Patent ID: 7661302
Filing Date: 2010-02-16
Classification: G01F,G01N

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for determining a characteristic of a multiphase fluid flow within a pipe, which includes an upstream section and a downstream section, and a gas leg portion and a liquid leg portion, which portions extend between the upstream and downstream sections, the apparatus comprising: a separating device for separating the fluid into a gas component and a liquid component and directing said gas component to flow within the gas leg portion of the pipe and said liquid component to flow within the liquid leg portion of the pipe; a gas leg portion metering device, having a first metering element operative to determine a first value of a flow characteristic of the gas component, the first metering element having a first sensitivity to a wetness of the gas component, and a second metering element operative to determine a second value of the flow characteristic, the second metering element having a second sensitivity to the wetness of the gas component, wherein one of the first sensitivity and the second sensitivity is greater than the other; a liquid leg portion metering device, wherein said liquid leg portion metering device generates liquid component data responsive to a liquid component characteristic; and a processing device communicated with the gas leg portion metering device and the liquid leg portion metering device, said processing device being configured to receive and process the first and second values of the gas component flow characteristic and the liquid component data to determine a characteristic of the fluid flow.