| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20100031754 | ROBUST SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OBTAINING A LIQUID OR GAS SAMPLE FROM A MULTIPHASE MIXTURE FLOWING IN A HYDROCARBON PIPELINE - This disclosure relates in general to robust and efficient methods and systems for obtaining a sample of a liquid or gas phase from a multiphase mixture flowing in a pipeline, where the multiphase mixture comprises oil and/or a gaseous hydrocarbon and the pipeline is configured for the transport of the oil and/or gaseous hydrocarbon. In certain aspects of the present invention, after obtaining the sample of the liquid or gas phase of the multiphase mixture, sensing devices, meters, sensor systems or the like may be used to analyze the properties of the collected liquid phase sample. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100299088 | ULTRASONIC CLAMP-ON MULTIPHASE FLOWMETER - A multiphase flowmeter for determining at least one characteristic of a first phase flowing in a pipe with at least a second phase being also present in the pipe is disclosed. The multiphase flowmeter includes a processor configured to determine the at least one characteristic of the first phase, a first transducer configured to emit a first pulse signal into the first phase at a first incident angle with respect to a straight line that is perpendicular to an interior pipe wall; the first pulse signal is in an ultrasonic range and is configured to be coupled to an exterior pipe wall; and the absolute value of the first incident angle in the first phase is configured to be at least 10 degrees and at most 80 degrees and a second transducer configured to emit a second pulse signal into the first phase at a substantially normal incidence. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20100305881 | GAS PRESSURE DETERMINATION IN A GAS/LIQUID FLOW - An apparatus and method is provided for determining the static gas pressure in a gas/liquid flow. The apparatus and method may be non-invasive relative to the flow to be analyzed. The apparatus and method may include swirling a multiphase flow so that the flow is separated into a gas core and a liquid outer layer, measuring flow parameters, including the liquid layer tangential velocity, the liquid holdup, and the static pressure of the flow at the wall of conduit, and determining the static gas pressure in the gas core from the measured flow parameters. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20110098938 | MULTIPHASE FLOW MEASUREMENT - Methods and systems are described that provide for measuring flow properties of multiphase mixtures within a pipe carry gas-liquid hydrocarbons and water produced from oil-gas wells. The methods and systems may provide for a combination of a clamp-on ultrasonic gas flow meter to measure flow characteristics of a gas phase in a pipeline and a pulsed ultrasonic Doppler sensor(s) and/or an RF/microwave electromagnetic sensor(s) to measure flow characteristics of a liquid phase. The combination of sensors may provide for multiphase flow measurements under certain flow conditions, such as when the gas-liquid is flowing in a substantially horizontal pipeline, when the flow is stratified or is caused to be stratified and/or the like. | 04-28-2011 |
| 20110112773 | MEASURING PROPERTIES OF STRATIFIED OR ANNULAR LIQUID FLOWS IN A GAS-LIQUID MIXTURE USING DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE - Embodiments of the present invention provide for measuring flow properties of multiphase mixtures within a pipe carrying hydrocarbons. Embodiments of the present invention use differential pressure measurements of multiphase mixtures flowing in phase-separated flow regimes to analyze characteristics of a liquid phase of the multiphase mixture. The phase-separated flow regimes may be provided by flowing the multiphase mixture in a substantially horizontal pipeline or swirling the multiphase mixture. The combination of differential measurements with measurements from other sensors, such as ultrasonic sensors, microwave sensors, densitometers and/or the like may provide for multiphase flow measurements, such as flow rates of the different phases or determination of the speed of sound. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110139902 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SWIRL GENERATION - An apparatus for producing swirling flow in a pipeline is provided. The apparatus comprises in flow series: an inlet pipe, a flow deflection section, and an outlet pipe. The inlet pipe is configured such that fluid arrives in the flow deflection section from the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe has one or more apertures formed in a radially outward side wall thereof for the entrance of fluid to the outlet pipe from the flow deflection section. The apertures are configured such that the entering fluid adopts a swirling flow in the outlet pipe. The flow deflection section is configured such that, in the flow deflection section, fluid arriving from the inlet pipe is deflected to a location radially adjacent the apertures while maintaining a substantial component of flow in said principal direction. | 06-16-2011 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20080223146 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INVESTIGATING A GAS-LIQUID MIXTURE - A method and system are provided for investigating a gas-liquid fluid mixture as it is conveyed in a conduit having a first constriction region providing a reduced conduit cross section. The method and system include inducing the mixture to exhibit swirling flow in the first constriction region, thereby separating the liquid from the gas, and determining one or more properties of the fluid in the first constriction region. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20090114038 | DETERMINATION OF DENSITY FOR METERING A FLUID FLOW - Systems and methods are disclosed for measuring densities and flow rates of gas-liquid fluid mixtures. In the systems and methods, the fluid mixture is caused to exhibit swirling flow as it flows through a conduit that includes a constriction, a first pressure difference is measured between two vertically-spaced measurement positions in the conduit, a second pressure difference is measured between two horizontally-spaced measurement positions in the conduit, the first horizontally-spaced measurement position being at the constriction region and the second horizontally-spaced measurement position being upstream or downstream of the constriction region, and one or more of the pressure differences is used to determine a density or a flow rate of the gas-liquid fluid mixture. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20090234593 | DETERMINATION OF DENSITY FOR METERING A FLUID FLOW - Systems and methods are disclosed for measuring densities and flow rates of gas-liquid fluid mixtures. In the systems and methods, the fluid mixture is caused to exhibit swirling flow as it flows through a conduit that includes a constriction, a first pressure difference is measured between two vertically-spaced measurement positions in the conduit, a second pressure difference is measured between two horizontally-spaced measurement positions in the conduit, the first horizontally-spaced measurement position being at the constriction region and the second horizontally-spaced measurement position being upstream or downstream of the constriction region, and one or more of the pressure differences is used to determine a density or a flow rate of the gas-liquid fluid mixture. | 09-17-2009 |
