Patent · US Active

Method and equipment for determining the interface between two or more fluid phases

US8370089B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by

1References

12Claims

0Family size

Assignee

STATOIL ASA · NO

Inventors

Vidar Alstad · Porsgrunn, NO
Robert Aasheim · Porsgrunn, NO
Kjetil Fjalestad · Skien, NO
Truls Fallet · Oslo, NO

Key dates

Filing date	Dec 17, 2008
Grant date	Feb 5, 2013
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Jul 30, 2029

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG01F23/168
WIPO fieldMeasurement
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and equipment are provided for determining the level/height, of one or more interfaces between two or more fluid phases of different density that are contained in a vessel, tank or the like. The position of the different interfaces in a tank is determined by measuring the pressure thereby determining the density of the fluid over the height of the tank by using a pressure measuring rod, equipped with pressure sensors, positioned in the tank. A mathematical model or algorithm is used which calculates how the density and hence the pressure vary over the height of the tank as a function of the fluid properties of the respective fluids in the tank, the interface, on the basis of the density being the same within each layer of the respective fluid, as a respective point at which the density changes from one layer to the next in the tank.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.