Real-time velocity profile measurement in two-phase oil/gas flow by twin-plane segmented ECT system

Abstract

In today's industrial environment, it is common to see the use of pipes or vessels to transfer mixtures of materials or products along them. However, the measurement of the amount delivered can only be done in one way: isolate the components first; then meter, weigh or measure the volume for each individual component. This measuring procedure often stalls the production rate. This work implements a noninvasive, real time monitoring system to measure the flow concentration and velocity distributions of a two-phase (liquid-gas) flow. The system uses the combination of a specially designed twin-plane segmented Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) sensor with 16 portable electrodes and the cross-correlation method as the velocity measurement technique. The measured values or data from the ECT sensor will be manipulated to reconstruct the cross sectional image of the pipeline by computer programming. These images are then cross-correlated to obtain the velocity profile of the multiphase flow. The visualization results deliver information regarding the flow regime, superficial velocity and concentration distribution in two-phase flow rate measurement system. The information obtained is able to improve: the process equipment's design, verification of existing computational modeling and simulation techniques. This technique has the possibility to promote an excellent opportunity to build methods for measuring the velocity field in multiphase flow by using noninvasive technique and cross-correlating.