Multiphase Flowmeter Light Source Power Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multiphase flowmeters used in hydrocarbon production, which measure phase fractions in multiphase fluids, often rely on radioactive sources and are expensive, making them undesirable due to regulatory challenges and high costs, especially for wells with low production rates.
Innovation Solution
A non-radioactive multiphase flowmeter system that uses a transparent window structure with collimated light sources emitting wavelengths absorptive to specific phases of the fluid, combined with photodetectors and processing circuitry to continuously adjust light power, enabling accurate phase fraction measurement beyond the actual dynamic range of the photodetectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a radioactive source is used in a multiphase flowmeter, then measurement accuracy is improved, but regulatory compliance and safety become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the radioactive source from the measurement system, replacing it with a non-radioactive light-based detection system. The optical system uses light sources and photodetectors to measure phase fractions without requiring radioactive materials, thereby eliminating the harmful factors associated with radioactivity while maintaining measurement functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the radioactive measurement mechanism with an optical measurement system. Instead of using radioactive sources to detect phase fractions, the system employs light sources, optical windows, and photodetectors to create an optical path through which light interacts with the multiphase fluid, enabling measurement through optical property differences between phases.
2Device complexity
If a conventional photodetector is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but dynamic range is insufficient for accurate measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic light source power adjustment system where the light source intensity is continuously variable. The processing circuitry adjusts the light source power based on the detected phase fraction and fluid properties, enabling the system to adapt to different measurement conditions and extend the effective dynamic range beyond what a fixed-power system could achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the power parameter of the light source dynamically during operation. By adjusting the light source intensity to different power levels, the system can optimize the signal for different phase fraction concentrations and fluid optical properties, thereby extending the measurable dynamic range while using a single photodetector.
3Ease of manufacture
If a non-radioactive optical system is used, then cost and regulatory issues are reduced, but measurement accuracy may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system where the processing circuitry receives signals from the photodetector, analyzes the light attenuation or scattering patterns, and uses this information to determine phase fractions. The system continuously monitors the optical properties and adjusts measurements based on the detected signals, ensuring accurate phase fraction determination through iterative refinement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic modulation of the light source or measurement process, allowing the system to capture optical signals at different intervals and conditions. This periodic measurement approach enables the processing circuitry to analyze variations in optical properties over time, improving the accuracy of phase fraction measurements by capturing dynamic changes in the multiphase flow.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for accurate and cost-effective measurement of phase fractions in multiphase fluids without the use of radioactive materials, suitable for wells with low production rates, by extending the dynamic range of photodetectors and improving measurement accuracy through continuous power adjustment and multi-wavelength detection.
Implementation Method 1
A collimated light source is configured to emit light through the transparent window structure and into the pipe with the emitted light having a wavelength at which a component of a desired phase of the multiphase fluid is absorptive
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is an apparatus including a structure containing a multiphase fluid and having a transparent window. A collimated light source emits light through the transparent window structure at a wavelength at which a component of a desired phase of the multiphase fluid is absorptive. A photodetector is positioned such that the emitted light passes through the multiphase fluid in the structure and out through the transparent window structure to impinge upon the photodetector. The photodetector has an actual dynamic range for light detection. Processing circuitry adjusts a power of the collimated light source in a series of steps dependent upon a relationship between an output level of the photodetector and a threshold to cause measurement of the emitted light over an effective dynamic range greater than the actual dynamic range. Properties of the multiphase fluid are determined as a function of the measured emitted light.