Combining Magnetic Induction Tomography and Electromagnetic Velocity Tomography for Water Continuous Multiphase Flows

For oil fields producing high fractions of water, it is critical to be able to accurately meter the water volumetric flowrate for production allocation and field life optimization. This paper reports the measurement principles and experimental results of a multiphase flow meter prototype, capable of non-intrusively measuring the water volumetric flowrate in a multiphase flow. This research prototype is based on a novel concept of combining two tomographic systems—magnetic induction tomography and electromagnetic velocity tomography—for measuring the cross-sectional volumetric fraction and the local axial velocity of the water phase, respectively. The fundamental principles and imaging capability of each technique are shown. First impressions of the prototype performance are demonstrated using experimental data from an in-house flow loop. The challenges and potential improvements are also addressed.