In a multiphase and/or wetgas application, there are several important reasons for why the salinity of the measured water should be determined:

• Automatic field configuration - Multiphase. All multiphase meters require information about the gas and fluid properties (PVT data) as configuration constants. Even though the MPM meter is less sensitive to salinity variations than conventional meters, the water properties are important for accurate measurement of the oil flow rates for wells with high water content. The MPM meter can automatically measure the water conductivity and the water density in water-continuous emulsions. This may eliminate the need for taking and analyzing samples. For subsea applications, this is particularly valuable.
• Detection of salt water break-through - Wetgas. The Salinity measurement will detect if and when salt water is breaking through and flowing into the well. This helps enhancing well performance, and optimizing the amounts of chemical inhibitors to avoid corrosion and hydrate formation in the pipelines.
• Determination of what kind of water is produced. When the salinity of the produced water is known, the water can in fact be split in formation and condensed water. This is important information which may contribute to better understanding the reservoir and enhancing the recovery from the reservoir.

The measured conductivity is converted into water salinity, and the water density is calculated, assuming a certain composition of the salt (for instance NaCl). The measurement method is based on RF measurements and MPM’s patented 3D Broadband technology.