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Fluid Dynamics and Multiphase Flow Research and Development (PDF 418 kb)

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Multiphase Flow Facility

Metering Research Facility

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	The Metering Research Facility is a high-accuracy natural gas flow test and calibration facility capable of simulating field operating conditions. Its mission is to improve the state of the art of gas flow measurement technology in the United States.

Flow measurement solutions have been developed by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) for more than 20 years for a broad range of customers, with specific emphasis in the pipeline industry and the upstream oil and gas industry. SwRI’s activities include working with standards organizations to improve or develop flow measurement standards with the use of high-quality data collected at SwRI.

Types of Projects

Unique, large-scale testing facilities allow SwRI staff to conduct testing to real-world conditions, including the use of real fluids.

• Metering Research Facility High-Pressure Loop: Dry natural gas testing with pressures between 150 psig and 1,100 psig at flow rates up to 82,800 acfh

• Metering Research Facility Low-Pressure Loop: Dry natural gas and other gas testing with pressures between 50 psig and 190 psig at flow rates up to 45,000 acfh

• Multiphase Flow Facility: Nitrogen, methane, oil, and water, either as individual components or combined in a multiphase stream, testing with pressures between 100 psig and 3,600 psig at combined flow rates up to approximately 9,000 acfh

These facilities are closed-loop recirculating flow loops that allow for test accuracy, controllability, rangeability, and repeatability.

High-accuracy gas flow measurement research is conducted on a wide range of flow meters.	In order to quantify the effects of dirty flow conditioners on metering accuracy, SwRI developed methods to simulate various levels of contamination and then subjected the modified conditioners to flow testing.

Technical Services

	The Multiphase Flow Facility includes a 216-foot long test section that can be inclined to vertical, in order to simulate the various operating conditions required for flow testing.

SwRI has conducted a wide range of projects to provide technical solutions to our customers, including:

• Flow meter testing and calibrations

• Flow meter design and development

• Flow meter station design, consultation, layout, and optimization

• Uncertainty analysis

• Gas sampling

• Gas properties and thermodynamics

• Industry training

For more information about our flow measurement capabilities, or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Terry Grimley by
e-mail at tgrimley@swri.org or call (210) 522-2353.

fluids.swri.org

| Fluids and Machinery Engineering Department | Mechanical Engineering Division | SwRI Home |

Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

January 03, 2013