Venturi meter performance in wet gas flow

The capability to measure the flow of wet gas obviates the need to install test separators and related infrastructure, thereby enabling gas fields to be developed at much lower cost. Venturi flow meters can be used to measure the actual gas flow rate in wet gas streams, provided the liquid content is known. An empirical correlation for predicting the effect of the liquid phase on venturi meter readings in wet gas horizontal flow is presented. The correlation is based on a comprehensive experimental data set, covering the majority of the wet gas operating conditions encountered in the field, which was collected in a full scale multiphase now test facility. Measurement results of the overall pressure loss across the venturi meter are also presented. These show that the pressure loss ratio contains information on the actual liquid content. A valuable set of high-quality two-phase data is now available to the scientific and technical community.