Three-Phase Metering With Degassing for Emulsified Oil-Water Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current oil-gas-water three-phase metering devices face challenges in accurately measuring the three phases without manual assistance and suffer from low automation and metering accuracy due to difficulties in separating and measuring emulsified fluids.
Innovation Solution
An automatic metering device comprising a liquid inlet pipe, pump body, degassing assembly, storage pipes, weighing assembly, and control unit, which allows for forward and reverse drainage operations through planar four-way changeover valves and a degassing system with a waterproof breathable pipe, enabling continuous real-time measurement without separating oil-water phases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual assistance is used in metering, then operation simplicity is improved, but automation degree deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses automatic valve switching and control unit coordination to perform metering operations without manual assistance. The changeover valves automatically switch between different liquid storage pipes based on control signals, and the system self-regulates the metering process through integrated control of the pump, valves, and weighing assembly.
2Device complexity
If large diameter metering tube is used, then device simplicity is improved, but metering accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the metering process into discrete segments by using multiple liquid storage pipes with smaller diameters instead of a single large diameter tube. Each storage pipe can be independently controlled and measured, allowing for more precise measurement while maintaining operational simplicity through the segmented approach.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separation by density difference is used, then separation capability is improved, but metering accuracy deteriorates due to emulsion formation
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the gas phase from the oil-gas-water mixture using the degassing assembly before metering. By removing the gas component separately, the remaining oil-water mixture can be measured more accurately without the complications of emulsion formation that would occur in traditional separation methods.
4Productivity
If separation speed is increased, then productivity is improved, but metering accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces mechanical separation methods with a degassing assembly that uses pressure differential and phase change principles to separate gas from the liquid mixture. This substitution allows for rapid gas removal without the mechanical agitation that would cause emulsion formation and compromise measurement accuracy.
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
The device achieves high accuracy and automation in measuring oil, gas, and water volumes without oil-water separation, effectively handling emulsified liquids by using the forward and reverse drainage method to separate gas phases through degassing, allowing for continuous real-time metering.
Implementation Method 1
the size of the micropores is larger than that of gas molecules and smaller than that of liquid molecules
Implementation Method 2
a waterproof breathable pipe penetrates through the two ends of the closed container
Implementation Method 3
a vacuum pump and a vacuum manometer are hermetically connected to the closed container
Data Source
AI summary
An oil-gas-water three-phase automatic metering device and method includes a liquid inlet pipe, a pump body, a degassing assembly, a water inlet assembly, first and second liquid storage pipes, a weighing assembly, and a control unit. The liquid inlet pipe, degassing assembly, one end of the first liquid storage pipe and one end of the second liquid storage pipe are connected to four valve ports of a first changeover valve, respectively. The water inlet assembly, one end of the pump body, the other end of the first liquid storage pipe, and the other end of the second liquid storage pipe are connected to four valve ports of a second changeover valve, respectively. The degassing assembly, the water inlet assembly and the other end of the pump body are in communication with the weighing assembly, and the pump body, degassing assembly and weighing assembly are communicatively connected to the control unit.