Integrated Ultrasonic Flow Meter and Microwave Sensing Technology for Wet Gas Measurement: Development and Validation of Over-Reading Correction Models

Abstract
Accurate wet gas flow measurement is essential for production optimisation, custody transfer, and regulatory compliance in theenergy and chemical industries. Conventional ultrasonic flow meters often overestimate gas flow rates due to liquid entrainment,while microwave sensors alone struggle with phase discrimination under dynamic conditions. This study introduces a hybrid metering system, Ultrasonic Flow Meters andMicrowave Sensing Measurement ofWet Gas (USMMW), that integrates transit-time ultrasonic flow measurement with microwave dielectric sensing to correct over-reading errors. Experimental data were collected from a controlled multiphase flow loop using a 2-inch pipeline equipped with an ultrasonic meter and a 2.7 GHz microwave sensor. A data-driven over-reading correction model (OR) was developed using detected liquid volume fraction (LVF) and eight dimensionless parameters derived via the Buckingham Pi theorem.Multiple regression andmachine learning techniques, including multilinear regression (MLR) and random forest regression (RFR), were applied to optimise model performance. Validation results showed that the USMMW system achieved corrected gas flow rates with an average relative absolute error (RAE) of 3.02%, outperforming conventional differential pressure models. The findings demonstrate that USMMW offers a robust, non-intrusive solution for real-time wet gas metering under mist and stratified flow regimes, with potential for scalable industrial deployment.
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John Wiley & Sons
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