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Operating Principles DS3
Operating Principles DS3
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Shildon, Co. Durham, DL4 1LH, UK
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www.solartronisa.com
Dualstream 3 – Operating Principles
© SOLARTRON ISA 2018 Page 1 of 5
This document and its contents are the exclusive property of Solartron ISA and may not Revision 0
be copied, transmitted or communicated without prior permission. This document and its
contents do not constitute any contractual obligation unless expressly agreed.
Dualstream 3 – Operating Principles
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 DUALSTREAM 3 ......................................................................................................................... 3
2 DUALSTREAM 3 ALGORITHM ................................................................................................... 4
2.1 WET GAS CORRECTION .............................................................................................................. 4
2.2 WATER FRACTION METER ........................................................................................................... 5
2.3 PVT ........................................................................................................................................ 5
2.4 SALINITY .................................................................................................................................. 5
CONTENTS
FIGURE 1 – DUALSTREAM 3 CROSS SECTION ..................................................................................................... 3
FIGURE 2 ‐ DUALSTREAM 3 CALCULATION FLOW CHART .................................................................................... 4
FIGURE 3 ‐ EFFECT OF WATER (AND SALINE) ON RESONANT FREQUENCY ................................................................ 5
FIGURE 4 ‐ PERMITTIVITY OF FLUID COMPONENTS (RELATIVE PERMITTIVITY PROPORTIONAL TO AREA) .............. ERROR!
BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
© SOLARTRON ISA 2018 Page 2 of 5
This document and its contents are the exclusive property of Solartron ISA and may not Revision 0
be copied, transmitted or communicated without prior permission. This document and its
contents do not constitute any contractual obligation unless expressly agreed.
Dualstream 3 – Operating Principles
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Dualstream 3
The Dualstream 3 flow meter integrates Solartron ISA’s patented microwave water fraction device
together with the Dualstream wet gas Venturi to provide the operator with high accuracy, on‐line
three phase measurement of the gas, condensate and water phases. The current meter design also
provides an indication of changes in salinity (for water continuous flow) to differentiate between
condensed water (low salinity) and formation water (high salinity).
Figure 1 – Dualstream 3 cross section
The Venturi meter employs gauge pressure, differential pressure (DP) and temperature transmitters,
and returns the indicated mass flow rate. The patented water fraction device uses a microwave
resonant cavity with non‐wetted probes to measure the mixture permittivity, which is particularly
sensitive to water content. This information is combined with PVT data, including the component
densities and the condensate to gas mass ratio (CGMR). An iterative sequence of calculations is
performed to determine the water and condensate flow rates, and apply a correction to the gas rate
due to the presence of the liquids.
Please note that the Dualstream 3 has previously been marketed as the Dualstream Elite.
© SOLARTRON ISA 2018 Page 3 of 5
This document and its contents are the exclusive property of Solartron ISA and may not Revision 0
be copied, transmitted or communicated without prior permission. This document and its
contents do not constitute any contractual obligation unless expressly agreed.
Dualstream 3 – Operating Principles
2 DUALSTREAM 3 ALGORITHM
2.1 Wet Gas Correction
The Dualstream 3, in a similar manner to most Venturi‐based flow meters, determines the wet gas
flow rates by applying a wet gas correction to the standard mass flow equation, , such that:
2 ∆ (1)
1 4
1 1
(2)
1 1 1
∆ (3)
(4)
(5)
Figure 2 ‐ Dualstream 3 Calculation Flow Chart
© SOLARTRON ISA 2018 Page 4 of 5
This document and its contents are the exclusive property of Solartron ISA and may not Revision 0
be copied, transmitted or communicated without prior permission. This document and its
contents do not constitute any contractual obligation unless expressly agreed.
Dualstream 3 – Operating Principles
2.2 Water Fraction Meter
The Dualstream 3 incorporates a water fraction meter (based on a microwave resonant cavity) with a
wet gas Venturi meter. The cavity resonates at a particular frequency dependent upon the properties
of the fluids present, in particular the permittivity. As the relative permittivity of water is significantly
higher than for gas or condensate (see Error! Reference source not found.), the flow meter is
particularly sensitive to the water content.
Figure 3 ‐ Effect of water (and saline) on resonant frequency
2.3 PVT
The PVT (Pressure, Volume and Temperature) calculations carried out within the flow metering system
characterise the total hydrocarbon composition using Equation of State (EoS) software (typically
GasVLe by DNV.GL). This data provides the component densities at line and base conditions, and
quantifies the split between gas and condensate at line and base conditions.
2.4 Salinity
The presence of salt alters the electrical properties of the water component, which is detected as a
characteristic signature response in the microwave cavity signals. By using this to indicate changes in
the salinity, the Dualstream Elite algorithm continues to provide accurate flow rates for all phase flow
rates.
© SOLARTRON ISA 2018 Page 5 of 5
This document and its contents are the exclusive property of Solartron ISA and may not Revision 0
be copied, transmitted or communicated without prior permission. This document and its
contents do not constitute any contractual obligation unless expressly agreed.