Multiphase, Wet Gas and Steam Flows

Overview

There seemed to be some common themes coming up including the need to replicate the field conditions in the lab, but with the problem being that the field conditions are not normally logged with great precisions, nor repeatability. Another aspect was that technology is outweighing knowledge so we need some work to address some fundamental flow issues. Cheap sensors also came up- possibly disposable, one shot types, so to take a space application, sensor swarms.

PRT topics identified:

Understanding high pressure/High temperature multiphase flow characteristics
Impact of salinity on measurement
Advancing multiphase and wet gas modelling
standardisation of wet gas technology, installation effects, 3-phases
improve accuracy of well test data/methods
Other Sectors - high viscosity flow measurement
Developing cheaper & more portable sensors for flow assurance

Main Issues Discussed:

Need for traceability

-Problems with ratio gas/liquid measurements

-Over reading, high pressure loops, problems with flow characterization

Need of meters for 3 phase measurements, water/gas/oil

Dedicated facility for multiphase in EUROPE?

-In medical applications, solid+liquid, means impact in measurement.

High viscosity flow very hard to measure, included food industry, non Newtonian fluids now using meter calibrated with water

Technology, to determine the flow characteristic of each of the 3 fluids, by viscosity and density measurements

Ultrasound, microwave – permittivity of material, X-rays, optical technology.

-Determine velocity profile

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Need to develop standardization

Morning Session

Group 1

Challenges:

Need cost reduction in regard to sensors

Technology outstripping present knowledge

  • So need to get back to understanding the fundamentals of flow
  • Undertake Basic Experiments

Virtual metering

Nuclear applications: High temperatures

  • Radiation
  • Molten salts.

Group 2

Challenges

  • Improve flowmetering
  • Venturiis

Low liquid content flows a challenge

  • Medical –eg blood flow
  • Degassing in medical field
  • Non Newtonian fluids
  • Water content in pulp

Traceability

  • 3 Phase meters-Traceability of each phase
  • High Pressure losses
  • Validations and Traceability
  • Velocity profiles most needed.
  • Low pressure to high pressure measurement and validation.

Group 3

Need for cheap solutions (ultrasonic) to measure multiphase

  • Robust measurements with temperature.
  • Need standards for steam measurement
  • Wet steam is aggressive
  • So need cheap and reliable measurement of the flow

EMPIR call

  • Need to determine something new.
  • In regard to the Wet gas proposal that was rejected- it was a good proposal

Again the need to focus on the physical properties

  • Emulsification and 3 phase flows
  • New models required

Flow assurance won’t fit well with Euromet

Salinity measurements

Steam measurements

It is a billing process, so if there is a cost implication then the securing of accurate measurement will drive the development of sensors.

Orifice plate technology

Ultrasonics gives better performance

Group 2

Methodological

  • Need for accuracy improvements with low liquidcontents

Modelling

Need more knowledge on the low characteristics knowledge

Examining highly viscous flows

  • non Newtonian, paints etc
  • Meters are calibrated in water and not high viscous liquids

Validations-microwave technique for water contents

Intercomparison between high pressure loops

Harmonisation

CFD approach and the development of new codes.

Summary

Drivers: Oil reserves are larger than thought as risk is due to present inaccurate measurements.

Oil and gas mainly

Marginal field in the North seas

Issue in the stateof the art

Traceability chain is far too weak

Especially in situ monitoring.

Revenue evaluations

  • The quality of multiphase sampling is suspect.

Large diameter pipes of 14 to 16 inches creates problems for measurements

  • Where to test them.
  • Up scaling problems
  • Will sensors work accurately at large diameter pipes

Fracking

  • Requirement for lots of cheap meters, low costs, verifying them, dynamic range
  • Problem: Need to assure traceability

More science forthe standard design and operating methods

Reference substances.

Sampling standard methods

Model fluids versus real fluids

|drilling mid viscosity

Shale oil gasification.

Afternoon Session

Group 1

Need for accurate field data

  • Researchdata is needed under real field conditions
  • Understanding the single phase to be able to go to additional phases
  • Evidence of flow in the field
  • Feedback needed from industry as to the actual flow conditions and do we trust the protocol being used to gather the field data.
  • Comparison to flow conditions to lab conditions
  • Quality of the data collected.
  • Understanding of the sciences
  • Delivery to the field a reference measurement protocol.
  • Harmonisation of field data.

Standardisation

  • Replicating conditions
  • Mimicking controls
  • Flow simulations
  • Model deficiency

Is there a priority on high temperature, high pressure fluid properties. Live fluids

What fluids need to be investigated?

Natural gas/oil

Upscaling and downscaling

Group 2

Modelling-EMPIR Lng111 is a 20 year project so need to adopt the same approach.

The North Sea has fading asset so the hook is to provide a big picture of the reserves and a long term approach

NEL has high pressure facility coming on stream in 2018

Research questions

  • Parameters in the laboratory to mimic the field conditions
  • Cost reduction in modelling
  • Fluid Properties
  • Sampling Diagnostics
  • Food/behaviour

Vendors vs users

  • Different demands
  • Project common interest to both with NEL facility.
  • Government as first user.

Group 3

Mature assets

Oil/gas/water slip modelling

Much of the data is owned by the manufacturers

Black box approach-need for more accurateexperiments

Outside influences

Trust in measurements

Conservative specification system

Re-create the field conditions

Transparency of measurements

API stands on multiphase

Modelling

  • Far too many parameters so make it expensive.
  • CFD –far too many unknowns

Group 4

Challenge

Monitors and modelling

  • Interaction between the two-Process nowcasting
  • Interaction of the model and simulation of senor data.
  • CO2 reductions-optimisations

Oil

  • Metering to delay decommissioning.
  • Still valuablereserves that need to be accurately measured.

Nano particles

Need for cheaper sensors

Process optimisation in renewables.

Energy industry

  • Optimised method of design from scratch
  • Geothermal, solar, steel industry, liquid metals, nuclear-still unresolved issues

Medical sector-small diameters.

Owners of the field data are not represented.

Pilot data and field testing.

Portables meters that are cheap.