Multiphase Coriolis flowmeter

• US 7,726,203 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Henry, Manus P., Duta, Mihaela D., Tombs, Michael S., Mattar, Wade M.
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, JEWEL VERGIE
• Application Number:
  US11/686,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 738/613.55, 738/613.56, 738/613.57
• US Class Current: 73/861.356
• 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 1/8486 with multiple measuring conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/849 having straight measuring conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/10 of flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2009/006 vibrating tube, tuning fork
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2823 raw oil, drilling fluid or polyphasic mixtures hydrocarbon content of earth materials G01N33/241; prospecting G01V; drilling per se E21B

Abstract

A flowmeter is disclosed. The flowmeter includes a vibratable flowtube, and a driver connected to the flowtube that is operable to impart motion to the flowtube. A sensor is connected to the flowtube and is operable to sense the motion of the flowtube and generate a sensor signal. A controller is connected to receive the sensor signal. The controller is operable to determine a first flow rate of a first phase within a two-phase flow through the flowtube and determine a second flow rate of a second phase within the two-phase flow.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

passing a fluid through a vibratable flowtube, the fluid including a gas phase and a liquid phase;

vibrating the flowtube, while the fluid is passed through the flowtube, using a driver connected to the flowtube and operable to impart motion to the flowtube;

receiving a sensor signal from a sensor while the flowtube is vibrated, the sensor being coupled to the flowtube and configured to sense the motion of the flowtube and generate the sensor signal;

accessing data related to a void fraction of the fluid;

determining a mixture density of the fluid based on the accessed data related to the void fraction; and

determining a first flow rate of the gas phase based on the determined mixture density and the received sensor signal or a second flow rate of the liquid phase based on the determined mixture density and the received sensor signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the flowtube, sensor, and driver form part of a Coriolis flowmeter and accessing data related to a void fraction of the fluid includes accessing data representing a gas void fraction measured by a gas void fraction meter external to the Coriolis flowmeter.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the mixture density determined based on the accessed data related to the void fraction is a corrected mixture density.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the data related to the void fraction includes an apparent density drop and determining the corrected mixture density comprises:

determining an apparent mixture density of the fluid based on the received sensor signal;

determining the apparent density drop based on the apparent mixture density;

correcting the apparent density drop to generate a corrected density drop; and

determining the corrected mixture density based on the corrected density drop.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein correcting the apparent density drop comprises inputting the apparent density drop into a theoretical relationship that relates the apparent density drop to the corrected density drop.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein correcting the apparent density drop comprises inputting the apparent density drop into an empirical relationship that relates the apparent density drop to the corrected density drop.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the data related to the void fraction includes data that represents the void fraction.

2. A flowmeter transmitter comprising:

at least one processing device; and

a storage device, the storage device storing instructions for causing the at least one processing device to;

vibrate a flowtube using a driver while a fluid including a gas phase and a liquid phase is passed through the flowtube, wherein the driver is connected to the flowtube and operable to impact motion to the flowtube;

receive a sensor signal from a sensor while the flowtube is vibrated, wherein the sensor is connected to the flowtube and is configured to sense motion of the flowtube and generate the sensor signal;

access data related to a void fraction of the fluid;

determine a mixture density of the fluid based on the accessed data related to the void fraction; and

determine a first flow rate of the gas phase based on the determined mixture density and the received sensor signal or a second flow rate of the liquid phase based on the determined mixture density and the received sensor signal.

10. The flowmeter transmitter of claim 2 wherein, to access data related to a void fraction of the fluid, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to access data representing a gas void fraction measured by a gas void fraction meter external to the flowmeter transmitter.

11. The flowmeter transmitter of claim 2 wherein the mixture density determined based on the accessed data related to the void fraction is a corrected mixture density.

12. The flowmeter transmitter of claim 11 wherein the data related to the void fraction includes an apparent density drop and, to determine the corrected mixture density, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to:

determine an apparent mixture density of the fluid based on the received sensor signal;

determine the apparent density drop based on the apparent mixture density;

correct the apparent density drop to generate a corrected density drop; and

determine the corrected mixture density based on the corrected density drop.

13. The transmitter of claim 12 wherein, to correct the apparent density drop, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to input the apparent density drop into a theoretical relationship that relates the apparent density drop to the corrected density drop.

14. The transmitter of claim 12 wherein, to correct the apparent density drop, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to input the apparent density drop into an empirical relationship that relates the apparent density drop to the corrected density drop.

15. The flowmeter transmitter of claim 2 wherein the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to determine a first superficial velocity of the gas phase and a second superficial velocity of the liquid phase.

16. The flowmeter transmitter of claim 15 wherein the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to determine a flow regime of the fluid.

17. The flowmeter transmitter of claim 16 wherein, to determine a flow regime, the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to determine a phase slip velocity with respect to an average velocity of the gas phase and an average velocity of the liquid phase.

18. The flowmeter transmitter of claim 17 wherein the instructions include instructions for causing the at least one processing device to improve the determination of the first flow rate or the second flow rate, based on the first or second superficial velocities, the flow regime, or the phase slip velocity.

3. A flowmeter comprising:

a vibratable flowtube, the flowtube containing a fluid, the fluid including a gas phase and a liquid phase;

a driver connected to the flowtube and configured to impart motion to the flowtube such that the flowtube oscillates;

a sensor connected to the flowtube and configured to sense the motion of the flowtube and generate a sensor signal; and

a controller configured to;

vibrate the flowtube using the driver while the fluid is passed through the flowtube;

receive the sensor signal from the sensor while the flowtube is vibrated;

access data related to a void fraction of the fluid;

determine a mixture density of the fluid based on the accessed data related to the void fraction; and

determine a first flow rate of the gas phase based on the determined mixture density and the received sensor signal or a second flow rate of the liquid phase based on the determined mixture density and the received sensor signal.

19. The flowmeter of claim 3 wherein, to access data related to a void fraction of the fluid, the controller is configured to access data representing a gas void fraction measured by a gas void fraction meter external to the flowmeter.

20. The flowmeter of claim 3 wherein the mixture density determined based on the accessed data related to the void fraction is a corrected mixture density.

21. The flowmeter of claim 3 wherein the data related to the void fraction includes an apparent density drop and, to determine the corrected mixture density of the fluid based on the accessed data related to the void fraction, the controller is configured to determine an apparent mixture density of the fluid based on the received sensor signal, determine the apparent density drop based on the apparent mixture density, correct the apparent density drop to generate a corrected density drop, and determine the corrected mixture density based on the corrected density drop.

22. The flowmeter of claim 21 wherein the controller is configured to correct the apparent density drop based on a theoretical relationship between the apparent density drop and the corrected density drop.

23. The flowmeter of claim 21 wherein the controller is configured to correct the apparent density drop based on an empirical relationship between the apparent density drop and the corrected density drop.

24. The flowmeter of claim 21 wherein the controller is configured to correct the apparent density drop based on a table storing relationships between the apparent density drop and the corrected density drop.