Abstract
The complex flow structure and interfacial effect in oil–gas–water three-phase flow have made the void fraction measurement a challenging problem. This paper reports on the void fraction measurement of oil–gas–water three-phase flow using a mutually perpendicular ultrasonic sensor (MPUS). Two pairs of ultrasonic probes are installed on the same pipe section to measure the void fraction. With the aid of the finite element method, we first optimize the emission frequency and geometry parameters of MPUS through examining its sensitivity field distribution. Afterward, the oil–gas–water three-phase flow experiment was carried out in a vertical upward pipe with a diameter of 20 mm to investigate the responses of MPUS. Then, the void fraction prediction models associated with flow patterns (bubble flow, slug flow, and churn flow) were established. Compared to the quick closing valves, MPUS obtained a favorable accuracy for void fraction measurement with absolute average percentage error equaling 8.983%, which indicates that MPUS can satisfactorily measure the void fraction of oil–gas–water three-phase flow.
Highlights
Oil–gas–water three-phase flow is frequently encountered in the exploitation of oil and natural gas
The investigation of highly random, irregular and unstable flow structural of oil–gas–water three-phase flow is difficult to conduct using computational fluid dynamics method, which poses a great challenge for void fraction measurement [1,2,3,4]
Xu et al [6] employed a pair of pulsed ultrasonic transducers positioned opposite to each other to measure the void fraction of gas–liquid two-phase flow and found that the pulsed ultrasonic method can avoid standing waves, and has a sensitive measurement for low gas concentrations
Summary
Oil–gas–water three-phase flow is frequently encountered in the exploitation of oil and natural gas. Xu et al [6] employed a pair of pulsed ultrasonic transducers positioned opposite to each other to measure the void fraction of gas–liquid two-phase flow and found that the pulsed ultrasonic method can avoid standing waves, and has a sensitive measurement for low gas concentrations. Pairs of In ultrasonic transducers positioned opposite insufficient to accurately measure void fraction this paper, a mutually perpendicular to each other was designed to measure theofvoid fraction of heterogeneous flow in oil–gas–water ultrasonic sensor (MPUS). The emission frequency and geometry parameters of MPUS optimized, to each other wasFirstly, designed to measure the void fraction of heterogeneous flow inwas oil–gas–water and a dynamic experiment conducted to verify reliability of the sensor. Thewas emission frequency andthe geometry parameters of MPUS optimized, that aMPUS can accurately the voidto fraction flow.result suggests and dynamic experimentmeasure was conducted verify of theoil–gas–water reliability of three-phase the sensor. The that MPUS can accurately measure the void fraction of oil–gas–water three-phase flow
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