5. Automated Quick Closing Valve System for Three-Phase Flow Holdup Measurement

Quick closing valve (QCV) is a widely applied technique in laboratory multiphase flow studies. It can be used as a reliable calibration method to pick up the volumetric fraction of the phases on the vertical column when the steady state of multiphase vertical streams is established. In laboratory Three-Phase Flow studies, thousands of trials are performed. Hence, it is suitable to automate QCV systems for holdup measurement. The automation improves costs, standardizes, and minimizes spending time with tiring repetitive measurements. This work presents the methodology and design of an automated QCV for Holdup measurement system for three-phase flow: air, kerosene, and water. For this, direct column heights measurements are obtained by an optical sensor precisely moved up/down. Furthermore, two pressure sensors are used to measure the weight of the three-phase column. Merging the data with the Maximum Likelihood Estimation algorithm, the methodology and its uncertainties are presented. Data Fusion reduces uncertainties, making it possible to check inconsistencies and detect failures. Automated validation tests show that it is possible to accurately measure small columns of less than 1% of the total column.