The complex flow structure and interfacial effect in oil-gas-water three-phase flow have made the void fraction measurement a challenging problem. This paper reports on the void fraction measurement of oil-gas-water three-phase flow using a mutually perpendicular ultrasonic sensor (MPUS). Two pairs of ultrasonic probes are installed on the same pipe section to measure the void fraction. With the aid of the finite element method, we first optimize the emission frequency and geometry parameters of MPUS through examining its sensitivity field distribution. Afterward, the oil-gas-water three-phase flow experiment was carried out in a vertical upward pipe with a diameter of 20 mm to investigate the responses of MPUS. Then, the void fraction prediction models associated with flow patterns (bubble flow, slug flow, and churn flow) were established. Compared to the quick closing valves, MPUS obtained a favorable accuracy for void fraction measurement with absolute average percentage error equaling 8.983%, which indicates that MPUS can satisfactorily measure the void fraction of oil-gas-water three-phase flow.

中文翻译：

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使用相互垂直的超声波传感器测量油气水三相流的空隙率。

油气水三相流中复杂的流动结构和界面效应使得空隙率测量成为一个难题。本文报道了使用相互垂直的超声波传感器（MPUS）测量油气水三相流的空隙率。两对超声波探头安装在同一管段上，以测量空隙率。借助于有限元方法，我们首先通过检查MPUS的灵敏度场分布来优化其发射频率和几何参数。随后，在直径为20 mm的垂直向上的管道中进行了油气水三相流实验，以研究MPUS的响应。然后，建立与流型（气泡流，团状流和搅动流）相关的空隙率预测模型。