Using an optical sensor to quantify the amount of oil, water, and gas in a water-continuous flow

Xu Wu; Elizabeth B. Dussan V; Oliver C. Mullins

doi:10.1117/12.371304

23 November 1999 Using an optical sensor to quantify the amount of oil, water, and gas in a water-continuous flow

Xu Wu, Elizabeth B. Dussan V, Oliver C. Mullins

Proceedings Volume 3856, Internal Standardization and Calibration Architectures for Chemical Sensors; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.371304
Event: Photonics East '99, 1999, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

In the petroleum industry, the fluid produced from underground reservoirs can be a mixture of crude oil, water and gas. Knowing their volume fractions and flow rates at each point of entry along the well are essential for optimizing the production. An optical probe system has been developed to achieve these goals. It uses a laser- or LED- beam directed to the tip of a tiny optical probe situated in the flow stream. By measuring the reflection from the probe tip, gas can be distinguished from liquid due to their large difference in refractive index. In addition, fluorescent characteristics of crude oils are used to distinguish oil from non-oil. By integrating the time fraction of individual events in reflection and fluorescence respectively, the volume fraction of the three phases can be determined. In addition, the leading edge of the fluorescence signal is used to determine the speed of the oil drops, which, combined with the volume fraction of oil, gives the oil flow rate. The system requires no calibration for the volume fraction measurement; however, a simple calibration is needed for determining the oil drop speed. This article shows the apparatus of the probe system, response of different probe designs and data from lab experiments.

Citation Download Citation

Xu Wu, Elizabeth B. Dussan V, and Oliver C. Mullins "Using an optical sensor to quantify the amount of oil, water, and gas in a water-continuous flow", Proc. SPIE 3856, Internal Standardization and Calibration Architectures for Chemical Sensors, (23 November 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.371304

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