1. n. []

A device for determining the water holdup in a producing well by measuring the capacitance or impedance of the fluid. The term is a misnomer because water cut is not the same as water holdup except in the unlikely case where all phases flow at the same velocity. Since hydrocarbons travel faster than water in a production well, the water holdup is larger than the water cut. However, the water-cut meter was often combined with a flowmeter so that the water cut could be estimated by combining the two measurements.

Synonyms: capacitance meter,  holdup meter

See related terms: capacitance log,  holdup log,  production log