Wet gas over-reading correction for ultrasonic flow meters

Abstract: Oil and gas operators rely on accurate flow rate measurements to optimize production and generate more from their reservoirs, particularly in wet gas fields. A cost-effective solution for these flow measurements is the use of single-phase measurement technologies with an over-reading correction that corrects the gas flow rate for the presence of the liquid phase. Traditional flow measurement technologies in wet gas fields are Venturi meters and orifice plate meters that involve differential pressure measurements. Over the years, a higher installed base of ultrasonic flow meters is observed in wet gas fields. Ultrasonic flow meters have advantages over conventional wet gas technologies; however, an over-reading correction method for this measurement technology has not yet been derived. The current work is a first attempt to devise a correction method based on a large data set of ultrasonic measurements in horizontal configuration at conditions comparable to field applications. The correction method is a physical model for the gas void fraction and is based on the dominant dimensionless numbers in wet gas flows that originate from the fundamental equations of multiphase flow dynamics. This approach leads to the definition of the over-reading correction in different flow regimes in terms of these dimensionless numbers and is supported by an extensive set of measurement data and evidence from visual observation of the flow patterns. The correction method is capable of correcting the ultrasonic over-reading with a resulting uncertainty of about 4% for a 95% confidence interval for a range of conditions relevant to the oil and gas industry. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]