Patent ID: 8452551

Claim:
A method of monitoring multiphase fluid flow passing within a pipe, which multiphase fluid flow includes a gas phase and a liquid phase, the method comprising the steps of: providing a flow pressure value and a flow temperature value for the multiphase fluid flow within the pipe; providing a fluid flowmeter operable to be attached to an exterior of the pipe, the flowmeter including a spatial array of at least two sensors disposed at different axial positions along the pipe, which flowmeter is adapted to produce flow velocity signals indicative of a velocity of the fluid flow traveling within the pipe; providing a processor adapted to include an equation of state model for pressure, volume, and temperature properties for the multiphase fluid flow, and further adapted to receive composition data values for the multiphase fluid flow, the flow pressure value, and the flow temperature value, and the flow velocity signals from the flowmeter; determining a volumetric flow rate of one or both the gas phase and liquid phase of the fluid flow; wherein each of the composition data values includes at least one value representative of a hydrocarbon constituent of the multiphase fluid flow.