Three-phase flow measurement by dual-energy gamma ray technique and static-equivalent multi-phase flow simulator

Abstract

There is a strong desire to use three-phase flowmeters in upstream operations because of their small size, portability, and cost-effectiveness. Traditional three-phase flowmeterstypically employ two main strategies: fully separating the flow into liquid and gas streams and measuring them using common two- and single-phase meters, or simplifying the direct measurement requirements by homogenization.

In order to achieve accurate measurements with these meters, it is necessary to first create a suitable simulator for generating various multiphase flow regimes with minimal systematic error. Developing such a simulator on a laboratory scale, rather than using expensive test loops is a crucial and practical option.

In this research, SEMPF as a Static-Equivalent Multi-Phase Flow with flexibility in creating different multi-phase flow regimes is introduced. In the following, the mechanism of action is validated for both homogenous two- and three-phase mixtures by using dual-energy gamma ray attenuation technique in the Monte Carlo simulator environment. Finally, the three-phase component fraction measurement accuracy by dual-energy gamma meter in three different modes of gasoil-, water-, and air-continuous mixtures were investigated. The experimental results show the maximum accuracy of 2.03 %, 7.23 %, and 5.09 % for gasoil phase measurement in three different conditions that the carrier phase is air, gasoil and water respectively.