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Scale formation is one of the major problems in the oil industry as it can accumulate on the surface of the pipelines, which could even fully block the fluids' passage. It was developed a methodology to detect and quantify the maximum thickness of eccentric scale inside pipelines using nuclear techniques and an artificial neural network. The measurement procedure is based on gamma-ray scattering using NaI(Tl) detectors and a137Cs radiation source that emits gamma-rays of 662 keV. The simulations considered an annular flow regime composed of barium sulfate scale, oil, saltwater and gas, and three percentages of these fluids were used. In the present investigation, a study of detectors configuration was carried out to improve the measurement geometry and the simulations were made using the MCNP6 code, which is a mathematical code based on the Monte Carlo method. The counts registered in the detectors were used as input data to train a deep neural network (DNN) that uses rectifier activation functions instead of the usually sigmoid-based ones. In addition, a hyperparameters search was made using open software to develop the final DNN architecture. Results showed that the best detector configuration was able to predict 100% of the patterns with the maximum relative error of 5%. Moreover, the achieved mean absolute percentage error was 0.42% and the regression coefficient was 0.99996 for all data. The results are promising and encourage the use of DNN to calculate inorganic scale regardless of the fluids volume fraction inside pipelines. • Prediction of the maximum eccentric scale thickness using gamma-ray scattering. • Application of deep neural network using hyperparameters search software. • The prediction is made regardless of the fluids volume fraction in the multiphase system. • Measurement geometry is composed of two detectors and a137Cs radiation source. • Patterns of the eccentric scale thickness were simulated using the MCNP6 code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiphase flow is defined as the transport of two or more fluids with different properties flowing together inside a pipeline. After offshore oil production, it is necessary to control the amount of transported fluids based on flow rate measurements. Therefore, in this study, we developed a simulation method for predicting the volume fraction and calculating the superficial velocity for a two-phase flow based on radioactive particle tracking, which involves using a sealed radiation source inside the pipeline in order to obtain volume fraction measurements. The test section for the multiphase flow comprised oil and saltwater under a stratified flow regime, with a polyvinyl chloride pipe, four NaI(Tl) detectors, and a137Cs radioactive particle that emitted gamma-rays at 662 keV. Simulations were conducted using the MCNP6 code, which is a mathematical code based on the Monte Carlo method. Volume fraction predictions were obtained using a multilayer perceptron neural network with a backpropagation algorithm. The novel feature of this method is the combination of radioactive particle tracking with an artificial neural network in order to predict volume fractions in multiphase flows. The results showed that 91.65% of the predicted patterns were within 5% of the relative error. In addition, the time delay was determined using the cross-correlation function to obtain the superficial velocity in three different volume fractions, which allowed each phase flow rate to be calculated in these cases. • Application of radioactive particle tracking to multiphase flows. • Volume fraction predicted using an artificial neural network. • Flow velocity calculated using a cross-correlation function. • Flow rate calculated in a stratified flow regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methodology presented in this study is based on a 149.5 keV X-ray beam and two planar germanium detectors for X-ray transmission and scattering measurements for prediction of volume fractions in a three-phase system. Fluid volume fractions have been modeled using the MCNP6 code for an annular flow regime. A mathematical algorithm based on an artificial neural network was used to correlate the energy spectra from both detectors with the fluids volume fractions. The pulse height distributions obtained by the detectors are used as input data of the network that outputs the volume fractions of gas and water. The mean relative error, using the procedure presented here, for all data, was below 2.5% for both phases investigated. These results show that the methodology based on an X-ray beam has the potential to be used with flow meters. • An artificial neural network was used to predict volume fraction of gas, water, and oil. • X-ray beam and two planar germanium detectors for X-ray transmission and scattering measurements for prediction of volume fractions. • Fluid volume fractions have been modeled using the MCNP6 code for an annular flow regime. • The spectra obtained by the detectors are used as input data of the network that outputs gas and water volume fractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent investigation proposed a simulated radioactive particle tracking (RPT) system using eight scintillator detectors in order to predict instantaneous positions of a radioactive particle inside a concrete mixer using an artificial neural network as a location algorithm. In the context of RPT, the aim of the present study is to propose an optimization in the number of detectors in a single-phase flow RPT system. The new detection geometry consists of an array of six NaI(Tl) detectors, a 137Cs point source with isotropic emission of gamma-rays (radioactive particle) and a polyvinyl chloride mixer filled with concrete made with Portland cement as a homogenous flow regime. Another feature of this study is the use of MCNP6 code, which is based on Monte Carlo Method. In addition, three feed-forward multilayer perceptron networks with different configuration are tested as a location algorithm. All three networks showed good statistical results and the root mean square error is 1.18 in the worst scenario. The results also showed an agreement with previous study, which indicates that this methodology reducing two detectors works satisfactorily and maintain a good accuracy in position prediction. • Optimization of the detection system reducing two detectors. • Radioactive Particle Tracking methodology developed using MCNP6 code. • An artificial neural network predicts the position of the radioactive particle. • System based on RPT to evaluate industrial agitators in a homogeneous flow regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposed geometry composes gamma-rays and two NaI(Tl) detectors. • Different thicknesses and relative positions of scale for the annular flow regime were modeled using the MCNP code. • A Backpropagation 5-layer perceptron network was used for scale prediction. • The gamma-ray scattering was used to quantify the maximum thickness of eccentric scales (BaSO 4). • The maximum scale was predicted independently of its position inside the tube and the presence of the fluids. This study investigates a methodology to study the deposition of barium sulfate scales (BaSO 4) commonly found in the oil industry; it causes an internal diameter decrease, making it difficult for the flow. A measurement procedure was elaborated on gamma-ray scattering with three NaI(Tl) detectors and a 137Cs gamma-ray source to detect and quantify the maximum thickness of eccentric scale. The detectors data were used to train the artificial neural network for the prediction of the maximum scale thickness values regardless of oil, saltwater, gas and scale inside the tube. A data subset for training and evaluation of the artificial neural network generalization capability was generated using the MCNP6 code. Different thicknesses and positions of the maximum scale value were considered. The results show that more than 90% of the patterns presented relative errors lower than ±10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]