The Performance Characteristics of Electromagnetic Flowmeter in Vertical Low-Velocity Oil-Water Two-Phase Flow

Abstract

Since the responses of the electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) can be affected by the flow characteristics, the combination of the EMF and the void fraction meter is always necessary for the two-phase flow measurement. Combined with a plug-in conductance sensor array (PICSA), the measurement characteristics of the EMF in low-velocity oil-water two-phase flows are investigated in this study. In a low-velocity oil-water flow experiment, the water holdup of the oil-water flows at low velocity is measured by the PICSA. By introducing correction coefficients of the EMF under different flow patterns, the correlations between the EMF responses and the oil holdup are established to measure the water superficial velocity. Finally, the oil superficial velocity is accurately predicted by a drift flux model derived from the liquid holdup and mixture velocity. Satisfactory prediction accuracy for the oil superficial velocity can be achieved without the need to introduce oil velocity measurement as in previous studies.