluidic separation chamber over the time Δt.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the system further comprises a baseline liquid supply valve configured to supply a baseline liquid comprising water; and the fluidic supply and analysis unit is configured to supply sufficient volumes of the multiphase production fluid and the baseline liquid to the fluidic separation chamber via the production fluid supply valve and the baseline liquid supply valve, respectively, to ensure that a completely separated gaseous phase column resides within the fluidic separation chamber over the time Δt.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic supply and analysis unit is additionally configured to maintain laminar multiphase production fluid flow in the fluidic piping by maintaining a pressure drop across the multiphase production fluid flow in the fluidic piping and the fluidic separation chamber, as measured by the separation chamber pressure sensor, the pressure drop at less than about 1000 kPa.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the pressure drop is maintained by controlling the inert gas exhaust valve, the production fluid supply valve, or both.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the pressure drop is further maintained by controlling the average flow velocity of the multiphase production fluid in the fluid analysis system less than about 0.5 m/s.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic supply and analysis unit is configured to keep multiphase production fluid flow in the fluidic piping and the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber slow enough to ensure that at least 50% of the volumetric growth of the gaseous phase column in the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber is a result of gravitational forces.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the separation chamber pressure sensor is positioned in the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber to sense the gas pressure of the inert gas in the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber; and the fluidic supply and analysis unit is configured to stabilize the gas pressure within the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber by controlling the inert gas exhaust valve to stabilize the pressure of the inert gas.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the fluidic supply and analysis unit is configured to stabilize the gas pressure within the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber by further controlling a rate at which the multiphase production fluid is supplied via the production fluid supply valve.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein:
the system further comprises a baseline liquid supply valve configured to supply a baseline liquid comprising water; and the fluidic supply and analysis unit is configured to stabilize the gas pressure within the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber by further controlling a rate at which the baseline liquid is supplied to the fluidic piping via the baseline liquid supply valve.

15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic supply and analysis unit is configured to stabilize the gas pressure within the vertically oriented fluidic separation chamber by holding the gas pressure constant.

16 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the system further comprises a baseline liquid supply valve configured to supply a baseline liquid comprising water; the fluidic piping is configured to supply the baseline liquid from the baseline liquid supply valve to the fluidic separation chamber; and the fluidic supply and analysis unit is in communication with th

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Alvarez Jose Oliverio

Classifications

• G01N33/2841

  Gas in oils, e.g. hydrogen in insulating oils · CPC title

• F17D5/00

  Protection or supervision of installations (arrangements for protecting foundations E02D31/00; protecting pipes from damage or internal or external wear F16L57/00, against corrosion and scale F16L58/00; investigation of the fluid-tightness of structures G01M3/00) · CPC title

• F17D3/05

  the different products not being separated (separation of contaminants by distillation B01D3/00) · 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

• E21B43/34

  Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well · CPC title