The invention relates to the inline metering field of steam flow rate and steam thermal value, particularly, to a steam flow rate metering device which can meter real time steam injected to drive heavy oil during the oil field production process. The present invention further relates to a method for metering steam flow rate by using such metering device.
Steam is an important secondary energy source in the petrochemical plant. In view of enterprise benefit, the consumption of steam should be reduced in order to reduce production costs. In view of saving energy and reducing consumption, a basic problem which should be solved is the energy metering, and during the heavy oil production process driven by steam in oil field, only when injected steam is accurately metered, the quantitative objective of saving energy can be determined. Recently, domestic heavy oil resources are continuously explored and developed, and more than 90% of the heavy oil resources are explored by steam soaking or steam driving. However, since injected steam has a specialty of high temperature, high pressure and vapor-liquid entrainment, there are many difficulties in accurately metering its flow rate, and thus the accurate metering of injected steam is a problem in the field of flow rate metering for a long time. Now, vortex flow meters, pressure differential meters (representative orifice flow meters) or elbow flow meters are commonly used in the industry for metering steam. The steam metering is commonly based on the mass flow rate. The mass flow rate is relevant to the steam density, and the steam density further is influenced by steam pressure and steam temperature. During the steam metering, with continuous variations of temperature and pressure of the hot steam, its density varies, so that the mass flow rate also varies. If the metering meter cannot track such variation, a larger metering error will be necessarily produced. Hence, during the steam metering, the density compensation is generally achieved by pressure and temperature compensations. However, since steam is a relatively special medium, with the variations of working condition, such as temperature, pressure, etc., overheat steam, which is a single-phase in nature, will often be converted into saturated steam and saturated water, to form a vapor-liquid two phase medium. Thus, it is difficult to conventional single-phase meters to reflect in real time such variations, let alone to accurately meter the “saturated steam” and “saturated water” in real time, respectively.
The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defect that conventional meters cannot track in real time the state of the phase change during the steam metering, and to provide a technical means in which a single energy gamma ray sensor is used to measure the steam dryness and a venturi is used to measure the mass flow of the total steam, so that the online measurement to respective mass flow rate of the vapor and liquid phases in steam can be achieved, thereby to obtain a steam flow rate metering device to metering thermal value of the total flow. The present invention further provides a method for metering steam flow rate by utilizing such metering device.
The technical problem of the invention can be solved by the following technical solutions:
A first embodiment of the steam metering device of the present invention comprises a pipeline, in which an inlet connection flange is mounted to the inlet of the pipeline, and following said inlet connection flange, a temperature transmitter and a pressure transmitter are mounted to the pipeline successively. The pipeline is a horizontal pipeline, and after the pressure transmitter, a venturi is mounted to the said horizontal pipeline. A single energy gamma ray sensor is arranged at the upstream of the inlet of the venturi or at throat portion of the venturi. A differential pressure transmitter is mounted to the venturi so as to measure in real time the differential pressure value produced when a fluid flows through the venturi. An outlet of said pipeline follows the venturi.
A second embodiment of the steam metering device of the present invention comprises a pipeline, in which an inlet connection flange is mounted to the inlet of the pipeline. The pipeline is a vertical pipeline, and following the inlet connection flange, an inlet blind three-way means is mounted to the said vertical pipeline. A temperature transmitter and a pressure transmitter are mounted to the said inlet blind three-way means successively. Following the pressure transmitter, a venturi is mounted to said pipeline. A single energy gamma ray sensor is arranged at the upstream of the inlet of the venturi or at the throat portion of the venturi. A differential pressure transmitter is mounted to the venturi so as to measure in real time the differential pressure value produced when a fluid flows through the venturi. An outlet of said pipeline follows the venturi.
A third embodiment of the steam metering device of the present invention comprises one pipeline, in which an inlet connection flange is mounted to the inlet of the pipeline. Said pipeline is an inverted U-shape pipeline, and following the inlet connection flange, an inlet blind three-way means is mounted to said inverted U-shape pipeline. A temperature transmitter and a pressure transmitter are mounted to the inlet blind three-way means successively. After the pressure transmitter, a venturi is mounted to said pipeline. A single energy gamma ray sensor is arranged at the upstream of the inlet of the venturi or at the throat portion of the venturi. A differential pressure transmitter is mounted to the venturi so as to measure in real time the differential pressure value produced when a fluid flows through the venturi. An outlet of said pipeline follows the venturi.
The single energy gamma ray sensor is used to measure the steam phase volume fraction at cross section and the steam dryness at the cross section.
A method for metering steam by utilizing anyone of the above three steam metering devices comprises the following steps:
The steam dryness is calculated by utilizing the following gamma ray absorption equation:
in which,
μm represents the mass absorption coefficient of water, irrelevant to its state;
Nx, N0 represent gamma ray counting on the online measurement and on the blank pipeline, respectively;
D represents the gamma ray transmission distance;
μsteam′ μsaturatedwater represent the online linear absorption coefficients of “saturated steam” and “saturated water”, respectively;
ρsteam′ ρsaturated
The steam dryness is calculated by the following equation:
The mass flow rates of saturated steam and saturated water can be calculated according to the total mass flow rate and the dryness.
The total mass flow rate is calculated by the following equation:
Q=K√{square root over (ΔP*ρmix)}
ρmix=α*ρsteam+(1−α)*ρsaturated
in which K is relevant to the size of the venturi and the efflux coefficient.
The mass flow rate of saturated steam is calculated by the following equation:
Q
1
=Q*X
The mass flow rate of saturated water is calculated by the equation:
Q
2
=Q*(1−X)
The present invention uses a measuring device comprising a combination of a single energy gamma ray sensor and a venturi, in which the single energy gamma ray sensor can be used to precisely distinguish the ratio of saturated steam to saturated water (i.e., the phase volume fraction), and is used to calculate the total mass flow by combining the differential pressure measurement of the venturi; and at the same time, the method of analytical solution to the vapor-liquid slip in annular flow regime is used to treat the potential phase velocity different between the saturated steam and the saturated water. Thus, the mass flow rate of “saturated steam”, the mass flow rate of “saturated water” and the corresponding thermal values thereof can be calculated precisely and in real time. Hence, the device is a novel spot online steam flow rate metering device in the oil field industry.
In the Figures, a reference number 1 represents inlet connection flange, 2 represents the temperature transmitter, 3 represents the pressure transmitter, 4 represents the single energy gamma ray sensor, 4 represents the differential pressure transmitter, 6 represents the venturi, 8 represents the outlet of the steam flow rate metering device, 9 represents the inlet blind three-way means, 9 represents a skid pipeline, 10 represents the horizontal pipeline, and 11 represents the vertical pipeline.
Hereinafter, the present invention is described in details with reference to the drawings and examples.
As shown in
The working process is as follow: steam fluid enters the steam meter through the inlet connection flange 1; then it passes through the temperature transmitter 2, the pressure transmitter 3, the single energy gamma ray sensor 4 and the venturi 6 successively; and at last, the fluid enters the downstream pipeline through the outlet 7 of the steam flow rate metering device. Therein, the temperature transmitter and the pressure transmitter are used to measure the online temperature and pressure which can be used in the conversion between the flow rate in working condition and the flow rate in standard condition and in the conversions of density, thermal value and other parameters; the single energy gamma ray sensor may be used to measure the steam dryness at cross section; and the venturi and the differential pressure meter are used to measure in real time the total mass flow rate of steam.
As shown in
The working process is as follow: steam fluid enters the steam meter through the inlet connection flange 1; the fluid firstly passes through the inlet blind three-way means 8 to mix the fluid, and at the same time, the horizontal flowing state is changed into a vertical flowing state; subsequently, the fluid passes through the temperature transmitter 2, the pressure transmitter 3, the single energy gamma ray sensor 4 and the venturi 6 successively; and at last, it enters the downstream pipeline through the outlet 7 of the steam flow rate metering device. Therein, the temperature transmitter and the pressure transmitter are used to measure the online temperature and pressure which can be used in the conversion between the flow rate in working condition and the flow rate in standard condition and in the conversions of density, thermal value and other parameters; the single energy gamma ray sensor may be used to measure the steam dryness at cross section, and the venturi and the differential pressure meter are used to measure the total mass flow of steam in real time.
The working process is as follow: steam fluid enters the steam meter through the inlet connection flange 1; the fluid firstly passes through the inlet blind three-way means 8 to mix the fluid, and at the same time, the horizontal flowing state is changed into a vertical flowing state; subsequently, the fluid passes through the temperature transmitter 2, the pressure transmitter 3, the single energy gamma ray sensor 4 and the venturi 6 successively; in order to make the measuring device in the form of skid, an inverted U-shape pipeline 9 is mounted; and at last, steam enters the downstream pipeline through the outlet of the steam flow rate metering device 7. Therein, the temperature transmitter and the pressure transmitter are used to measure the online temperature and pressure which can be used in the conversion between the flow rate in working condition and the flow rate in standard condition and the conversions of density, thermal value and other parameters; the single energy gamma ray sensor may be used to measure the steam dryness at cross section, and the venturi and the differential pressure meter are used to measure the total mass flow of steam in real time.
The method of the invention for steam metering comprises the following steps:
Therein, the calculation method and the calculation process are as follows:
The interaction between gamma ray and a substance may be expressed by the following physical equation:
in which,
Nx, N0 represent gamma ray counting on the online measurement and on the blank pine, respectively;
D represents the transmission distance of the gamma ray;
αi represents the phase volume fraction at cross section of the fluid in phase i;
In the steam metering, assumed that the phase volume fraction at cross section of “saturated water” and “saturated steam” is expressed as α, the gamma ray absorption can be calculated by the following equation:
in which
μsteam′ μsaturated
ρsteam′ ρsaturated
Thus, the steam dryness can be calculated by the following equation:
The total mass flow rate is calculated by the equation:
Q≦K√{square root over (ΔP*ρmix)}
ρmix=α*ρsteam+(1−α)*ρsaturated
The mass flow rate of saturated steam is calculated by the equation:
Q
1
=Q*X
The mass flow rate of saturated water is calculated by the equation:
Q
2
=Q*(1−X)
in which:
K1, K2 are constants, depending on the geometric size of the steam flow rate meter;
μsaturated
μR represents the online viscosity ratio of saturated steam to saturated water;
ρR represents the online density ratio of saturated steam and saturated water;
ƒ represents the frictional resistance coefficient, which is a function of the Reynolds number of fluid and the relative roughness of pipe wall;
Qt represents the total flow rate metered by the venturi in the steam flow rate metering device.
The mass flow rate of saturated steam is calculated by the following equation:
Q′
1
=Q
1
+ΔQ
steam
The mass flow rate of saturated water is calculated by the following equation:
Q′
2
=Q
2
+ΔQ
saturated
The thermal value rate (enthalpy) of saturated steam is calculated by the following equation:
H1=Q′1h1
The thermal value rate (enthalpy) of saturated water is calculated by the following equation:
H2=Q′2h2
The total mass thermal value rate (enthalpy) is calculated by the following equation:
H=H
1
+H
2
in which, h1,h2 are respectively enthalpy values of saturated steam and saturated water under a specific pressure and at a specific temperature.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
201210006144.9 | Jan 2012 | CN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/CN2012/070436 | 1/16/2012 | WO | 00 | 12/18/2014 |