A new interface detection method based on heat transfer rate of oil and water

The detection of interface between water and oil is of great significance for the heavy oil exploitation. However, the existing detection techniques have some drawbacks, such as poor efficiency and low accuracy. A new interface detecting method based on the Heat Transfer Rate between oil and water is proposed. Heat transfer model including heat conduction and convection has been established in the paper. The computation method of Heat Transfer Rate is based on differential equation of Heat transfer model. Experiments of the thermal conductivity of oil and water were carried out under constant temperature condition. Experimental result shows that the heat transfer rate of water is much greater than that of heavy oil at different temperatures. And the different of heat transfer rate between oil and water can be used for the interface detection.