Halliburton Company

Joseph A Stewart

Charles L Boyd

Charles L Mouser

An apparatus and method for controlling and metering gas flowing through a pipeline is provided. The apparatus includes an orifice flow meter for accurately measuring the flow rate of gas through the pipeline within a certain range. The apparatus further includes a turbine flow meter which provides a measurement of the flow rate of the gas flowing through the pipeline over a broad range. A control circuit coupled to the turbine flow meter is provided for evaluating the flow rate to determine whether the flow rate is higher than a predetermined maximum value which can be recorded by the orifice flow meter or lower than a predetermined minimum value which can be recorded by the orifice flow meter. If the flow rate is higher than the predetermined maximum value, the control circuit generates a first voltage signal, if the flow rate is lower than the predetermined minimum value, the control circuit generates a second voltage signal. A frequency converter electrically coupled to the control circuit converts the voltage signals generated by the control circuit into an analog output current. A transducer electrically coupled to the frequency converter then converts the analog output current into a pneumatic signal which is communicated to a throttle valve pneumatically coupled to the transducer which partially closes in response to a pneumatic signal corresponding to the first voltage signal and which fully opens in response to a pneumatic signal corresponding to the second voltage signal.

Apparatus and method for controlling and metering the flow of gas

A watercut monitor device has an oscillator circuit which generates an analog input signal in response to the capacitance of a capacitance probe through which an oil and water emulsion flows. The frequency of the analog input signal is non-linearly related to the watercut of the emulsion. The analog input signal is effectively gated through a digital gating circuit, and a count related to the frequency of the gated signal is digitally made. The digital count addresses a digital memory having digital values, which are linearly related to the watercut of the emulsion, stored therein. Upon being addressed, the digital memory outputs the digital value stored in the addressed location. The digital value is optically coupled to a digital-to-analog converter which converts the digital value into an analog output signal linearly related to the watercut of the emulsion.

Growing community of inventors

Duncan, OK, United States of America

Joseph A Stewart