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oriolis mass flowmeters are used throughout the oil and gas
industry in applications where a high degree of measurement
accuracy is required. The technology, based within a single
device, provides measurement of mass flow rate, volume flow
rate, density and temperature. Coriolis meters have no complex moving
parts and require no maintenance, nor do they require flow conditioning
or straight pipe runs. Flow and density accuracies of approximately 0.1%
and 0.5 kg/m3 respectively result in high performance and measurement
certainty, making Coriolis technology an attractive measurement option.

JOEL WEINSTEIN, EMERSON PROCESS

MANAGEMENT, USA, LOOKS AT
THE BEST PRACTICES TO IMPROVE
PERFORMANCE OF CORIOLIS
FLOWMETERS IN MULTIPHASE
APPLICATIONS.
Multiphase applications can include bubbly liquids, particle laden
flows, slurries, emulsions and multi liquid mixtures. Due to the fact that
Coriolis meters directly measure mass, they have an inherent advantage
over volumetric meters in multiphase flow applications involving liquids
with entrained gas. This is because the mass flow rate of an aerated
mixture is close to that of the liquid flow rate.
Coriolis meters are unique in using two oscillating flow tubes to make
measurements, with the assumption that the fluid moves directly with the
tubes in the oscillatory direction. When multiple phases or components of

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a different density are present, this assumption is not valid and

errors result. Measurement accuracy is reduced due to various
effects, and the extent of the error is a complicated function of
meter design parameters, fluid properties and flow conditions.
Recent research conducted by Coriolis meter
manufacturers has led to significant improvements in
performance in multiphase applications. For example, modern
signal processing algorithms allow resolution of flow signals
even in the presence of increased flow noise. As a result, latest
generation Coriolis flowmeters, such as Emersons Micro
Motion ELITE range, represent some of the best measurement
technology available for average void fractions of up to 5%,
displaying a mass flow error of less than 1%.
However, despite these significant improvements in
performance, some multiphase errors remain. While the
complete compensation of multiphase errors in a Coriolis
meter may never be possible, following a set of simple
guidelines is effective for reducing measurement errors to
acceptable levels.

Performance in multiphase
applications
The dominant error mechanism in multiphase Coriolis
measurement is termed decoupling. This occurs when gas
bubbles or solid particles move relative to the surrounding
liquid during vibration of the flow tube. A theoretical analysis

Figure 1. Visualisation of entrained gas in a

Coriolis meter. A: High flow rate; B: Low flow rate.

of decoupling, along with real world test results, highlights the

importance of several parameters including base phase
viscosity, second phase particle size, vibration frequency, and
density ratio between the phases. Many of these parameters,
such as particle size, are directly influenced by installation and
operational practices.
In order to better understand the complicated sources of
multiphase flow error in a Coriolis meter, Emerson constructed
visualisation meters out of clear polycarbonate tubing. Several
sizes and shapes were made to investigate the differences
between meter designs.
In Figure 1, a 6.35 mm dual curved tube meter is
photographed with approximately 20% gas volume fraction in
water. The flow rate is moderate in frame A, but quite low in
frame B. The bubbles are fairly well distributed within the flow
tubes in frame A and the amount of gas in each tube is
consistent. For this flow condition, errors would be small due
to the homogeneity of the mixture and the small bubble sizes.
However, at much lower flow rates, gas can accumulate on the
inlet or outlet side of the meter depending on installation
orientation and result in asymmetries along the length of the
tube. Frame B shows a scenario in which gas has accumulated
on the inlet side due to the positive buoyancy of the bubbles
on the inlet side of the meter. Large slugs of gas are also seen
near the middle of the tubes.
The asymmetries in mass and damping caused by the
trapped gas directly impact phase delay and cause large
positive mass flow errors. If the bubbles accumulate instead on
the outlet side of the meter, then the mass flow error is
negative. In either case, following standard multiphase piping
practices for minimum flow rates resolves these problems and
results in a homogeneous mixture that is symmetrical along the
length of the tube.
The presence of two phase flow can cause significant
additional noise in the measurement signal of a Coriolis meter,
which contributes to measurement inaccuracy. Some other
Coriolis devices attempt to accommodate for the presence of
entrained gas by using complicated correlations tuned to a
specific installation. Emersons approach is to answer the
challenge directly, via improvements to the sensor stability,
coupled with digital signal processing algorithms to handle the
additional noise. The aim of this is to deliver accurate, reliable
measurement that is flexible to changing fluid conditions.

Optimising measurement
performance
Assuming that fluid properties are predefined for a given
application, the most important operational practices for
achieving good performance with a Coriolis meter are:

Figure 2. Various schematics for meter placement

in a typical application where the meter is
evacuated after each batch.

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nn Choosing a low frequency Coriolis meter for multiphase

applications, which results in less phase decoupling.
nn Minimising bubble or particle size through mixing and
increased pressure.
nn Keeping flow rates high enough to prevent hold up and
flow tube asymmetry.
nn Considering installation orientation to keep meter full (or
empty) at the beginning and end of batches.
The meter must be sized so that velocity in the flow tube is
relatively high, which ensures a homogeneous mixture if gas is
present. Careful placement and orientation of the meter can

make a significant contribution to reducing or

eliminating entrained gas.
Figure 2 shows three different schematics for
meter placement in a typical application where
the meter is evacuated after each batch. The
most effective installation involves a set of
performance and operational trade offs, although
installations B and C have proven to be the most
effective for applications involving batching from
empty pipes. This is because when the batch
begins, the long empty pipeline completely packs
before fluid enters the meter. Even a slight
elevation increase, such as in schematic B, can
dramatically reduce gas entrainment during a
batch.

Multiphase detection
In many oil and gas applications, entrained gas is
an unexpected process upset that is avoided
under normal operating conditions. Examples of
its occurrence include custody transfer of
pipeline quality oil or allocation measurement
downstream of a separator. Coriolis meters
provide an extremely useful diagnostic output,
Figure 4. Cutaway view of a Coriolis flowmeter showing the drive
namely the tube excitation power. This can be
coil and pickoff coils.
used as an indicator of entrained gas or solid
particles in the process fluid. For example, tube
excitation power can be monitored to keep a
separators level at the proper height for optimal separation.
from testing of Coriolis meters with entrained gas. If
The Coriolis flowmeter relies on limited power to maintain
additional power dissipation occurs, for example by the
tube oscillation. The flow tubes are driven on resonance in the
addition of more gas, then the amplitude of tube vibration
first bend mode, so very little energy is needed to keep the
begins to decrease because drive power is limited. Micro
tubes oscillating. However, when multiple phases are present,
Motion Coriolis meters provide drive gain as an output, and
much of the input energy is used to create the relative motion
alarms can be setup to trigger when this diagnostic passes a
between the particles: the decoupling mechanism.
certain threshold.
The drive power increases dramatically with gas
entrainment until the maximum allowable values for voltage
Basic operation
and current are reached (Figure 3). This occurs at surprisingly
Coriolis mass flowmeters are based on theories developed by
low void fractions (generally approximately 1%), as determined
Gustave Coriolis, a French mathematician, engineer and
scientist. The Coriolis effect is an
apparent deflection of moving objects
when they are viewed from a rotating
reference frame, such as that caused by
the rotation of the earth. In flowmeter
terms, this means that a mass of fluid
moving through a tube will cause the
tube to deflect, or twist slightly. The
amount of twist that the flow tubes
experience is a function of mass flow
rate.
In Micro Motion flowmeters with
dual parallel flow tubes, process fluid
entering the sensor is split with half of
the fluid passing through each flow
tube. During operation, a drive coil is
energised (Figure 4), causing the tubes
to oscillate in opposition to one
another. By vibrating in opposition, the
Figure 3. Coriolis meter drive power and tube amplitude increases with
gas volume fraction.

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Coriolis flow tubes are balanced and isolated from external

vibration or movement of the flowmeter.
Two pickoff coils, mounted respectively on the inlet and
outlet portions of the flow tubes, generate sine wave outputs
that represent the motion of one tube relative to the other.
When there is no flow through the meter (and hence no twist
in the tubes), the sine waves coincide. When fluid is moving
through the sensors tubes, Coriolis forces are induced in both
the inlet and outlet legs of both flow tubes. These forces cause
the flow tubes to twist in opposition to each other.
As a result of the twist in the flow tubes, the sine waves
generated by the pickoffs become out of phase with each
other, as the inlet legs are lagging behind the outlet legs. The
time delay between the two sine waves is measured in
microseconds, and is called Delta T. Delta T is always directly
proportional to the mass flow rate: the greater the Delta T
created by the Coriolis force, the greater the mass flow rate.
The meters electronics use Delta T to calculate a mass flow

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output from the meter. In addition, density is calculated from

the frequency and volume is found, secondarily, by dividing
mass flow rate by density. Coriolis meters also provide highly
accurate density and volume flow measurements.

Conclusion
Extensive testing has shown that Coriolis meters perform well
in multiphase applications where certain conditions are met.
They also generally outperform other flow measurement
technologies, such as volumetric meters, that over report liquid
only quantities due to the increased flow volume associated
with bubbly mixtures.
Complete compensation of multiphase errors in a Coriolis
meter may never be possible. Yet by using the latest generation
flowmeters and taking into account installation and operational
best practices, Coriolis meters will remain a leading solution for
inline measurement of process fluids prone to small amounts
of entrained gas or solid particles.
AR-001533