Multiphase Flow Regime Characterization and Liquid Flow Measurement Using Low-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Rutger R Tromp,Lucas M C Cerioni

doi:10.3390/molecules26113349

Rutger R Tromp, Lucas M C Cerioni

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26113349

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Abstract

Multiphase flow metering with operationally robust, low-cost real-time systems that provide accuracy across a broad range of produced volumes and fluid properties, is a requirement across a range of process industries, particularly those concerning petroleum. Especially the wide variety of multiphase flow profiles that can be encountered in the field provides challenges in terms of metering accuracy. Recently, low-field magnetic resonance (MR) measurement technology has been introduced as a feasible solution for the petroleum industry. In this work, we study two phase air-water horizontal flows using MR technology. We show that low-field MR technology applied to multiphase flow has the capability to measure the instantaneous liquid holdup and liquid flow velocity using a constant gradient low flip angle CPMG (LFA-CPMG) pulse sequence. LFA-CPMG allows representative sampling of the correlations between liquid holdup and liquid flow velocity, which allows multiphase flow profiles to be characterized. Flow measurements based on this method allow liquid flow rate determination with an accuracy that is independent of the multiphase flow profile observed in horizontal pipe flow for a wide dynamic range in terms of the average gas and liquid flow rates.

Highlights

IntroductionDue to the complex combination of measurement technologies within these systems, these devises are highly sensitive to hydrocarbon properties and require repeated calibration in the field [2,3]
Flow regimes were identified for each flow experiment based on the multiphase flow profiles observed through a transparent pipe section
Stratified, wavy, and slug flow regimes were observed during the flow experiments and snapshots of typical gas and liquid phase distributions in these flows are indicated in of the multiphase flows

Summary

Introduction

Due to the complex combination of measurement technologies within these systems, these devises are highly sensitive to hydrocarbon properties and require repeated calibration in the field [2,3]. These multiphase flow meter systems tend to have a limited dynamic range in terms of produced volumes and associated multiphase flow profiles [1,2,3]. In the absence of simple and accurate, plug-and-play well head metering solutions, many wells are operated with insufficient metering leading to suboptimal reservoir management and uncertainty in production allocation to individual wells [1,2,3]

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Results

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