Fluid flow monitor

摘要

There are disclosed methods and apparatus for monitoring fluid flow along a conduit such as a well bore or a pipeline. A sensor optical fiber is disposed along the conduit, and an optical interrogator is used to launch probe light pulses into the fiber and to determine optical properties of probe light backscattered within the fiber, the properties being indicative of vibration as a function along the fiber. An analyzer is used to detect one or more vibration features moving along the conduit and to determine a measure of fluid flow based on the detected movement.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
optically coupling an interrogator to an end of a sensor optical fibre disposed along a length of a conduit containing a fluid, to form a distributed optical fibre sensor; using the interrogator to measure vibration signals as a function of both time and distance along the fibre by detecting properties of light backscattered within the fibre; tracking movement along the optical fibre of at least one spatially localized feature in the vibration signals; and determining a measure of the fluid flow of the fluid along the conduit from said tracked movement.