CA1322870C - Oil/water ratio measurement - Google Patents

Oil/water ratio measurement

Info

Publication number
CA1322870C
CA1322870C CA000578029A CA578029A CA1322870C CA 1322870 C CA1322870 C CA 1322870C CA 000578029 A CA000578029 A CA 000578029A CA 578029 A CA578029 A CA 578029A CA 1322870 C CA1322870 C CA 1322870C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
conduit
measuring
temperature
microwave energy
fluid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA000578029A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
J. Robert Wayland
Caroline H. Persson-Reeves
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
PERSSON REEVES CAROLINE H
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1322870C publication Critical patent/CA1322870C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N25/00Investigating or analyzing materials by the use of thermal means
    • G01N25/005Investigating or analyzing materials by the use of thermal means by investigating specific heat
    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N33/00Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
    • G01N33/26Oils; viscous liquids; paints; inks
    • G01N33/28Oils, i.e. hydrocarbon liquids
    • G01N33/2823Oils, i.e. hydrocarbon liquids raw oil, drilling fluid or polyphasic mixtures

Abstract

OIL/WATER RATIO MEASUREMENT

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A method and apparatus for the determination of the ratio of components in a muiti-component liquid mixture such as oil and water. The apparatus including a conduit for flow of fluid, a first temperature sensing means, a means to uniformly mix the liquid, a means to apply microwave energy, a second temperature sensing means downstream of the microwave generator, and a flow measuring means.

Description

2 1 32',~70 BACKGP~OUND OF THE INVENTIO~
The present lnventio~ relates to an empirlcal two-step technlque for sensing the oil~water ratlo ~cut) utillzing a small unlt that is in-llne ln a fluid transport plpln~ system or ln a bypass mode outside the maln transport system.
Water occurs naturally ln hydrocarbon formations and ls used ln the secondary recovery of oil from wells.
~ecause of the lncreased value of crude oll extracted wlth a lower content of water, lt is lmportant to malntaln the hlghest posslble oil/water ratio. Without timely measurements of the oil/water cut at the wellhead, effective production actlvltles are dlfflcult to ascertaln. Therefore, the measurement of the oil/water cut is important to the efficient recovery of oll.
Historically, oilJwater cut measurements have relled upon taking samples, separatlng the oll and water, and measuring the volumes of the separated components. Thls can be done at indlvidual wells by taklng samples at a wellhead or at a block of wells by measuring the water in the separating tank.
It has been proposed to measure the water content in an oil/water mixture by measuring the electrical properties of the mixture. By far, the ma~ority of the techniques measure capacita~ce rath~r than resistance.
The prlmary difference wlth esch techn$que lies wlthln the speciflc electrical propertles whlch are b~lng measured; the overall methodologle~ ~nd ~pparatu~ are slmllar ~often ldentical) ~nd slmllar problems with accuracy arise, as wlll be discussed below.
One technique is to pass the oilJwater mixture between two parallel plates (test cell~ Using the test cell, the dlelectric consthnt of the oll/wat~r mixture .

'' ' . . ' '~ .

', 3 ¦ 3 2 ~ ~3 1 3 ls determlned by measurlng the dielectric capacity.
Using the same test cell, one could measure the resistance ~or conductance) of the mixtur~. Thls technique is inaccurate because the electrlcal measurement requlres an unusually ~ccurate knowledge of the physical dimenslons of the test call which must remaln fixed when used in the field lf recallbratlon of the devlce ls to be ~volded.
For capacitance measurements, the change ln capacltance wlth water content, p~rtlcularly at low amblent temperatures, ls so small that the sensitlvity of the measurement is lnadeguate. This problem has been addressed by placlng a water-sorptlve, solld dlelectric materlal ln contact with the ~luld and determinlng lts electrlcal loss characterlstlcs. ~ecause any practlcal water-sorptlve material displays an hysteresis wlth changlng water content, agaln, contlnuous recallbration ls necessary, severely llmitlng the usefulness of this devlce.
An extenslon of these technlques ~s one ln whlch a grid pattern of crossed vertlcal and horlzontal wlres is used to determine the locatlon of clusters of conductlve water ln a nonconductive fluid, thus implylng the water content. The spaclng of the wires determines the spatial resolution. For a heter~geneous mlxture of oil and water, there ls a problem in establlshlng the water content.
These technlques are most accur~te in the mlddle range. When elther oll or water dominate the mixture, the sensitivlty of these me~surements decreases dramatlcally. However, for ~nd member ratios~
capacitance ~easurements are more ac~ur~te than measurements of reslstance.

.a i.~22870 Non-electrlcal methods depend upon dlfferences of physical properties. Those methods utillzing the differences ln physical properties usually require taklng a sample and allowlng the oll and water to ~eparate. Alth~ugh accurate, they ~re essentlally an extension of techn1ques that have been in use for many years and suffer from the llmltatlons mentloned below.
Another method depends upon measuring gamma rays resultlng from capture of thermal n~utrons~ For the gamma/neutron technlques, the fluld ls bombarded with fast neutrons whlch become thermalized and are then captured by materials in the fluld mixture; these materials then emit hlgh energy gamma rays. The intenslty and spectra of the gamma rays allow one to estimate the oil/water cut. Dlfferences in neutron absorption are lnduced by the varying compos~tion of the oll/water mlxture. Periodic certlficatlon and great care ln handling the neutron source are requlred. This technlque ls varlable and very expenslve.
One unusual technlque measures sonic velocities of a flowing oil/water mlxture from which the oll/water cut may be determined~ As with the electrlcal technlques, thls technigue requires careful attentlon to the lnfluence of envlronmental parameters such as amblent and oll/water temperatures.
In all of these methods, the lnformation is not tlmely. In tho~e where measurements ~re made at a separatlng tank, only a gross l~dlcatlon of where the problem actually exists ls given. Thus, a method ls needed that can sense the oil/water cut ~t the wellhead or at a~other locatlon within the plpell~e that ls ~ -accurate a~d can be measured wlthin whatever time frame ls deslred. A method which allows remote readings will enhance the overa~l economy and usefulness of the :

1 ~ 2 2~7 0 technique. The output from such a device should be easlly and lmmedlately transmittable to a convenient locatlon. Thls would allow one to qulckly assimllate an accurate picture of the state of a pro~ect~

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
~n the above and followlng paragraphs, the use of the tenm ~oll/waterH implies that the conslderatlons will apply to any two-component fluld mixture in whlch s there is a large difference in physlcal propertles. For thls lnventi~n, the technl~ue will work and ls applied to multl~component llqulds, or mlxtures of two or more llqulds, ln whlch there is a dlfference ln the electrlcal ~nd thermomachanlcal propertles of the components. The method and apparatus of the present lnventlon will also be useful ln determlnlng the ratlo of componen~s in a mlxtur~ of mlsclble l~qulds or comblnatlons of miscible and lmmisclble liqulds.
Accordingly, one ~spect of the present lnvention is to provide an empirlcal method for the sensing of the oll~water cut.
Another aspect of the present lnventlon is to provlde an emplrical method for sensing the oll/water cut that can be easily adapted ~or remote oll/w~ter cut m~asurements.
Another aspect of the present lnvention ls to provide a device for allowing measurement of the mixture of oil and water whlch wlll not alter the flow characteristics and~ at the same tlme, be able to wlthstand an adverse environment.
- Yet another aspect of the present lnvention ls to provlde a device whose senslng slgnal: can be lnstantaneously read, ~nd/or be hardwlred to a central processlng statlon, ~nd/or ls capable of being sent back vl~ a telemeterlng link.
More spec~flcally, the present inventio~ is dlrect~d t~ a method for measurlng he oll/water cut of a multl-~omponent liquid flo~lng t~rou~h ~ conduit. The lnventlon ls a method comprlslng the steps of: ~a) 7 1 322~70 uniformly mixing ~n oil/water sample; (b) applying a microwave field (MWF) of a selected frequency to the multi-component li~uid; (c) measuring the temperature increase produced by the application of the MWF; and (d) determining the oil/water cut from said temperature increase. In the preferred embodiment the method includes the additional steps of monitoring the temperature change of the liquid mixture, and increasing or decreasing the amount of MWF applied to the liquid mixture to produce a ~.emperature change which is more easily measured.
The invention also relates to an apparatus useful in practising the method of the invention comprising: (a) a conduit passageway for flow of a multi-component liquid therethrough having an inlet and an outlet; (b) a first temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the multi-component liquid in the conduit, said first temperature measuring means located between the inlet of said conduit and before a means to apply microwave energy; (c) means to appl~ microwave energy to said multi-component liquid flowing in said conduit located downstream of said first temperature measuring means; (d) a second temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of said multi-component fluid flowing in the conduit of said means to apply microwave energy; (e) a flow measuring means disposed along the conduct between said inlet and outlet ~or measuring the flow rate in the conduit; and (f) a means to calculate the ratio of components present from inputs received ~rom said first temperature measuring means, said second temperature measuring means and said flow measuring means.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become appa~ent from the detailed description given below. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments o~ the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent from the detailed discussion to those skilled in the art.

~ , '~
. ,. ,,. ~ ' ,i .

8 i ~7 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present lnvention wlll become fully understood from the detalled descrlptlon given below and the ~ccompanying drawings whlch are glven by way of S illustratlon only, and thus are not limltations of the present lnvention and wherein:
FIGURE 1 ls c dlagrammatlc vlew lllustratlng the mixing means, the microwave appllcatlon equlpment, and the temperature and llquid-flow measurement equlpment:
IO FIGURE 2 ls a dlagrammatlc vlew of an alternate embodlment of the applicator for the MWF;
FIGURE 3 is diagrammatlc view of an embodiment utillzlng a bypass arrangement for the flow of llgulds through the measurement equlpment.

. ". "' . .~ :. :
. ~ , .
.
. . . . : .
'; ~
, ' :

3 1',22~70 DETP~ILED DESCRIPTION
sriefly descrlbed, ln accordance wlth the present invention, an electro-thermal-mechanlcal method for s~nsing of the oll/water cut for a flowlng mlxture of S ligulds have been developed. A devlce ls made uslng a two-step technlque that requlres the temporary or permanent lnstallatlon of a measurlng unit. Thls unlt may be installed elther in-llne or in ~ bypass mode that does not lnterfere wlth the fluid flows. For safety, lt is preferred that the device ls electrlcally insulated from the earth and/or the inlet and outlet connectlons to the conduit (described below). Thls device is calibrated on a slte-speciflc basls. Clearly, thls technlquP can be adapted to other appllcatlons.
The MWF may be elther applied externally to the flowlng sample through a nonconductlve conduit or directly into a conductive conduit acting as a waveguide, or by any other available technigue.
In any case, the devices are lnstalled ln a pipe (conduit) where a measurement of the oil/water cut is deslred~ The measurement can he electronically transmitted to any desired processing station. As part of the calibration procedure, lt ls important to verlfy exigencies of pr~duction activitles, accountlng 2~ information, proper malntenanc~, and correctlve actlons.
FIGURE 1 lllustrates a condult 10 which ls sultable for a mlxture of crlde oll and water 11 as may be found at an ~11 well production siteO The oll/water cut ls usually known wlth little ~ccuracy. One embodiment of the measuring ~pparatus shown generally as conduit section 12, whlch ls a ~all defl~lng a ~assage~ay therethrough, which lncludes a mlxing means 13 for unlfDnmly ~ixing the fluid, is placed ln-line wlth the .

lO I 322870 fluid flow. The measuring apparatus can be attached ln-llne by flanges lq and lS. The apparatus can be electrically and thermally insulated from the pipes by lnsulating gaskets 14a and 15a, which can be made of any suitable lnsulating materlal such as Teflon.
The mixing means 13 can be any of a number of commercially available devices. Normally, this element co~sists of a pluraIity of plates, as shown, which form a plurality of tortuous flow routes selected to provide shear and a unlform mixture of flne droplet slze ln the output oil/water mixture. The water and oil are not miscible, and droplets of the phase in the minor concentration will be uniformly dispersed throughout the larger volume fluid. The mixing means usually incl~des an assembly of straightening vanes 13a to reduce flow d~sturbances beore entry into the next phase of the metering conduit section 12. The straightening vanes can be of any design known in the art.
Just after the mixing means 13, a first temperature measuring means 16 is inserted in-line through port 17 for measuring temperature. The first temperature measuring means 16 may be a thermocouple, thenmlstor, or any other sultable temperature sensing apparatus.
Downstream of the first temperature measurln~ means for 2s is the MW~ energy means for provlding ~W~ energy which ls illustrated as MWF generator 19, waveguide 20 and window 18. The MWF energy means can be commercially avallable, such ~s the type used ln mlcrowave ovens. A
number of frequencies ~re available ~d can be used, such ~s 250 MHz. The window la ls composed of a m~terlal that is transparent to mlcrowave energy, such as glass. T~e ener~y from the microwave generator 19 is guided by the ~avegulde 20 through window 18 tnto the oll/water mlxture and will heat the mlxture.

* trade mark :.
~ .,j", . . .

i ., ~ . . .
'- . ' , : ' .'. ' - : ~

11 1 3~2873 The window 18, the microwave generator 19, the wavegulde 20, and the conduit 10 is dlmPnsloned ln accordance with standard mlcrowave englneering prlnciples. The dlmens~ons of th~ mlcrowave generator S wlll be determlned by the electromagnetlcs of the MWF in ~ccordance wlth the relatlonshlp between the mlcrowave fre~uency ~nd Maxwell's equatlons. The source will also be dlmensioned to most efficlently heat the oll/water mixture to a uniform temperature or ln such a manner as to provlde the most accurate measurement of the oll/water c~t. Thls deslgn wlll be such that maxlmum heating efficiency is achleved without allowing the mixture to become nonuniform. Downstream of $he MWF
energy means ls a second measuring means 21, mounted through port 22. M~asuring means 21 may be a thermocouple, thermometer or other suitable temperature sensing apparatus. In the embodiment illustrated, a flow measuring means 27 is provided. Flow measuring means 27 may be anyone of the yenerally available commercial ~low meters, such as a soni~ flow meter or a rotating ~ flow meter. While the flow measuring means ls illustrated positioned downstream of the MWF
generator lt can be located at any sultable locatlon upstream or downstream of the MWF generator.
The irst and second measurlng means 16 and 21 are connected by suitable leads to mlcroprocessor 23; flow meter 27 and mlcrowave generator 19 can be connected to the mlcroprocessor by leads 26 ~nd 28 to provlde an autom~ted ~ystem~ Of cour~e, lt is recognized that measurement of ~low r~te, temperature, and operatlon of th~ microwave generator may be manually controlled or controll~d by other ~æans than a miroprocessor. The mlcr~proce~or 23 reads and stores flow rate, microwave generat3r pow~r level, the temperatures ~from th~

12 'I 322810 temperature measurlng means), and other relevant envlronmental parameters. The microprocessor 23 is programmed such that it wlll control the operatlon of the mlcrowave generator to provlde the correct amount of energy needed to produce ~n accurat~ly measurable temperature lncrease. Also, the mlcroprocessor wlll contain the equatlon, materlal propertles (determlned from the callbration procedures descrlbed below) and xesponse ~unctlons ~perhaps ln tabular form) requlred to provlde the oil/water cut measurement. This lnformation ls then stored in the microprocessor for retrleval, elther manually or by a remote telemeterlng link. The microprocessor wlll also control the llnklng to the central lnformatlon center.
In a method of the present invention, the llquld to be measured can conslst of total flow ln a pipellne or condult, for example, ~rom a well head, or can consist of a fraction forced to flow in a bypass plpellne or condult. The oll and water mlxture is first mlxed to provlde a unlform mixture. In the case of oil and water this would result ln a emulslon. The lnventlon ls belng descrlbed ln its preferred embodlment, whlch ln the oil lndustry are usually lmmisclble flulds. However, thls invention will also work for miscible fluids, in this specific case, only ~ minlmum mixlng m~y be requlred, or no mlxing ~t all. Thus, for some ~ppllcation~ the mixlng means need not be part of the device. After the mixing step, the temperature of the unlform mixture ls measured by a suitable temperature sensor, therea~ter the mixture 1~ heated by microwave energy, followed by the measurement of the temperature of the mlxture aft~r it has been he~ted ~y microwave energy. ~he fln~l ~tep of the process ls to determl~e the temperature difference to determlne the ratlo of components. From , 13 1 3,.2~373 Equatlon 3, descrlbed below~ lt ls shown that the temperature different~al ls dlrectly.proportional to the power l~vel of th~ MW~ and lnversely proportl~nal to the veloclty of the oil/water mixture. Thus, when the power level of the microwave generator ls lncreased (or decreasad)~ tha temperature dlfferentlal will be increased tor decreased)~ The power level of the mlcrowave generator must be measured lf one ls to correlate temperature to the oll~water raklo.
When thP veloclty of the fluid ls lncreased ~or decreased)~ the temperature dlfferentlal ls decreased ~or lncreased). Thus, the lnverse relatlonshlp of the temperature incre~sP to fluld veloclty requires knowledge of the fluid veloclty. As shown by the reIatlonshlp between Equatlons 3 ~nd 5, the temperature dlfferentlal ~T) ls a function of the power level and tlme. Therefore, the flow rate ~u) ls necessary to determlne the time ~t) the mlxture remains ln the MWF.
In the preferred embodiment, the lnventlon also relates to monitorlng the temperature before and after heating, determlnlng whether the change ln temperature ls too hlsh or too low for successful measurement of ratios and increasing or decreaslng the energy input as desired.
The process of the pr~sent lnvention ls descri~ed ln further detail wlth respect to the operation of the preferred apparatus.
The wlndow 18 keeps fluid out of the waYeguide 200 The fluid ls heated as descrlbed above. The temperature of the he~ted fluid is measured by the temperatur~
measurement de~ice 21 inserted through portal 22. The temperature lncr~as~, ~T, ls computed by the mlcroprocessor 23 by ~lgnals sent through lines 24 and 25. If the temperatur~ lncrea~e, ~T, is no~ l~rge enough ~typlcally a few degrees centigrade~, a slgn~l is " 14 I 3~2~70 sent from the mlcroprocessor 23 by line 26 to the microwave generstor 19 to lncrease the energy output until a suitable temperature lncrease occurs. If ~T is too large (typically about 50rC or more), the energy output of the mlcrowave generator 19 ls decreasad untll AT ls ln an acceptable range. The energy level of the microwave gen~rator 19 is stoxed ln the microprocessor 23. The velocity of the fluld ls measured by a flowmeter 27, and the measurement ls sent by llne 28 to the microprocessor 23.
Prlor to fleld lnstallatlon, the apparatus ls calibrated uslng a known oll~water mlxture. Preferably, the eallbration is done with a recent sample from the wellhead, because the characteristlcs of water and oll at varlous well sltes may vary effectlng their heatlng by MWF. The calibratlon procedure wlll conslst of c~ racterizing the response of must the fleld water rln~
(~h~) and ~ust the field oil to the MWF, especlally the amount of heatlng of each component as a functlon of the MWF lntensity. Then a serles of callbratlons wlll be made at a number of flxed oll/w~ter ratlos of the mlxture to characterlæe the response to the MWF. Then, as des~ribed below, the response characterlstics will be reconclled wlth the theoretlcal prediction given below 2S so that the microprocessor 23 can be programmed to give the correct oll/water cut from field measurements~
It will be ne~essary to have sets o$ callbratlon for those cases where additional components ~such as gas or ~dditlves) wlll b~ pr~sent as ~ result of normal productlon activities. The microprocessor 23 will be programmed ln su~h ~ man~er that lt can be lnstructed to make correcti~ns for these ~dditional ~ompon~nts when regulred.

. . .

~ ~ .

. . :
::

I :~2~810 The microprooessor 23 ls programmed to c~lculate the oll/water cut in accordance with the theory ~lven below. This operatlon is based upon the lnformatlon arrlvlng vla lines 2~, 25, ~6, and 28. A slgnal ls then generated whlch lndlcates the oll~water cut. Thls slgnal ls sent to an informatlon center 29 by llnk 30.
Llnk 30 may be a hardwire, a telemetry path, or another sultable method of transferrlng lnfonmatlon. At the lnformatlon center 29, the oll/water cut measurement is used as needed for proper productlon. Clearly, this informatlon ls of an lnstantaneous nature, which can be averaged as desired. This lnformation may be recorded and/or stored in any number of ways.
In FIGURE 2, an alternate embodiment for the appllcation of ths microwave energy ls shown. This would replace that part of the metal metering pipe sectlon 12 of FIGURE 1, consisting of parts 18, 19, and 20. The oil/water mixture flows through a metal pipe section 31 into a glass pipe section 32 and then out ~0 lnto a metal pipe section 33. The glass pipe sectlon 32 is made of a glass or any other materlal that ls transparent to the MWF and ls attached to the metal pipe sectlons 31 and 33 by flanges 34 and 35. A metal box 36 encloses the glass pipe seotion 32. Thls metal box 36 has dimenslons such that it acts ~s a multlmode cavlty with maximum MWF energy density ln the loca~ion of the gl3ss plpe sectlon 32. The MWF ls gulded by ~avegulde 37 from a mlcrowave ~enerator 38. Tunin~ stub 39 is set to cause a maxlmum transfer of mlcrowave energy from the ml~rowave generator 38 go the multimode cavity 36. ~N~t illustr~ted ln FIGURE 2 are the other components of the ~pparatus, such as the ~lxlng meansf and temperature æenslng means).

16 l ~ L 2 i3 7 () The two means of applying the mlcrowave energy to the oll/water mlxture shown in FIGuRES 1 and 2 are not the only means, other means can be used. Other means than these speclfically ldentlfled above can be used to mlx the mixture, measure the temperature, etc.
In certaln clrcumstances, e.g.~ hlgh volume flow rat~s, it may be ~dvantageous to redlrect a small portlon of the total flow through the measurlng apparatus. Thls can be done ~s shown in FIGURE 3. A
small bypass plpe 41 ls connected to the main plpe 40 and returned to the main pipe 4G after passlng through the oil~water cut measuring apparatus 42. The oll/water cut measurlng apparatus 42 ls as descrlbed above ln FIGURES 1 and 2. The flow of fluids through the bypass ls controlled by valves 43 and 44 whlch may be controlled manually or remotely when a measurement is reguired. To ensure proper flow through the mea~uring apparatus 42, a pump 4s 1~ operated whenever a measurement is belng made. The pump serves the dual purpose of extracting the fluid from the main pipe and malntalning a constant velocity ln the bypass condult, thus ensuring an accurate measurement of temperature change. Thls ln~ormation may be recorded and/or stored in ~ny number of ways.
Thls invention is that when ~ mlxture of oil and water ls exposed to a MWF, the water, with lts hlgher conductivlty, ~111 absorb more energy than the oll.
Clearly, as is obvious to one skllled ln the art, any mlxture in whlch one component more readily absorbs mor ~WF ~nergy than the other components can ~lso be measured by the method of the pre ent in~entlon. From ~ Poyntlng's theor~m, o~e ca~ show th~t a slngle component ; substanc~ wlth dlelectrlc c~nstant ~' and loss tangent will absorb energy ~t the rate of 11 i~,~2(`~70 Pv ' ~watts/cm)3 ~ 0.556fEoE' tan ~

where the frequenc~ f of the electromagnetic fleld, the MWF, ls ln MHz and its electrl~ field strength ls Eo ~KV~cm). Thls absorbed energy will caus~ a temperature change of a single component (either oll or water) of density Pl and speciflc heat capacity Cpl is glven by ~dT) ~ Pvl (2) ~dt) PlCpl or the tempexature rise ~Tl in a tlme ~t is ~Ti ' ~ ' ~3) where ~t ls the time the sample stays in the MWF. If . 35 there are two electrically different substances in a fluid mixture, then each wlll experlence a temperature increase in proportion to its electrical thermochemiral propertles. Because of the lntimate contact between the ~lulds, this wlll produce ~n average temperature rise of the mlxture. On an average, then, a two-component system will experle~ce ~ temperature rise glven by <~T~ To + <~<cp>~Tw ~0 .

,. ~ : , ' - ' :
, ~ ~ .

i22~ 7 o ap= c~ To~ t4) 1 1 ~ ( 2 _ ) ~T
(l-C~P~ CP

where CpO ~ specific heat capaclty of oil~ :
Cpw - speclflc heat capaclty of water, ~Cp> ~ average speciflc heat capaclty of mlxture m4 ~ mass of oll, mw ~ mass of water, <m> ~ average mass of mixture, pO ~ mass denslty of oil, Pw ~ mass denslty of water, a . fractlon of mlxture that is water, ~To - temperature lncrease of oll component, QTw ~ temperature lncrease of water component.

. If the oll/water mlxture ls flowing through a plpe of radius r and length 1 with a volume flow rate v~cm3/sec) then ~t ' v (5) Then by combining ç~uatlons i3), (4~, and ~5), an approxlmat~on of the ~u~ctlonal r~lationship:between the oi~fwater cut, ~la) , is founa. Thus for ~ mlxture ~ ' .

- ' . ~-.

1 j ~ 1 0 such as oll and water, accurate temperature increases can be obtalned. P~r mixtures with more than two components, accurate temperatur~ lncrea~es oan be maasured as long ~s the speclfic heat capacity ~cp) and S the mass ~m) or mass denslty ~p) of the addltlonal components are known, such as determlned during the callbratlon process, A serles of tests showed that, for a typlcal mlxture of crude oll and brlne, the temperature increased as a functlon of exposur¢ tlme. For a flxed exposure time, but wlth varylng percentages of water, a very usable temperature increase was obtalned and the same ls true for a flowing mixture.
As the fractlon of water, a, decreases, the temperature lncrease becomes so small, for a fixed MWF
power level, as to be unusable. However, lf the power level is lncreased at lower fractional water content, then a usable temperature increase results. This teaches us that the power level of the MWF must be ad~usted ln ~ccordance with the fractlon of water content. The slmplest approach ls to have the power level determlned by the temperature differentlal.
The invention belng thus descrlbed, it is obvious that sald invention can be varled ln m~ny ways. Such ~arlations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and the scope of the lnvention, and, all such modiflcations as would be obvlous to one skllled ln he art are lntended to be lncluded wlthln the scope of the followlng ~lalms.

.

Claims (25)

1. A method for measuring the ratio of components with different properties in a fluid mixture of those components flowing through a conduit comprising the steps of:
(a) measuring the temperature of a fluid mixture in the conduit;
(b) measuring the flow rate of the mixture in the conduit;
(c) heating the fluid mixture by applying a microwave field to the mixture within the conduit;
(d) measuring the temperature of the mixture in the conduit after it has been heated;
(e) measuring the power input of the microwave field; and (f) determining the ratio of components present in the mixture.
2. The method of Claim 1 wherein the heating of the fluid creates a sufficient temperature rise to allow measurement.
3. The method of Claim 2 wherein the fluid is heated sufficiently to cause temperature rise of from about 2°C to about 50°C.
4. A method for measuring the ratio of components present in a multi-component fluid comprising:
(a) flowing a multi-component fluid through a conduit;
(b) mixing the multi-component fluid to form a uniform mixture of the components in multi-component fluid;
(c) measuring the temperature of the multi-component fluid prior to heating the fluid;
(d) heating the multi-component fluid by applying microwave energy to the uniformly mixed fluid;
(e) measuring the temperature of said uniformly mixed fluid after it has been heated;
(f) measuring the power input of the microwave energy;
(g) measuring the flow rate of the fluid within the conduit; and (h) determining the ratio of components in the fluid.
5. The method of Claim 4 wherein the heating of the fluid creates a sufficient temperature rise to allow measurement.
6. The method of Claim 5 wherein the fluid is heated sufficiently to cause temperature rise of from about 2°C to about 50°C.
7. An apparatus for measuring the ratio of components present in a multi-component fluid comprising:
(a) a conduit passageway for flow of a multi-component liquid therethrough having an inlet and an outlet;
(b) a first temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the multi-component liquid in the conduit, said first temperature measuring means located between the inlet of said conduit and before a means to apply microwave energy;
(c) means to apply microwave energy to said multi-component liquid flowing in said conduit located downstream of said first temperature measuring means;
(d) a second temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of said multi-component fluid flowing in the conduit of said means to apply microwave energy;
(e) a flow measuring means disposed along the conduct between said inlet and outlet for measuring the flow rate in the conduit; and (f) a means to calculate the ratio of components president from inputs received from said first temperature measuring means, said second temperature measuring means and said flow measuring means.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means to apply microwave energy comprises a section of said conduit transparent to microwave energy and a microwave energy transmitter disposed over said transparent section.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means to apply microwave energy comprises a section of said conduit transparent to microwave energy and a microwave energy transmitter disposed over said transparent section.
10. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a pump disposed between said inlet and said outlet of said conduit.
11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said measuring means are thermocouples.
12. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a means for controlling the output of said means for applying microwave energy which receives input from said temperature measuring means, said flow measuring means from which signals the amount of energy to be applied is determined and control signals are provided to said means for applying microwave energy.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said means to calculate and said means for controlling is a microprocessor.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a pump disposed between said inlet and said outlet of said conduit.
15. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a pump disposed between said inlet and said outlet of said conduit.
16. An apparatus for measuring the rates of components present in a multi-component liquid flowing through a conduit comprising:
(a) a conduit defining a passageway for flow of a multi-component liquid mixture therethrough having an inlet and outlet;
(b) a first temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the multi-component liquid in the conduit, said first temperature measuring means located in the conduit between said inlet and a means to apply microwave energy;
(c) flow measuring means disposed within the conduit for measuring the flow rate in the conduit;
(d) mixing means within the conduit so as to produce a uniform mixture of the multi-component liquid;
(e) means to apply a microwave energy to the said uniformly mixed multi-component liquid within the conduit downstream of said first temperature measuring means to heat said multi-component liquid;
(f) a second temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of said liquid mixture in the conduit, said temperature measuring means located downstream of said means to apply microwave energy; and (g) a means to calculate the ratio of components present from inputs received from said first temperature measuring means, said second temperature measuring means and said flow measuring means.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said means to apply microwave energy comprises a section of said conduit transparent to microwave energy and a microwave energy transmitter disposed over said transparent section.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said means to apply microwave energy comprises a section of said conduit transparent to microwave energy and a microwave energy transmitter disposed over said transparent section.
19. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a pump disposed between said inlet and said outlet of said conduit.
20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said measuring means are thermocouples.
21. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said mixing means is a plurality of plates disposed within said conduit.
22. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising straightening vanes downstream of said mixing means.
23. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said conduit is electrically insulating from the earth and from pipes connected to said inlet and outlet of said conduit.
24. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a means for controlling the output of said means for applying microwave energy which receives input from said temperature measuring means, said flow measuring means from which signals the amount of energy to be applied is determined and control signals are provided to said means for applying microwave energy.
25. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said means to calculate and said means for controlling is a microprocessor.
CA000578029A 1988-07-07 1988-09-21 Oil/water ratio measurement Expired - Fee Related CA1322870C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/216,073 US4891969A (en) 1988-07-07 1988-07-07 Oil/water ratio measurement
US216,073 1988-07-07

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1322870C true CA1322870C (en) 1993-10-12

Family

ID=22805570

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000578029A Expired - Fee Related CA1322870C (en) 1988-07-07 1988-09-21 Oil/water ratio measurement

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US4891969A (en)
CA (1) CA1322870C (en)

Families Citing this family (28)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5070725A (en) * 1989-09-12 1991-12-10 Texaco Inc. Water-cut monitoring means and method
US5376276A (en) * 1992-04-29 1994-12-27 Alberta Energy Company, Ltd. In situ primary froth quality measurements using microwave monitor
US5386718A (en) * 1992-06-02 1995-02-07 Marathon Oil Company Method for fluid analysis
US5415024A (en) * 1992-12-16 1995-05-16 Marathon Oil Company Composition analyzer for determining composition of multiphase multicomponent fluid mixture
US5597961A (en) * 1994-06-27 1997-01-28 Texaco, Inc. Two and three phase flow metering with a water cut monitor and an orifice plate
US5524475A (en) * 1994-11-10 1996-06-11 Atlantic Richfield Company Measuring vibration of a fluid stream to determine gas fraction
DE19945928C1 (en) * 1999-09-24 2001-06-21 Siemens Ag Determination of the alcohol concentration in the electrolyte of fuel cells
DE19948908C2 (en) * 1999-10-11 2001-10-04 Siemens Ag Method for determining the alcohol concentration in fuel cells and a fuel cell system suitable for carrying it out
FI114339B (en) * 2001-05-16 2004-09-30 Vaisala Oyj Method and apparatus for determining the water content of a liquid
DE10139914A1 (en) * 2001-08-14 2003-03-13 Michael Schroeder Simultaneous determination of concentration of several components or multiple component system involves filling and tempering measuring cuvette with system, subjecting to microwave impulse, and further processing
GB2406386B (en) * 2003-09-29 2007-03-07 Schlumberger Holdings Isokinetic sampling
GB2432425B (en) * 2005-11-22 2008-01-09 Schlumberger Holdings Isokinetic sampling method and system for multiphase flow from subterranean wells
US20080164067A1 (en) * 2007-01-09 2008-07-10 Ahmadi Tehrani Method for Reducing Aqueous Content of Oil-Based Fluids
FI122007B (en) * 2007-02-12 2011-07-15 Vaisala Oyj Method and apparatus for measuring temperature dependencies and use of the method to compensate for measurement errors
GB2447908B (en) * 2007-03-27 2009-06-03 Schlumberger Holdings System and method for spot check analysis or spot sampling of a multiphase mixture flowing in a pipeline
US8532943B2 (en) * 2009-03-24 2013-09-10 Cameron International Corporation Method and apparatus for the measurement of the mass fraction of water in oil-water mixtures
US8880363B2 (en) * 2009-03-24 2014-11-04 Cameron International Corporation Method and apparatus for the measurement of the mass fraction of water in oil-water mixtures
US8656770B2 (en) * 2011-06-30 2014-02-25 Baker Hughes Incorporated Electromagnetically heated thermal flowmeter for wellbore fluids
JP4991963B1 (en) * 2011-11-16 2012-08-08 株式会社アツデン Ultrasonic flow measuring device and method of using the same
GB2497321B (en) * 2011-12-06 2014-06-18 Senico Ltd Multi-phase metering of fluid flows
US9513272B2 (en) 2013-03-15 2016-12-06 National Oilwell Varco, L.P. Method and apparatus for measuring drilling fluid properties
CN105247353A (en) * 2013-05-03 2016-01-13 高知有限公司 Apparatus and method for determining a value of a property of a material using microwave
CN104316673A (en) * 2014-10-24 2015-01-28 卢玖庆 Device for measuring water content of oil
US9804105B2 (en) 2015-08-28 2017-10-31 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Systems and methods for determining water-cut of a fluid mixture
US10386312B2 (en) 2015-08-28 2019-08-20 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Systems and methods for determining water-cut of a fluid mixture
US10241059B2 (en) 2015-08-28 2019-03-26 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Water-cut sensor system
US10738602B2 (en) 2017-09-20 2020-08-11 Saudi Arabian Oil Company In-situ thermal response fluid characterization
CN111999339B (en) * 2020-07-30 2023-05-30 智新科技股份有限公司 Method for online monitoring change of water content of gearbox oil

Family Cites Families (23)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2807956A (en) * 1953-06-17 1957-10-01 Doble Eng Measurement of water in fluids
US3049910A (en) * 1959-02-24 1962-08-21 Bowser Inc Water detector for fuels
US3238452A (en) * 1961-10-18 1966-03-01 Union Oil Co Apparatus and method for detecting contaminants in a fluid
US3264558A (en) * 1963-05-14 1966-08-02 Heeps Brian Hamilton Movable electrode apparatus for detecting the presence of micro-particles of liquid suspended in a fluid
US3304766A (en) * 1964-01-17 1967-02-21 Texaco Inc Method for measuring two-phase fluid flow
US3349304A (en) * 1965-04-05 1967-10-24 William J Wachter Longitudinal movement mechanism
US3387748A (en) * 1966-09-09 1968-06-11 George R. Brenchley Motor driven metering valve
US3430489A (en) * 1967-01-30 1969-03-04 Exxon Research Engineering Co Modified turbine mass flow meter
FR1520761A (en) * 1967-03-03 1968-04-12 Electronic water detector
US3580072A (en) * 1967-12-27 1971-05-25 Mobil Oil Corp Time averaging method and apparatus for obtaining fluid measurements
US3693435A (en) * 1970-08-19 1972-09-26 John B Cox Time averaging method and apparatus for obtaining fluid measurements
SE377614B (en) * 1973-11-01 1975-07-14 Arbman Dev Ab
US4059987A (en) * 1976-10-20 1977-11-29 Texaco Inc. Apparatus and method for measuring the water content of oil flowing in a pipe
US4080837A (en) * 1976-12-03 1978-03-28 Continental Oil Company Sonic measurement of flow rate and water content of oil-water streams
US4166216A (en) * 1977-09-23 1979-08-28 Schlumberger Technology Corporation Methods and apparatus for determining dynamic flow characteristics of production fluids in a well bore
US4200789A (en) * 1978-06-29 1980-04-29 Texaco Inc. Measuring oil and water cuts in a multiphase flowstream with elimination of the effects of gas in determining the liquid cuts
US4190768A (en) * 1978-06-29 1980-02-26 Texaco Inc. Determining the water cut and water salinity in an oil-water flow stream by measuring the sulfur content of the produced oil
US4236406A (en) * 1978-12-11 1980-12-02 Conoco, Inc. Method and apparatus for sonic velocity type water cut measurement
US4215567A (en) * 1979-06-18 1980-08-05 Mobil Oil Corporation Method and apparatus for testing a production stream
SU1196742A1 (en) * 1984-10-03 1985-12-07 Ajzenberg Leonid G Moisture meter
US4644263A (en) * 1984-12-13 1987-02-17 Marathon Oil Company Method and apparatus for measuring water in crude oil
GB2170909B (en) * 1985-02-08 1988-07-13 Spectra Tek Uk Limited Apparatus and method for monitoring crude oil
US4773257A (en) * 1985-06-24 1988-09-27 Chevron Research Company Method and apparatus for testing the outflow from hydrocarbon wells on site

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US4891969A (en) 1990-01-09

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CA1322870C (en) Oil/water ratio measurement
Patterson et al. The measurement of unfrozen water content by time domain reflectometry: Results from laboratory tests
US4543821A (en) Method and apparatus for measuring relative permeability and water saturation of a core
CA2083802C (en) Sensor to measure crude-in-water percentage
Day On the precision of salt dilution gauging
US7631543B2 (en) Method and apparatus for measuring the composition and water salinity of a multiphase mixture containing water
US4458524A (en) Crude oil production stream analyzer
CA2000223C (en) Composition monitor and monitoring process using impedance measurement
CA2655407C (en) High water cut well measurements using heuristic salinity determination
US4486714A (en) Method and apparatus for measuring relative permeability and water saturation of a core of earthen material
US20080303534A1 (en) Method and Apparatus For Measuring the Water Conductivity and Water Volume Fraction of a Multiphase Mixture Containing Water
US5576974A (en) Method and apparatus for determining watercut fraction and gas fraction in three phase mixtures of oil, water and gas
Stein et al. Monitoring the dry density and the liquid water content of snow using time domain reflectometry (TDR)
US5107219A (en) Means and method for determining the conductance of a fluid
US4490676A (en) Microwave means for monitoring fluid in a core of material
US4184359A (en) Gas monitor for liquid flow line
US4482634A (en) Chemical flood testing method
EP1144985B1 (en) Apparatus and method for determining dielectric properties of an electrically conductive fluid
Fortier et al. Direct continuous measurements of thermal expansion coefficients of liquids and solids using flow microcalorimetry
EP3904839A1 (en) In-situ measurement of relaxation times, hydrogen densities and volumetric concentrations by means of nmr
Blume Measurement of dielectric properties and determination of microwave emissivity of polluted waters
US5325066A (en) Density compensated pipeline monitor
Baird et al. Comparison of the hole pressure and exit pressure methods for measuring polymer melt normal stresses
Yamaguchi New type of sludge density meter using microwaves for application in sewage treatment plants
Hohn et al. Capacitance water-cut probe utilization in the Kern river field

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
MKLA Lapsed