Institut Francais Du Pe'trole

Yohan Bentolila

Michel Constant

Claude Beauducel

Abdelaziz Faraj

Method for determining the composition of a homogeneous fluid, for example a petroleum effluent on flow, an emulsion consisting of water and oil, or a foam consisting of oil and gas. The attenuation and the phase shift of microwave beams that have traversed a fluid of unknown composition with paths of different lengths are measured (stage A). Two equations approaching the measured values are determined, the first equation giving a relation between the attenuation and the length of the path, the second equation giving a relation between the phase shift and the length of the path (stage C). Then the composition of the fluid is determined by comparing the two equations with pairs of equations stored in form of databases, each pair of equations corresponding to a fluid of known composition (stage D).

Method for determining the composition of a fluid

A method of determining the composition of a multiphase fluid, such as a flowing petroleum effluent, an emulsion of water and oil, or a foam of oil and gas is disclosed. A first part comprises determining a model expressing the attenuation and the phase shift of a microwave beam as a function of the volume fractions and the permittivities of the various phases. Then, a second part comprises determining the volume fractions of the various phases that make up a multiphase fluid by minimizing the distance between the measured attenuation and phase shift pair and the attenuation and phase shift pair given by the previously determined model.

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Paris, France

Yohan Bentolila