Development of a Passive Multiphase Acoustic Flow Meter

Multiphase flow measurements have widespread industrial applications in the petrochemical industry. Most methods are costly and require invasive mounting of a device in the pipeline. Invasive multiphase flow meters are costly to install due to the shutdown of production of material flowing through the pipe. A technique outlined in U.S. patent 10,578,471 B2 utilizes a passive acoustic device that measures sound propagation with and against the flow of the material in the pipeline. This system detects 3 phases: gas, water, and oil, with each having large differences in intensity. Resolving the relative difference in intensity requires an analog-to-digital-converter, ADC, with a broad dynamic range. This flow meter employs a 32-bit ADC to resolve these waves and increase the refresh rate of measurements.