Understanding the effects of two-phase flow on Coriolis flowmeters can help mitigate issues in MPD operations

Managed pressure drilling (MPD) has emerged as a critical tool in deepwater environments. The accurate measurement of the flow rate of the drilling fluid returning from the well is critical to MPD operations. Coriolis mass flowmeters are commonly used in MPD operations because of their high accuracy, but their performance in the presence of two-phase flow can cause problems with that accuracy, said Nitin Kulkarni, Project Manager at Blade Energy Partners. In this interview with DC, Mr Kulkarni talks about these challenges, as well as the best practices to avoid or mitigate possible errors from Coriolis mass flowmeters in two-phase flow. He presented a paper he co-authored on the subject at the 2024 AADE Fluids Technology Conference in Houston on 17 April.