Title: Application of Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing in Flowline Monitoring
Date: Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Time: 8:00-9:30 AM CST
Abstract:
Distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) has demonstrated significant potential across various fields, such as hydraulic fracturing monitoring, injection and production profiling, and reservoir characterization. Dr. Fan’s research group is at the forefront of expanding DFOS applications to flowline and wellbore monitoring, particularly in multiphase flow monitoring and flowline defect assessment, which will be the focus of this presentation.
Multiphase flow monitoring plays a critical role in multiphase flow metering, and flow assurance prediction, assessment, and management, such as liquid accumulation, gas hydrate, etc. This presentation will highlight recent advancement in distributed acoustic sensing applications for liquid loading detection, slug flow monitoring and characterization, using various fiber cable types and deployment methods. Multiphase flow metering and monitoring are highly valuable for production design and optimization, yet significant challenges remain in achieving accurate measurements with DFOS for multiphase flow, that Dr. Fan’s research group is actively addressing.
Additionally, the presentation will discuss recent experimental investigations into flowline defect detection, comparing different fiber cable types and pipeline deployment techniques. DFOS surpasses traditional methods by providing non-intrusive, real-time, high temporal resolution, and long-distance measurements, while also withstanding harsh environments that often limit conventional measurement techniques.
By leveraging a single sensing technology, DFOS can monitor multiple flowline challenges that traditionally require several different measurement techniques. This capability makes DFOS a more efficient and cost-effective solution for simultaneous flow monitoring and flowline integrity risk assessment.
Yilin Fan is an Associate Professor in Petroleum Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, and the Director of the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. She earned her B.S. in Oil & Gas Storage and Transportation Engineering from China University of Petroleum and both her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Petroleum Engineering from University of Tulsa. Dr. Fan’s research interests are multiphase flow in pipes, flow assurance, distributed fiber optic sensing, multiphase flow metering, etc. She currently serves as a member of the SPE Production and Facilities Advisory Committee and the SPE ATCE Program Committee. She also serves as an associate editor for several journals, such as SPE Production & Operations, SPE Journal, and Geoenergy Science and Engineering.
Speaker: Dr. Yilin Fan is an Associate Professor in Petroleum Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, and the Director of the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. She earned her B.S. in Oil & Gas Storage and Transportation Engineering from China University of Petroleum and both her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Petroleum Engineering from University of Tulsa. Dr. Fan’s research interests are multiphase flow in pipes, flow assurance, distributed fiber optic sensing, multiphase flow metering, etc. She currently serves as a member of the SPE Production and Facilities Advisory Committee and the SPE ATCE Program Committee. She also serves as an associate editor for several journals, such as SPE Production & Operations, SPE Journal, and Geoenergy Science and Engineering.