NIR Filter Photometry for Nonhomogeneous Immiscible Mixture Concentration
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Solution Overview
Problem
NIR water-cut meters face challenges in accurately measuring water concentration in multiphase flows with nonhomogeneous and immiscible components, such as those found in oil and gas pipelines, due to the requirement for spatial homogeneity and miscibility in existing Beer-Lambert law adaptations.
Innovation Solution
A method that emits spectral energy of multiple wavelengths through a nonhomogeneous mixture of immiscible components, detects the transmitted energy, and uses absorbance measurements to determine pathlengths and concentrations of the components, incorporating a non-homogeneity parameter to account for the mixture's non-uniform distribution, allowing for accurate calculation of water-cut in multiphase flows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the Beer-Lambert law is used to measure component concentrations, then measurement can be performed, but the mixture must be homogeneous and miscible which limits applicability to nonhomogeneous immiscible mixtures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the Beer-Lambert law by modifying the mathematical model to include parameters for nonhomogeneous immiscible mixtures. The absorbance equation is changed from A=abc to A=Σ(ai·bi·ci)+Sc, where multiple components with different path lengths and absorption coefficients are accounted for, along with a scatter term. This parameter extension allows the law to apply to nonhomogeneous immiscible mixtures while maintaining measurement accuracy.
2Ease of operation
If the Beer-Lambert law assumes spatial homogeneity, then simple concentration calculation is possible, but it fails for nonhomogeneous mixtures found in multiphase flows
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the mixture into multiple immiscible components (oil, water, gas) with distinct optical properties. Each component is assigned its own absorption coefficient, path length, and concentration parameter. The total absorbance is calculated as the sum of individual component contributions plus a scatter term, allowing the system to handle nonhomogeneous mixtures while maintaining calculational tractability.
3Measurement precision
If multiple wavelengths are used to measure absorbance, then component concentrations can be determined, but the complexity of the measurement system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multiple wavelengths of spectral energy to simultaneously determine concentrations of multiple components (oil, water, gas) in the mixture. Each wavelength provides an independent absorbance measurement that contributes to solving the system of equations for component concentrations. This multi-wavelength approach makes the measurement system universal for detecting various components with different spectral absorption characteristics.
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
Enables reliable measurement of component concentrations in nonhomogeneous and immiscible mixtures, improving accuracy in multiphase flow analysis and enhancing monitoring and management in the petroleum industry.
Implementation Method 1
NIR water-cut meters use the Beer-Lambert law, either directly or with simple adaptations, to calculate component concentrations of oil and water based on measured absorbances at a few predetermined wavelengths
Implementation Method 2
a light source 10 emits incident light I0 through a path length b of a fluid layer 12, and a detector 16 measures the transmitted light I
Implementation Method 3
Sc=wavelength-independent scatter
Data Source
AI summary
Near-Infrared (NIR) filter photometry is used to calculate component concentrations in multiphase flows. The disclosed methodology adapts the Beer-Lambert law for nonhomogeneous immiscible mixtures (such as oil and water) by modeling the fluid layer as a nonhomogeneous distribution of its components and deriving a mathematical relationship between measured absorbances, component path lengths, and non-homogeneity factors. The methodology is integrated into a multi-channel filter photometer to measure phase concentrations in oil-and-gas pipelines. The system is proven more accurate than current state of the art based on data from simulations, multiphase flow laboratories and field trials.