CORIOLIS DIRECT WELLHEAD MEASUREMENT DEVICES AND METHODS

• US 20160245074A1
• Filed: 11/14/2013
• Published: 08/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Motion Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Micro Motion Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Schollenberger, Frederick Scott, Weinstein, Joel
• Granted Patent: US 10,900,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/10 Locating fluid leaks, intrusions or movements
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/74 Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8436 signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8477 with multiple measuring conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/08 Air or gas separators in combination with liquid meters; Liquid separators in combination with gas-meters

Abstract

Coriolis direct wellhead measurement devices and methods are provided. The devices and methods allow for continuous monitoring, more frequent data, and greater accuracy in quantitative and qualitative measurements of well performance. In an embodiment: an entrained gas severity of a wellhead is determined based on a determined drive gain threshold, at least one variable is output based on the determined entrained gas severity, and a respective confidence indicator correlating to the at least one variable is output. One mode of operation includes continually averaging the at least one variable over a predetermined time interval and out-putting a respective single averaged data value. Another mode of operation includes outputting at least one instantaneous variable at predetermined and uniform time intervals. Diagnostic information and user alerts are also output to provide reliable decision making information to an operator.

Claims

1. A method for direct wellhead measurement of at least one well, the method comprising:

determining an entrained gas severity of the at least one well, where the entrained gas severity is based on the amount of entrained gas exceeding a determined drive gain threshold; and

outputting at least one variable based on the determined entrained gas severity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one variable includes at least one of:

flow variables, diagnostic information, and user alerts.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein flow variables include at least one of:

mass flow, volume flow, density, water cut, and net oil.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the diagnostic information include at least one of:

temperature;

detection of multiphase conditions;

time durations within measurement time intervals where the entrained gas is above the determined drive gain threshold; and

information of multiphase conditions, the information of multiphase conditions including at least one of;

gas void fraction, continuous entrainment, and slugging gas entrainment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting the at least one variable includes continually averaging the at least one variable over a predetermined time interval and outputting a respective single averaged data value of the at least one variable.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined time interval is determined by one of a user and flow conditions, the flow conditions including one of intermittent slugging and continuous entrainment.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined time interval is one of uniform and non-uniform in duration.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one continually averaged variable includes at least one of:

flow variables, diagnostic information, and user alerts if the entrained gas severity is below the determined drive gain threshold.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one continually averaged variable includes at least one of:

diagnostic information and user alerts if the entrained gas severity is above the determined drive gain threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting the at least one variable includes outputting at least one instantaneous variable at predetermined and uniform time intervals.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the outputting the at least one instantaneous variable includes at least one of:

flow variables, diagnostic information, and user alerts if the entrained gas severity is below the determined drive gain threshold.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the outputting the at least one instantaneous variable include at least one of:

diagnostic information and user alerts if the entrained gas severity is above the determined drive gain threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the outputting the at least one instantaneous variable further includes holding a last data value of flow variables and outputting the held last data value correlating to the predetermined and uniform time intervals.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective confidence indicator is based on a time duration within a measurement time interval where gas entrainment is detected.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective confidence indicator is based on a computed comparison of a portion of one of mass or volume flow occurring with gas entrainment and one of a total mass and total volume flow during a measurement time interval.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective confidence indicator is based on a computation of flow conditions, the flow conditions including one of intermittent slugging and continuous entrainment.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the respective confidence indicator is based on at least one of:

a percentage of mass during the predetermined time interval where the entrained gas severity is above the determined drive gain threshold, a percentage of time where the entrained gas severity is above the determined drive gain threshold, and total volume flow.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the respective confidence indicator is based on at least one of:

a cumulative moving average of a percentage of time the entrained gas severity is above the determined drive gain threshold, a percentage of mass flow where the entrained gas severity is above the determined drive gain threshold, a quantity of time durations where entrained gas severity is below the determined drive gain threshold, and total volume flow.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one well includes electric submersible pumps.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the drive gain threshold includes:

storing at least one factory baseline drive gain values set during meter calibration;

computing at least one time interval where a measured drive gain is low and steady; and

setting the drive gain threshold based on the measured drive gain correlating to the at least one time interval.

22. The method of claim 21, including:

correcting the drive gain threshold based on a measured water cut and increases in viscosity.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting a respective confidence indicator correlating to the at least one variable.

20. The method of clam 1, wherein determining the drive gain threshold includes determining if flow conditions include at least one of:

gas void fraction, continuous entrainment, and slugging gas entrainment.

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

26. Meter electronics (20) for a direct wellhead measurement device (5), the meter electronics (20) comprising an interface (201) configured to communicate with a flowmeter assembly of the direct wellhead measurement device (5), and receive a vibrational response, and a processing system (203) coupled to the interface (201) and configured to:

determine an entrained gas severity of an at least one well, where the entrained gas severity is based on the amount of entrained gas exceeding a determined drive gain threshold; and

output the least one variable based on the determined entrained gas severity.

29. The meter electronics (20) of claim 26, wherein the processing system (203) is further configured to output a respective confidence indicator correlating to the at least one variable.

27. A Coriolis direct wellhead measurement device (5) comprising:

a flowmeter assembly (10) to generate a vibrational response; and

meter electronics (20) connected to the flowmeter assembly configured to receive and process the vibrational response to generate at least one variable;

the meter electronics further configured to;

determine an entrained gas severity of an at least one well, where the entrained gas severity is based on the amount of entrained gas exceeding a determined drive gain threshold; and

output the least one variable based on the determined entrained gas severity.

30. The Coriolis direct wellhead measurement device (5) of claim 27, wherein the meter electronics (20) is further configured to output a respective confidence indicator correlating to the at least one variable.