Introduction to Multiphase

& Wet Gas Flows

Emmelyn Graham
Flow Measurement Engineer
Contents
• Introduction to Multiphase & Wet Gas Flows
• Flow Patterns
• Characterisation & Terminology
• Traditional Measurement Methods
• Wet-Gas Flow Measurement
• Multiphase Flow Measurement Technologies
• Flow Meter Selection & Verification
Oil / Gas not produced as a single phase fluid
• Water and gas present
GAS

OIL

WATER

Technically speaking it’s actually multi-component flow

 Multiphase Flow Measurement

CHARACTERISED BY : Volumetric Flowrate Ratios

Gas GAS
QGAS
OIL OIL
QOIL
WATER
QWATER
WATER

ALSO CHARACTERISED BY : Flow Regime / Pattern

 Description of Multiphase Flow

• Simultaneous flow of oil, water and gas

• Gas Volume Fraction, GVF : 0 -100%

• Water Cut, WC (or Water liquid ratio, WLR) : 0 – 100%

gas
• Variety of flow patterns
oil

• May contain sand, wax, etc water

 Description of Wet-Gas Flow

Wet gas is a mixture consisting mostly of gas with a

small amount of liquid.
• Liquid can be water and /or hydrocarbon
gas
• Water cut - 0% to 100%

liquid
How is wet gas defined?
• Gas volume fraction > 90% These terms will be
covered shortly
• Lockhart-Martinelli parameter < 0.3
Flow Regimes
Flow Patterns / Regimes
• The phases can be distributed over a pipe cross
section in many different ways

• Flow pattern depends on the amount of each

phase, liquid and vapour properties, pressure
and velocities

• Different for horizontal and vertical flows

 Horizontal Flow Patterns

Stratified flow regimes

STRATIFIED

STRATIFIED
WAVY
Occur at relatively low velocities for both phases
Surface becomes wavy as gas velocity increases or pipe inclines
 Horizontal Flow Patterns

Intermittent flow regimes

PLUG

SLUG

Alternating regions of high and low liquid hold-up

As liquid flowrate increases  liquid phase dominates flow
 Horizontal Flow Patterns

Occurs at high liquid velocities

Gas bubbles are suspended in continuous liquid phase

BUBBLE

Occurs at high gas velocities

Gas flows in central core / liquid as film on pipe walls

ANNULAR
 Horizontal Flow Patterns

As gas velocity and / or gas density increases the liquid starts to

becomes entrained as droplets in the gas flow
ANNULAR
MIST

Increasing gas velocity and / or gas density

The liquid becomes completely entrained as droplets in the gas flow

MIST
 Horizontal Flow Patterns
TYPICAL HORIZONTAL FLOW PATTERN MAP (2 phases)

Not general!
Applies only to a
specific fluid and
pressure
 Horizontal Three-Phase
Flow Patterns
Separation of oil and water
• Occurs in stratified and slug flow
• Possibility of oil and water travelling at different velocities

GAS QGAS
OIL QOIL
WATER Q WATER

Mixing of oil and water

• Emulsions
• Increased liquid viscosity
• Slower film drainage
 Vertical Flow Patterns

Bubble Flow
Liquid phase continuous
Dispersed gas bubbles
Slug Flow
Small bubbles coalesce
Taylor bubbles (slugs)
Churn Flow
Irregular gas slugs
Liquid rises and falls
Annular Flow
Gas flows in core
Liquid flows in annulus Bubble Slug Churn Annular Annular Mist
Mist
Mist Flow
Liquid entrained as droplets
INCREASING GAS VELOCITY
 Vertical Flow Patterns
TYPICAL VERTICAL FLOW PATTERN MAP (2 phases)

Not general!
Applies only to a
specific fluid and
pressure
 Vertical Flow Patterns

• No major effects
–Oil and water are usually well mixed
–No separation due to gravity

• Transitions are not affected by water cut

–Effects due to liquid density changes eliminated
 Effect of Upstream Conditions

• Flow pattern maps are based on test sections in

well developed flow
• Long, straight pipe lengths
• Upstream conditions (bends, valve, etc.) affect
flow pattern
• Can use this to advantage by conditioning flow
• For example, use mixer to get closer to homogeneous
flow
• Blind tee used in multiphase flow measurement
Characterisation & Terminology
 Void Fraction and
Liquid Hold-Up

 Gas GAS
QGAS
 OIL OIL
QOIL
WATER
Q WATER
 WATER
Gas “Void Fraction” =  GAS
Liquid “Hold-up” =  WATER   OIL
Carry-over and Carry-under

GAS

WATER OIL
 Phase Volume Fraction

Volume flowrate of one phase relative to total

volume flowrate

e.g. GVF = Gas volume flowrate / Total volume

flowrate
 Qg 
GVF   
 Q  Q  Q  
 g l1 l2 

GVF = Gas Volume Fraction

 Phase Area Fraction

Cross sectional area locally occupied by one

phase relative to the total cross sectional area of
the pipe at that point.

Also referred to as:

gas
• Void fraction (gas)

• Hold up (liquid) liquid

 GVF

• Important to distinguish between gas volume fraction

and gas void fraction
• Gas Volume Fraction based on flowrates (GVF)
• Gas Void Fraction based on local areas
• They are usually unequal
• For example:
• 70% gas void fraction could
be 95% gas volume fraction
as the gas is travelling at
higher velocity.
 Phase Slip

• Gas and liquid travel at different velocities

• Mean gas velocity is greater than mean liquid velocity

• Difference known as “slip”: vR = vg – vl

or “slip ratio”: K = vg /vl

• Note: GVF is related to void fraction eg and slip ratio K

through
 egK 
GVF   
1 e  e K 
 g g 

Example: If εg = 70% and K = 8.1, then GVF = 95%

 Phase Slip (contd)

• If a multiphase flow meter measures local mean density

given by
  e g  g  1  e g l
• Use phase densities to obtain the void fraction εg εg
• Use K to obtain GVF from εg
1-εg
• How to determine K (Slip Model)?
• Apply semi-empirical model for flow pattern, OR Areas
• Perform laboratory or test facility experiments with known
GVF, and develop correlation for K using appropriate
physical variables
• Strictly only applies to range of conditions of
experiments and ideally should not be extrapolated
 Homogeneous Flow

• Liquid and gas travel at same mean velocity (v)

vl  vg
• For homogeneous flow, K = 1, so equation from
previous slide gives
e g  GVF
• A homogeneous flow can be assigned a single value of
properties like density, viscosity, etc based on weighted average
of phase mass fractions
 Inversion Region

oil - water -
continuous continuous
inversion region

45% < water cut < 75%

THE INVERSION POINT

MOVES
 Superficial Phase Velocity

The velocity a particular phase would have if the

same volume flowrate flowed alone in the pipe

e.g. Pipe diameter = 6 inch

Gas flowrate = 950 m3/hr
Liquid flowrate = 50 m3/hr

Superficial Gas Velocity (SGV) = 14.9 m/s

Superficial Liquid Velocity (SLV) = 0.8 m/s
 Froude Number

Froude number, Fr, of each phase

Liquid Gas

vs ,l l vs , g g
Frl  Frg 
gD l   g gD l   g

• High Fr: Kinetic energy dominates

• Low Fr: Gravity forces dominate
 Key Definitions

• Lockhart-Martinelli parameter, X
• General definition

FrL ml g Ql l
X   
FrG mg l Qg g

(subscripts G, L refer to gas or liquid phase)

• Used to describe wet-gas flows where X < 0.3
• Wet-gas flow are normally with GVF > 90%
CFD Modelling of
Multiphase Flows
Traditional Measurement Methods
 Traditional Measurement

MULTIPHASE GAS
FLOW

WATER OIL

Measure separated phases – using traditional meters:

– GAS: Orifice, Vortex …
– LIQUID: Turbine, PD, Coriolis …
– WLR: Coriolis, grab samples … (2-phase separators)
 Traditional Measurement

MULTIPHASE GAS
FLOW

WATER OIL

– Poor level control, foaming, emulsions etc.  phase contamination

– Liquid carry-over, gas carry-under, water-in-oil  may be unmonitored
– Capital, operating and infrastructure costs can be high
– Only periodic testing may be possible (oilfield “well test”)
Wet-Gas Flow Measurement

- High GVF Multiphase Flows

 Wet-Gas Flow Measurement
Wet-Gas Metering

Differential Pressure Meters Commercial Wet-gas

• Must correct for presence
of liquid as causes meter
to over-read
• Need info on wetness to
correct the gas flowrate
• Cheapest option
• New ISO Technical Report
Meters
• Provides water, oil and
gas flowrates
• Can use multiphase
metering technology
Multiphase Flow Measurement
Technology
 Multiphase Metering
Technologies
• MULTIPHASE METERS – GENERAL METHODOLOGY
– Measure BULK flowrate of MIXTURE : QMIX
 Differential Pressure device
 Positive Displacement meter
 Cross Correlation technique etc.
– Measure PHASE FRACTIONS : O , W , G
 Gamma-Ray Absorption
 Electrical Properties
 Microwave etc.

– Calculate INDIVIDUAL phase flowrates from:

 QWAT = W . QMIX
 QOIL = O . QMIX
 QGAS = G . QMIX
 Multiphase Metering
Technologies
• BULK FLOWRATE : P METER (e.g. VENTURI)
– Mass flow is function of DENSITY () and P
  CD E ε A t 2 ρ ΔP
m
– Simple, robust design
– Need separate density measurement
– CD = f (WC, GVF, fluid properties, …)
 Must be characterised by testing P
– Performance improved by mixing
 Vertical up-flow, Blinded-T on inlet
 Generally still require Slip Model
– Low turndown / Finite pressure loss
 Multiphase Metering
Technologies
• DP METER OPERATION IN VERY UNSTEADY FLOWS
• Fast sampling required to reduce “averaging errors”
Q (l/s)

30
20
10

1 sec
P (mbar)
900

400

100
1 sec
 Multiphase Metering
Technologies
• BULK FLOWRATE : CROSS CORRELATION
– Compare response of 2 (+) axially displaced sensors
 Capacitance probes
 Densitometers
 Pressure Gauges
SENSOR 1 SENSOR 2
 Multiphase Metering
Technologies
• PHASE FRACTION : GAMMA RAY ABSORPTION

DETECTOR
– Number of gamma-rays detected :
I = IO exp( -  D )
– Linear Absorption Coefficient  depends on fluid in pipe
 GAS is weak absorber ( low), WAT is strong absorber ( high)
 Absorption probability also depends on gamma-ray energy (E)
 Multiphase Metering
Technologies
• PHASE FRACTION : GAMMA RAY ABSORPTION
− HIGH Energy Gamma: Absorption  Fluid DENSITY only

Transmitted
Counts
GAS

OIL

WATER
 Multiphase Metering
Technologies
• PHASE FRACTION : GAMMA RAY ABSORPTION
− HIGH Energy Gamma: MIXTURE in pipeline
 Interpolate between LIQ and GAS calibration rates:
GVF
 Observe where flow is liquid dominant
 Or gas dominant Transmitted
Counts
GAS

GAS BUBBLE

MIX
Gives GAS / LIQ ratio but poor discrimination of LIQ
OIL from WATER SLUG
 Multiphase Metering
Technologies
• PHASE FRACTION : GAMMA RAY ABSORPTION
− For WLR include LOW E : Absorption  Fluid DENSITY + TYPE

Transmitted
Counts
GAS

OIL

WATER
 Multiphase Metering
Technologies
• PHASE FRACTION : GAMMA RAY ABSORPTION
− For WLR and GVF need both LOW E and HIGH E
Gas
I (EHIGH)
− Plot I(EHIGH) vs I(ELOW)
− Corners = Pure Phases
− Internal points = Mixtures
− Interpolate for GVF + WC
20% GVF
− Salinity changes = errors Mix

Oil

Wat 50% WC
I (ELOW)
Flow Meter Selection and Verification
 Flow Meter Selection
• WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE MULTIPHASE METER ?
• Well Testing?
• Control and Monitoring?
• Production Allocation?
• WHERE WILL THE METERING BE APPLIED ?
• Onshore?
• Offshore topside (manned / unmanned)?
• Subsea?
• Mobile ?
• WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS TO BE METERED ?
• Will the conditions change over time?
• HOW MANY METERS WILL BE APPROPRIATE ?
• Replacing test separator?
 Validation of Flow Meters

• Before installation
• Joint Industry Projects (JIP) to evaluate technology
• Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT)
• at independent facility like NEL
• at manufacturer’s facility

• After installation
• Against a test separator
• Other options.....
• Against another meter?
• Sampling?
• Check sensors
 Summary

• Flow regimes for horizontal and vertical flows

• How to describe a multiphase flow
• Challenges with measuring flow rates
• Wet-gas flow measurement
• Different multiphase metering technologies
• Considerations for selecting a meter and verifying the
performance

Multiphase flow measurement is much more

challenging than single phase metering
Thank you for listening
Any questions?
Forthcoming NEL Presentations
Multiphase & Wet-Gas Flow Measurement
Training Course, Aberdeen
25 February 2014

Introduction to Measurement Uncertainty

Measurement Training Course, Aberdeen
26 February 2014

Contact me at email: egraham@tuvnel.com

 NEL Contact Tel: + 44 (0) 1355 220222

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CFD
NEL Contacts Neil Bowman nbowman@tuvnel.com
Densitometers Norman Glen nglen@tuvnel.com
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Flow Consortium Phil Mark pmark@tuvnel.com
Heavy Oil Chris Mills cmills@tuvnel.com
Calum Hardie chardie@tuvnel.com
Measurement Consultancy Craig Marshall cmarshall@tuvnel.com
Chris Mills cmills@tuvnel.com
Measurement Uncertainty Alick MacGillivray amacgillivray@tuvnel.com
Meter Diagnostics Craig Marshall cmarshall@tuvnel.com
MeterVue Phil Mark pmark@tuvnel.com
Multiphase Terri Leonard tleonard@tuvnel.com
PPDS Lynn Hunter lhunter@tuvnel.com
Single Phase Metering Bob Belshaw bbelshaw@tuvnel.com
Training Helen Tulloch htulloch@tuvnel.com
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Valve Testing John Dods jdods@tuvnel.com
Wet Gas Emmelyn Graham egraham@tuvnel.com
For general queries contact the sales team on sales@tuvnel.com