New Coriolis Based Multiphase Flow Meter For Heavy Oil Mature Fields

Abstract

Abstract In many mature heavy-oil fields, production well-testing is limited by the ability of test separators to separate gas and water from heavy viscous oil. The new technology of multiphase metering addresses these issues through the use of a low cost, robust Multi-Phase Flow Meter (MPFM). This paper describes the fundamentals and field tests of this low-cost, portable multiphase meter. The meter utilizes a new coriolis flow meter technology combined with a microwave-based water cut meter that can measure 0-100% water-cut in the 0-100% Gas Void Fraction (GVF) range. The combination of these technologies provides a light-weight metering package that can be mounted onto trailers and/or pick-up trucks for portable well testing. This multiphase meter can measure oil, water and gas without separation of the production stream at low & high GORs (Gas-to-Oil Ratio). These applications can be found in mature fields where the conventional test separators are inefficient or under-sized for heavy oil applications. In these types of applications, a low-cost, accurate multiphase flow meter offers many benefits – one of which is accurate well test data for production optimization. The multiphase meter was subjected to qualifying tests prior to deployment in oil fields in the U.S., Alberta, Canada, Surinam, Venezuela, Romania and other locations where heavy oil rules out conventional "Sputniks" and other type of gravity separators. The paper describes the new fundamentals of the patented technology showing actual test results.