The accurate measurement of two-phase flow parameters has always been a key issue for many industries. Advancements in flow measurement techniques led to the development of multiphase flow meters which can measure it without separating it to individual phases. This technique is based on the homogeneous flow model which treats the two-phase flow as a single-phase flow at the homogenized location. It has been experimentally proven that a slotted orifice plate is a better flow homogenizer than a standard orifice plate and a V-cone. However, the location downstream of the slotted orifice plate where the two-phase flow becomes most homogeneous is still not known. Knowing this would help in accurate flow metering of the two-phase flow as the sensors (such as the electrical impedance sensor) can be placed at the most homogenized location. Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) is a non-invasive measurement technique that determines the conductivity distribution of the flow inside a pipe. The conductivity data can be used to determine concentration data by using the Maxwell's equation. By analyzing the concentration distribution of the components in a two-phase flow at various locations, the optimum location downstream of the slotted orifice plate where the two-phase flow becomes most homogeneous for different flow conditions can be determined.

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Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is widely used to simulate fluid flows in turbomachinery. A detailed CFD study was performed to enhance the design of an electrical submersible pump (ESP) manufactured by Baker Hughes. The pump has a special patented impeller design enabling it to handle up to 70% gas volume fraction (GVF). A CFD-based design study was performed on the ESP diffuser (for the first time) to improve the pump’s performance and reduce losses. The CFD model was initially validated using experimental results. Different designs were simulated to reach the optimum design. Many factors affect pump performance, including flow separation losses in the stator (such as the number of blades, the meridional profile of the pump and the shape of the stator blades). In addition, a non-uniform flow while exiting one stage affects the rotor performance of the next stage. Therefore, improving the diffuser design improves the current stage performance as well as the performance of the next rotor. In this study, improved designs show that optimizing the stator design can increase the static pressure of the pump by 4% for single-phase flow, and 23% for two-phase flow in the simulated cases.