Development of a novel vortex flow meter for downhole use

Due to the increasing complexity of oil and gas wells, the demand for instrumentation to measure conditions inside well tubing below the surface is growing rapidly. A robust meter was designed to measure liquid flows at downhole conditions. The meter is based on a specially-designed bluff body to detect vortex-induced pressure fluctuations and a fibre-optic Bragg grating sensor to transmit the vortex signal without the use of electronics downhole, a great advantage compared to many conventional flow meters. The vortex flow meter was tested in water and oil, at pressures up to 6 bara, and was found to meet requirements, functioning in a flow range of 0.3 – 7 m/s in a 3” pipe, at an accuracy better than ±6%