Wu Yingxiang

Volumetric fraction measurement in oil-water-gas multiphase flow with dual energy gamma-ray system

Volumetric fraction distribution measurement is a constituent part of process tomography system in oil-water-gas multiphase flow. With the technological development of nuclear radial inspection, dual-energy γ-ray techniques make it possible to investigate the concentration of the different components on the cross-section of oil-water-gas multiphase pipe-flow. The dual-energy gamma-ray technique is based on materials attenuation coefficients measurement comprised of two radioactive isotopes of241Am and241Cs which have emission energies at 59.5 keV and 662 keV in this project. Nuclear instruments and data acquisition system were designed to measure the materials attenuation dose rate and a number of static tests were conducted at the Multiphase Laboratory, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Three phases of oil-water-gas media were investigated for their possible use to simulate different media volumetric fraction distributions in experimental vessels. Attenuation intensities were measured, and the arithmetic of linear attenuation coefficients and the equations of volumetric fractions were studied. Investigation of an unexpected measurement error from attenuation equations revealed that a modified arithmetic was involved and finally the system achieved acceptable accuracy in experimental research.

Mechanism Responsible for the Complete Suppression of Kármán Vortex in Flows Past a Wavy Square-Section Cylinder

The Karman vortex shedding is totally suppressed in flows past a wavy square-section cylinder at a Reynolds number of 100 and the wave steepness of 0.025. Such a phenomenon is illuminated by the numerical simulations. In the present study, the mechanism responsible for it is mainly attributed to the vertical vorticity. The geometric disturbance on the rear surface leads to the appearance of spanwise flow near the base. The specific vertical vorticity is generated on the rear surface and convecting into the near wake. The wake flow is recirculated with the appearance of the pair of recirculating cells. The interaction between the upper and lower shear layers is weakened by such cells, so that the vortex rolls could not be formed and the near wake flow becomes stable.

An Experimental Study of In-Situ Phase Fraction in Jet Pump Using Electrical Resistance Tomography Technique

We perform the experiments to investigate in-situ phase fraction in a jet pump using the electrical resistance tomography (ERT) technique. A new jet pump with ERT sensors is designed to measure in-situ phase fraction and flow regime. The study is based on laboratory experiments that are carried out on a 50-mm vertical flow rig for various gas and liquid phase superficial velocities. The different flow patterns of gas liquid in the jet pump and vertical pipe are studied using the ERT technique. The results suggest that the ERT system can be used to successfully produce images of gas--liquid flow patterns with frames rates of 58fps and the in-situ phase fraction with frame rates of 5fps can be obtained. The visualizations of a rapid mixing process in the throat of a jet pump obtained in this work provide a reliable basis for theoretical study and optimal design of jet pumps.

Multi-Pipe String Electromagnetic Detection Tool and Its Applications

The MID-K, a new kind of multi-pipe string detection tool is introduced. This tool provides a means of evaluating the condition of in-place pipe string, such as tubing and casing. It is capable of discriminating the defects of the inside and outside, and estimating the thickness of tubing and casing. It is accomplished by means of a low frequency eddy current to detect flaws on the inner surface and a magnetic flux leakage to inspect the full thickness. The measurement principle, the technology and applications are presented in this paper.

Studies on absorption coefficients of dual-energy γ-rays and measuring error correction for multiphase fraction determination

Abstract In this article, principle and mathematical method of determining the phase fractions of multiphase flows by using a dual-energy γ-ray system have been described. The dual-energy γ-ray device is composed of radioactive isotopes of 241 Am and 137 Cs with γ-ray energies of 59.5 and 662 keV, respectively. A rational method to calibrate the absorption coefficient was introduced in detail. The modified arithmetic is beneficial to removing the extra Compton scattering from the measured value. The result shows that the dual-energy γ-ray technique can be used in three-phase flow with average accuracy greater than 95%, which enables us to determine phase fractions almost independent of the flow regime. Improvement has been achieved on measurement accuracy of phase fractions.

Ultrasonic tomography and its applications in oilfield

UTT (Ultrasonic Tomography Tool) is widely used in the oil industry and can be used to inspect corrosion, casing wall damage, casing breakoff, and casing distortion in the well borehole with the maximum environment temperature being 125°C, and the pressure being 60 MPa. UTT consists of tool head, upper centralization, electronic section, lower centralization, transmitters, and receivers. Its outer diameter is 4.6 cm and length is 320 cm. The measured casing diameter ranges from 60 mm to 254 mm. The tomography resolution is 512×512. The borehole measurement accuracy is 2 mm. It can supply 3D pipe tomography, including horizontal and vertical profile. This paper introduces its specification, measurement principle, and applications in oilfield.