Flow meter to measure different rates of flow in a single pipeline developed

University of Huddersfield researchers have developed a flow meter that uses electromagnetic imaging techniques to show the different rates of flow of multiple substances in a pipeline.

The research team anticipates that process industries such as oil and gas will benefit from their findings, giving them access to data that can help improve efficiency and cost. The meter may also be of use to the food industry.

“There have been electromagnetic flow meters that measure just the average single velocity in a pipe,” said lead researcher Professor Gary Lucas. “But until now there hasn’t really been anything that has been able to measure distributions of velocity.

“That is the novel aspect of our research. This is important because if, for example, you have a horizontal pipeline with most of the oil flowing quickly along the top and most of the water flowing slowly at the bottom, you can’t work out the exact oil and water flow rates unless you can differentiate the velocities in different parts of the pipe.”

The research project was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward. The team initiated the research in response to the process industry’s need to measure multiple flows.

The flow meter is designed to sit in a pipeline, with an array of electrodes providing vivid images of the multiple flows.

“The main development so far has been in relation to the oil industry,” said Lucas. “But we are now aiming to extend the technology even to medical applications, looking at the circulation of blood in limbs, which is important in many areas of diagnosis.”

Professor Lucas is in the process of patenting the meter and is in talks with several companies interested in developing the product.

Source: AlphaGalileo Foundation.