Comparative Behaviour of Multiphase Flowmeter Test Facilities

Abstract : The application of multiphase flowmeters has started to grow significantly in recent years; one factor which has contributed to the acceptability of multiphase metering is the availability of multiphase test facilities where meters can be subjected to a realistic range of operating conditions. Such facilities are available at the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL) in the United Kingdom and at the Institut français du pétrole (IFP) in France and have been used both during development of multiphase flowmeters and for evaluation of commercially available multiphase flowmeters. The objective of the current project was to examine the performance of a simple system consisting of a venturi meter and 137Cs gamma densitometer in both test facilities in order to gain some understanding of the comparative behaviour of the facilities. The measurement system was chosen to avoid any commercial bias in the testing and also to give direct access to the sensor responses which is valuable in interpreting the measurements. The test facilities are described in the paper, together with a presentation of the results and conclusions of the venturi meter tests in the two facilities.