Systems and methods to harvest energy and determine water holdup using the magnetohydrodynamic principle

Abstract

Embodiments provide systems and methods for creating and storing energy using the magnetohydrodynamic principle and the flow of a conductive fluid through a magnetic field downhole in a pipeline system. The system can also be configured to determine water holdup using the magnetohydrodynamic principle. The energy the system generates can be used to control electric valves and other electronic devices along the pipeline. The power storing and generating system can be configured to include permanent magnets, electrode pairs, isolation material, and a conductive flowing multiphase media. The multiphase media, i.e., oil, gas, water, or a mixture, flows through a pipeline that has electrodes in direct contact with the media and magnets also configured adjacent the media. The electrode pairs can be arranged inside of the pipeline opposite each other, with a permanent magnet placed between the electrodes and flush to the inside of the pipe, with flux lines perpendicular to the flow direction. Power output from the system is a function of the conductive fluid volume, flow velocity, magnet strength, and electrode size. Various embodiments include different arrangements of permanent magnets and electrode pairs.