Marathon Oil Company

N Duane Wygant

Stanley C Jones

The invention provides a device and method for measuring the volumes of oil (310) and water (320) in an oil and water mixture (300) wherein the mixture (300) flows at a constant volumetric flow rate. The device includes a formed cylindrical passageway (200) capable of receiving the fluid mixture (300) and for separating the fluid mixture (300) into separate oil and water droplets (310, 320) while maintaining the constant volumetric flow rate. Electrical probes (400) mounted across the passageway (200) are interconnected with an alternating current source (1200) to apply current to the flowing oil and water droplets in the passageway (200). The resulting sinusoidal voltage pulses (1300, 1310) produced by the flowing oil and water droplets are compared to a predetermined voltage level (1320) and if a water droplet (320) passes the probes (400), the sinusoidal voltage pulses (1310) exceed the predetermined level (1320) and these pulses are then counted (1240). If the sinusoidal electrical pulses (1300) are less than the predetermined level (1320) due to the low conductivity of the oil droplet (310), then no output pulses are generated and the counter (1240) remains inactive. The pulse information provided provides a time difference between the leading (500) and lagging (510) interfaces of each droplet between the oil droplets and the water droplets and the measured time difference is proportional to the volume of the droplets.

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Sedalia, CO, United States of America

N Duane Wygant