Determining composition of homogeneous fluid, e.g. a petroleum effluent, comprises measurement of attenuation and phase shift in microwaves

摘要

The process comprises three stages: (Stage A) measuring the attenuation and phase shift of at least two microwave beams transmitted through the fluid (7) along trajectories of different lengths; (Stage B) determining relationships that model the variations in attenuation and phase shift as a function of the distance measured in Stage A; and (Stage C) determining the composition of the fluid by comparing the relationships established in Stage B with an assembly of previously determined relationships corresponding to a fluid of known composition. In Stage A at least two of the microwave beams can be transmitted along different trajectories of the same length in the fluid, and a weighted average is taken of the measured attenuation and phase shift of the two beams.