Friction Flowmeter in Slurry Flows

The project focusses on improving the accuracy of the friction flowmeter in slurry applications by incorporating a minimally intrusive acoustic sensor into the patented calculation method. This new sensor will provide an estimate of the solids content of the slurry so the impact on the measurement can be corrected. Additionally, it should provide more detailed information on the solids physical properties as well adding further insight into the process.

Slurry fluids are notoriously challenging to measure flow rate accurately because of the sensitivity to changes in physical properties and solids content. Having a system that can calculate these parameters as part of the measurement, eliminates the need for separate measurements and employing separate measurement corrections -- it's all done in the one device with the friction flowmeter.

Slurry type flows are expected to grow in coming years with the increasing demand of rare earth minerals used in renewable technologies as well as drilling applications for geothermal energy and carbon sequestration in underground storage reservoirs. Drilling can be a costly process, especially offshore in the North Sea where a drillship can be leased for over £2m per week for months at a time. Saving 10% of drilling time through better control and automation could save millions of pounds per year per installation which could be a huge financial stimulus for such an fledgling and important industry for the energy transition.