Gas/oil/water flow measurement by electrical capacitance tomography

Abstract

In the oil industry, it is important to measure gas/oil/water flows produced from oil wells. To determine oil production, it is necessary to measure the water-in-liquid ratio (WLR), liquid fraction and some other parameters, which are related to multiphase flow rates. A research team from the University of Manchester and Schlumberger Gould Research have developed an experimental apparatus for gas/oil/water flow measurement based on a flow-conditioning device and electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) and microwave sensors. This paper presents the ECT part of the developed apparatus, including the re-engineering of an ECT sensor and a model-based image reconstruction algorithm, which is used to derive the WLR and the thickness of the liquid layer in oil-continuous annular flows formed by the flow-conditioning device. The ECT sensor was tested both at Schlumberger and on TUV-NEL's Multiphase Flow Facility. The experimental results are promising. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.