Testing system for petroleum wells having a fluidic system including a gas leg, a liquid leg, and bypass conduits in communication with multiple multiphase flow metering systems with valves to control fluid flow through the fluidic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9664548-B2
Application number	US-201514663183-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2015
Priority date	Mar 19, 2015
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

A well test system for testing fluids produced from one or more petroleum wells has a separator and a plurality of multiphase flow metering systems, each of which has the capability, over at least a portion of its operating envelope, of separately measuring flow rates of oil, water, and gas. The well test system has a fluidic system, including gas leg conduits coupling the separator to the multiphase flow metering systems, liquid leg conduits coupling separator to the multiphase flow metering systems, and bypass conduits for directing multiphase fluid to the multiphase flow metering systems while bypassing the separator. Valves are configured to selectively route fluid flow though the fluidic system to selectively bypass the separator when the multiphase flow metering systems can be used to provide separate flow rates of oil, water, and gas in the unseparated multiphase fluids from the well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for testing production of fluids by one or more petroleum wells, the system comprising:
a separator comprising an inlet for receiving a multiphase fluid flow from a petroleum well, a vessel for containing fluids received through the inlet, a liquid outlet, and a gas outlet, the gas outlet being positioned at a higher elevation on the vessel than the liquid outlet;
first and second multiphase flow metering systems, each of the first and second multiphase flow metering systems having the capability, over at least a portion of its operating envelope, of separately measuring flow rates of oil, water, and gas through the respective flow metering system;
a fluidic system comprising: (i) gas leg conduits fluidicly coupling the gas outlet of the separator to the first and second multiphase flowmeters; (ii) liquid leg conduits fluidicly coupling the liquid outlet of the separator to the first and second multiphase flow metering systems; (iii) bypass conduits plumbed to direct multiphase fluid through the fluidic system to the first and second multiphase flow metering systems without flowing the fluid through the separator to thereby bypass the separator; and (iv) a plurality of valves configured to selectively control routing of fluid flow though the fluidic system.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the gas leg conduits, liquid leg conduits, and bypass conduits each comprises a first conduit configured to direct fluid to the first multiphase flow metering system and a second conduit configured to direct fluid to the second multiphase flow metering system.

3. A system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said plurality of valves includes a valve for each of the first conduits and a valve for each of the second conduits, the valves for the first and second conduits being configured to selectively open and close the respective conduit.

4. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first multiphase flow metering system has a relatively higher maximum flow rate capacity and the second multiphase flow metering system has a relatively lower maximum flow rate capacity.

5. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second multiphase flow metering systems comprises a multiphase Coriolis flowmeter.

6. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the first and second multiphase flow metering systems comprises a multiphase Coriolis flowmeter.

7. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the first and second multiphase flow metering systems comprises a multiphase Coriolis flowmeter in combination with a water cut meter.

8. A system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a control system, the control system being configured to use the valves to implement multiple different measurement modes, wherein fluid is routed differently through the fluidic system in each of the modes.

9. A system as set forth in claim 8 wherein at least one of the measurement modes is a dynamic measurement mode in which fluid is routed through the bypass conduits to bypass the separator and at least one of the other measurement modes is a separated measurement mode in which fluid is routed to the separator for separation into liquids and gas and then liquids are routed from the separator to one of the first and second multiphase flowmeters and gas is routed from the separator to the other of the first and second multiphase flowmeters.

10. A system as set forth in claim 8 wherein the control system is further configured to:
determine whether or not the current operating conditions allow the first and second multiphase flow metering systems, collectively or individually, to provide separate flow rate measurements of oil, water, and gas through the system; and
route all fluid flow received from the well through the bypass conduits when the controller determines the current operating conditions allow separate flow rate measurements of oil, water, and gas through the system.

11. A system as set forth in claim 10 wherein the first multiphase flow metering system has a relatively higher maximum flow rate capacity and the second multiphase flow metering system has a relatively lower maximum flow rate capacity and wherein the control system is further configured to:
determine a current flow rate received from the well; and
implement a low flow rate dynamic measurement mode when: (i) the controller determines the current operating conditions allow separate flow rate measurements of oil, water, and gas through the system; and (ii) the current flow rate is below a threshold amount corresponding to the maximum flow rate capacity of the second multiphase flow metering system, wherein implementing the low flow rate dynamic measurement mode comprises operating the valves to direct substantially all fluid flow through the fluidic system to the second multiphase flow metering system via the bypass conduits, thereby bypassing the separator.

12. A system as set forth in claim 11 wherein the control system is further configured to implement a medium flow rate dynamic measurement mode when: (i) the controller determines the current operating conditions allow separate flow rate measurements of oil, water, and gas through the system; (ii) the current flow rate is above said threshold amount corresponding to a maximum flow rate capacity of the second multiphase flowmeter; and (iii) the current flow rate is below a second threshold amount corresponding to the maximum flow rate capacity of the first multiphase flowmeter, wherein implementing the medium flow rate dynamic measurement mode comprises operating the valves to direct substantially all fluid flow through the fluidic system to the first multiphase flow metering system via the bypass conduits, thereby bypassing the separator.

13. A system as set forth in claim 12 wherein the control system is further configured to implement a high flow rate dynamic measurement mode when: (i) the controller determines the current operating conditions allow separate flow rate measurements of oil, water, and gas through the system; and (ii) the current flow rate is above said second threshold amount, wherein implementing the high flow rate dynamic measurement mode comprises operating the valves to direct substantially all fluid flow through the bypass conduits to the first and second multiphase flow metering systems so the first and second multiphase flow metering systems collectively meter all fluid flow through the system, thereby bypassing the separator.

14. A system as set forth in claim 8 wherein the control system is further configured to:
determine whether or not the current operating conditions allow the first and second multiphase flow metering systems, collectively or individually, to provide separate flow rate measurements of oil, water, and gas being output by the well; and
route all fluid flow received from the well to the separator when the current operating conditions do not allow separate flow rate measurements of oil, water, and gas by the first and second multiphase flow metering systems.

15. A system as set forth in claim 14 wherein the control system is configured to determine whether or not the current operating conditions allow the first and second multiphase flow metering system, collectively or individually, to provide separate flow rate measurements of oil, water, and gas being output by the well by comparing a current measured gas void fraction of fluid from the well to one or more threshold values corresponding to maximum gas void fractions for which the first and second multiphase flow metering systems are operable to provide separate flow ra

Assignees

• Invensys Sys Inc

Inventors

• Henry Manus P
• Casimiro Richard P

Classifications

• G01F15/08

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

• G01F1/84

  Coriolis or gyroscopic mass flowmeters · CPC title

• G01F22/00 Primary

  Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G01F15/185

  Connecting means, e.g. bypass conduits · CPC title