US20170314976A1 - Flowmeter and Method - Google Patents
Flowmeter and Method Download PDFInfo
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- US20170314976A1 US20170314976A1 US15/650,242 US201715650242A US2017314976A1 US 20170314976 A1 US20170314976 A1 US 20170314976A1 US 201715650242 A US201715650242 A US 201715650242A US 2017314976 A1 US2017314976 A1 US 2017314976A1
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- transducer
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- tube
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F1/00—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow
- G01F1/66—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow by measuring frequency, phase shift or propagation time of electromagnetic or other waves, e.g. using ultrasonic flowmeters
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F1/00—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow
- G01F1/66—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow by measuring frequency, phase shift or propagation time of electromagnetic or other waves, e.g. using ultrasonic flowmeters
- G01F1/662—Constructional details
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F1/00—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow
- G01F1/66—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow by measuring frequency, phase shift or propagation time of electromagnetic or other waves, e.g. using ultrasonic flowmeters
- G01F1/667—Arrangements of transducers for ultrasonic flowmeters; Circuits for operating ultrasonic flowmeters
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01P—MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT
- G01P5/00—Measuring speed of fluids, e.g. of air stream; Measuring speed of bodies relative to fluids, e.g. of ship, of aircraft
- G01P5/24—Measuring speed of fluids, e.g. of air stream; Measuring speed of bodies relative to fluids, e.g. of ship, of aircraft by measuring the direct influence of the streaming fluid on the properties of a detecting acoustical wave
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/494—Fluidic or fluid actuated device making
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49826—Assembling or joining
Definitions
- the present invention is related to a flowmeter for detecting fluid flow rates in a pipe having a tube with a channel disposed in the pipe through which fluid in the pipe flows and plane waves generated by an upstream ultrasonic transducer and a downstream ultrasonic transducer propagate.
- the present invention is related to a flowmeter for detecting fluid flow rates in a pipe having a tube with a channel disposed in the pipe through which fluid in the pipe flows and plane waves generated by an upstream ultrasonic transducer and a downstream ultrasonic transducer propagate, where the tube is made of a sound absorbing material so that essentially all non-fluid paths of sound are absorbed.
- the current ultrasonic flow meter arrangement uses two transducers at opposing ends of a pipe where one is upstream from the fluid flow and other is downstream from the fluid flow, both transducers transmit and receive signals. Each transducer generates plane waves into the fluid and surrounding pipe wall. The difference in transit times between the upstream and downstream signal is used to calculate the flow rate. Since sound travels faster in the pipe wall than in the fluid medium, the receiving transducer has noise because the sound enters the pipe and arrives at a time preceding the sound that travels in the liquid. The noise level is significant because it reduces the accuracy of the flow measurement and results in a poor or no measurement at low flow rates.
- polymers with scattering fillers such as metal or glass or microspheres
- polymers with scattering fillers are used as backing masses for ultrasonic transducers.
- the use of an attenuative backing mass improves the bandwidth of the transmitted ultrasound signal of a transducer by absorbing the sound from the back side of the transducer and not allowing reflections to occur.
- Polymers with scattering fillers it is believed, have never been used as pipe wall sound attenuators in the use of an ultrasonic transit time flow measurement.
- the present invention is applicable for measuring flow rates, particularly low flow rates, with ultrasonic transit time technology.
- the application is specifically applied to monitoring chemical fluid injection in subsea oil wells.
- the invention is directed to the use of a sound absorbing tube to direct the flow. This tube attenuates sound of all acoustic paths except that through the fluid. This improvement makes possible a flow measurement at very low flow rates through very small bore pipes.
- FIG. 1 shows a flowmeter of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 shows an acoustic signal path
- FIG. 3 shows a low flow meter arrangement
- FIG. 4 shows a demonstration of transit time flow meter performance—a 4.5 mm diameter tube with 100 cSt Oil (3 Mhz Signal).
- the flowmeter 10 for detecting fluid flow rates in a pipe 12 .
- the flowmeter 10 comprises a tube 14 having a channel disposed in the pipe 12 through which fluid in the pipe 12 flows.
- the flowmeter 10 comprises an upstream ultrasonic transducer in contact with the pipe 12 and positioned in alignment with the channel so plane waves generated by the upstream transducer 16 propagate through the channel.
- the flowmeter 10 comprises a downstream ultrasonic transducer in contact with the pipe 12 and positioned so plane waves generated by the downstream transducer 18 propagate through the channel and are received by the upstream transducer 16 which produces an upstream transducer 16 signal.
- the downstream transducer 18 receives the plane waves from the upstream transducer 16 and provides a downstream transducer 18 signal.
- the flowmeter 10 comprises a controller 20 in communication with the upstream and downstream transducers 18 which calculate fluid flow rate from the upstream transducer 16 signal and the downstream transducer 18 signal.
- the tube 14 may be made of a sound absorbing material so that essentially all non-fluid paths of sound are absorbed.
- the upstream transducer 16 and the downstream transducer 18 may extend through the pipe 12 wall and acoustically communicate with the pipe 12 interior.
- the tube 14 may form a seal with the pipe 12 essentially preventing fluid in the pipe 12 leaking around the tube 14 .
- the tube 14 may be made of a polymer filled with attenuative particles.
- the polymer may be either an epoxy, nylon, PTFE or PEEK (polyaryletheretherketone).
- the particles are either metal, glass microspheres, metal oxide or rubber having a size equal to or smaller than the acoustic wavelength.
- the tube may have a length L and a diameter opening D such that under volume flow conditions where Q>0.2 liters/hour, the tube dimensions L/D 2 are greater than 1385/meters when C>1400 m/s.
- the present invention pertains to a method for detecting fluid flow rates in a pipe 12 .
- the method comprises the steps of flowing fluid through a channel of a tube 14 disposed in the pipe 12 .
- the tube 14 can be made of a sound absorbing material and wherein the generating plane waves by the upstream transducer 16 step may include the step of generating the plane waves by the upstream transducer 16 so that essentially all non-fluid paths of sound are absorbed by the tube 14 , and wherein the generating plane waves by the downstream transducer 18 step may include the step of generating the plane waves by the downstream transducer 18 so that essentially all non-fluid paths of sound are absorbed by the tube 14 .
- the generating plane waves by the upstream transducer 16 step may include the step of generating the plane waves by the upstream transducer 16 which extends through the pipe 12 wall and acoustically communicates with the pipe 12 interior
- the generating plane waves by the downstream transducer 18 step may include the step of generating the plane waves by the downstream transducer 18 which extends through the pipe 12 wall and acoustically communicates with the pipe 12 interior.
- the tube 14 may form a seal with the pipe 12 essentially preventing fluid in the pipe 12 leaking around the tube 14 .
- the current ultrasonic flow meter arrangement uses two wetted transducers at opposing ends of a tube 14 in a pipe 12 where one is upstream from the fluid flow and other is downstream from the fluid flow, both transducers transmit and receive signals ( FIG. 1 ). The difference in transit times between the upstream and downstream signal is used to calculate the flow rate.
- Each transducer generates plane waves into the fluid and surrounding pipe 12 wall ( FIG. 2 ). The propagation of the sound wave has a profile known as the transducer beam profile.
- the flowmeter 10 has to be designed such that the tube 14 dimensions
- FIG. 1 For FIG. 1 :
- the upstream and downstream transit times need to be measured via a controller 20 .
- the controller 20 computes the transit time differences between the upstream and downstream flow.
- the At is then used to calculate the fluid velocity for a given flowmeter 10 length “L” for a calculated speed of sound “C”. Once the velocity “V” has been calculated then the Mass Flow Q can be determined since the area “A” of the fluid opening or pipe 12 is known.
- the receiving transducer suffers from acoustic noise from the pipe 12 /tube 14 acoustic paths.
- This acoustic noise arrives at a time preceding the sound that travels in the liquid since sound velocities in the solid are higher than those in the fluid.
- This noise is significant because it reduces the accuracy of the flow measurement and results in a poor or no measurement at low flow rates.
- the measure of the effect of this noise is signal to noise ratio.
- a tube 14 with acoustically attenuative properties is in inserted within the pipe 12 ( FIG. 3 ).
- the acoustic tube 14 has a small inner diameter and a large outer diameter.
- the opening in the tube 14 acts as conduit for the fluid and the fluid path for sound, while the surrounding area acts as sound absorber. After the sound travels through the conduit it begins to spread again but this has no effect on the signal to noise ratio therefore the surrounding sound absorber successfully disables the pipe 12 noise.
- the tube 14 is made preferably of a polymer filled with attenuative particles, for example tungsten particles (mesh 200) with a certain volume fraction up to 50%.
- the polymer can be for example epoxy, nylon, PTFE or PEEK but is not limited to these materials. The choice of polymer is dependent on the pressure rating of the application and its effectiveness in working with the attenuative particles to attenuate sound.
- the filler can be any metal, metal oxide, or rubber with a small mesh size, the lower the volume fraction of particle filler the higher the acoustic attenuation. Once a cylinder is fabricated then it is machined such that there is an inner diameter for fluid flow.
- the sound absorbing tube 14 can be threaded on the OD; therefore, it screws into the flowmeter 10 .
- the sound absorbing tube 14 can be glued on the OD; therefore, it bonds into the flowmeter 10 .
- the sound absorbing tube 14 can either press fit or captured by clips or retainers.
- the experimental setup included 5 MHz frequency ultrasonic transducers separated a distance of 4 inches.
- the tube 14 used had an inner diameter of 1 ⁇ 4′′ and outer diameter of 1′′.
- the tube 14 was made of epoxy with tungsten particle filler.
- olive oil was used since it has a similar viscosity to certain injection chemicals to be applied. It is noted that the higher the viscosity of the fluid, the more important the sound absorbing properties become. Specifically, as the viscosity increases, the fluid path acoustic signal is attenuated and the signal to noise ratio decreases.
- a flow rate of 1 liter/hour was measured and the signal to noise ratio improved by 10 times using the attenuative tube 14 .
- Flow rates as low as 0.2 Liters/hour are readily achievable. Flow rates up to 90 liters/hour may also be analyzed.
- the low flow meter enables a chemical injection metering valve to dispense corrosion preventing chemicals to the subsea well at a low flow rate.
- the low flow meter is being used for chemical injection, but it could also be used for any application requiring a measurement at low flow rates. See FIG. 4 which shows a demonstration of transit time flow meter performance—a 4.5 mm diameter tube with 100 cSt Oil (3 MHz Signal).
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
- Measuring Volume Flow (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/196,998 filed Jun. 29, 2016, now. U.S. Pat. No. 9,709,427, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/453,373 filed Aug. 6, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,389,108 issued on Jul. 12, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/565,341 filed Aug. 2, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,806,734 issued on Aug. 19, 2014, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/653,087 filed Dec. 8, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,245,581 issued Aug. 21, 2012, all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
- The present invention is related to a flowmeter for detecting fluid flow rates in a pipe having a tube with a channel disposed in the pipe through which fluid in the pipe flows and plane waves generated by an upstream ultrasonic transducer and a downstream ultrasonic transducer propagate. (As used herein, references to the “present invention” or “invention” relate to exemplary embodiments and not necessarily to every embodiment encompassed by the appended claims.) More specifically, the present invention is related to a flowmeter for detecting fluid flow rates in a pipe having a tube with a channel disposed in the pipe through which fluid in the pipe flows and plane waves generated by an upstream ultrasonic transducer and a downstream ultrasonic transducer propagate, where the tube is made of a sound absorbing material so that essentially all non-fluid paths of sound are absorbed.
- This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention. The following discussion is intended to provide information to facilitate a better understanding of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that statements in the following discussion are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
- The current ultrasonic flow meter arrangement uses two transducers at opposing ends of a pipe where one is upstream from the fluid flow and other is downstream from the fluid flow, both transducers transmit and receive signals. Each transducer generates plane waves into the fluid and surrounding pipe wall. The difference in transit times between the upstream and downstream signal is used to calculate the flow rate. Since sound travels faster in the pipe wall than in the fluid medium, the receiving transducer has noise because the sound enters the pipe and arrives at a time preceding the sound that travels in the liquid. The noise level is significant because it reduces the accuracy of the flow measurement and results in a poor or no measurement at low flow rates.
- Furthermore, traditionally, polymers with scattering fillers (such as metal or glass or microspheres) are used as backing masses for ultrasonic transducers. The use of an attenuative backing mass improves the bandwidth of the transmitted ultrasound signal of a transducer by absorbing the sound from the back side of the transducer and not allowing reflections to occur. Polymers with scattering fillers, it is believed, have never been used as pipe wall sound attenuators in the use of an ultrasonic transit time flow measurement.
- The present invention is applicable for measuring flow rates, particularly low flow rates, with ultrasonic transit time technology. The application is specifically applied to monitoring chemical fluid injection in subsea oil wells. The invention is directed to the use of a sound absorbing tube to direct the flow. This tube attenuates sound of all acoustic paths except that through the fluid. This improvement makes possible a flow measurement at very low flow rates through very small bore pipes.
- In the accompanying drawings, the preferred embodiment of the invention and preferred methods of practicing the invention are illustrated in which:
-
FIG. 1 shows a flowmeter of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 shows an acoustic signal path. -
FIG. 3 shows a low flow meter arrangement. -
FIG. 4 shows a demonstration of transit time flow meter performance—a 4.5 mm diameter tube with 100 cSt Oil (3 Mhz Signal). - Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views, and more specifically to
FIGS. 1 and 3 thereof, there is shown aflowmeter 10 for detecting fluid flow rates in apipe 12. Theflowmeter 10 comprises a tube 14 having a channel disposed in thepipe 12 through which fluid in thepipe 12 flows. Theflowmeter 10 comprises an upstream ultrasonic transducer in contact with thepipe 12 and positioned in alignment with the channel so plane waves generated by theupstream transducer 16 propagate through the channel. Theflowmeter 10 comprises a downstream ultrasonic transducer in contact with thepipe 12 and positioned so plane waves generated by thedownstream transducer 18 propagate through the channel and are received by theupstream transducer 16 which produces anupstream transducer 16 signal. Thedownstream transducer 18 receives the plane waves from theupstream transducer 16 and provides adownstream transducer 18 signal. Theflowmeter 10 comprises acontroller 20 in communication with the upstream anddownstream transducers 18 which calculate fluid flow rate from theupstream transducer 16 signal and thedownstream transducer 18 signal. - The tube 14 may be made of a sound absorbing material so that essentially all non-fluid paths of sound are absorbed. The
upstream transducer 16 and thedownstream transducer 18 may extend through thepipe 12 wall and acoustically communicate with thepipe 12 interior. The tube 14 may form a seal with thepipe 12 essentially preventing fluid in thepipe 12 leaking around the tube 14. - The tube 14 may be made of a polymer filled with attenuative particles. The polymer may be either an epoxy, nylon, PTFE or PEEK (polyaryletheretherketone). The particles are either metal, glass microspheres, metal oxide or rubber having a size equal to or smaller than the acoustic wavelength. The tube may have a length L and a diameter opening D such that under volume flow conditions where Q>0.2 liters/hour, the tube dimensions L/D2 are greater than 1385/meters when C>1400 m/s.
- The present invention pertains to a method for detecting fluid flow rates in a
pipe 12. The method comprises the steps of flowing fluid through a channel of a tube 14 disposed in thepipe 12. There is the step of generating plane waves by anupstream transducer 16 in contact with thepipe 12 and positioned in alignment with the channel so the plane waves propagate through the channel and are received by adownstream transducer 18 which produces adownstream transducer 18 signal. There is the step of generating plane waves by thedownstream transducer 18 in contact with thepipe 12 and positioned so the plane waves propagate through the channel and are received by theupstream transducer 16 which produces anupstream transducer 16 signal. There is the step of calculating with acontroller 20 in communication with the upstream anddownstream transducers 18 fluid flow rate from theupstream transducer 16 signal and thedownstream transducer 18 signal. - The tube 14 can be made of a sound absorbing material and wherein the generating plane waves by the
upstream transducer 16 step may include the step of generating the plane waves by theupstream transducer 16 so that essentially all non-fluid paths of sound are absorbed by the tube 14, and wherein the generating plane waves by thedownstream transducer 18 step may include the step of generating the plane waves by thedownstream transducer 18 so that essentially all non-fluid paths of sound are absorbed by the tube 14. The generating plane waves by theupstream transducer 16 step may include the step of generating the plane waves by theupstream transducer 16 which extends through thepipe 12 wall and acoustically communicates with thepipe 12 interior, and wherein the generating plane waves by thedownstream transducer 18 step may include the step of generating the plane waves by thedownstream transducer 18 which extends through thepipe 12 wall and acoustically communicates with thepipe 12 interior. The tube 14 may form a seal with thepipe 12 essentially preventing fluid in thepipe 12 leaking around the tube 14. - In the operation of the invention, the current ultrasonic flow meter arrangement uses two wetted transducers at opposing ends of a tube 14 in a
pipe 12 where one is upstream from the fluid flow and other is downstream from the fluid flow, both transducers transmit and receive signals (FIG. 1 ). The difference in transit times between the upstream and downstream signal is used to calculate the flow rate. Each transducer generates plane waves into the fluid and surroundingpipe 12 wall (FIG. 2 ). The propagation of the sound wave has a profile known as the transducer beam profile. -
- L: path length
- C: speed of sound in fluid
- V: fluid velocity
- C>>V
- Δt: t2−t1 transit time difference
- Q: mass flow
- D: diameter of opening
- As the mass flow decreases so does the transit time difference between the upstream and downstream flow. By increasing the length “L” of the tube 14 and decreasing the diameter opening “D” the effective At can be increased such that Δt>0.1 ns, under low mass
- flow conditions the
flowmeter 10 has to be designed such that the tube 14 dimensions -
- can measure a Q as low as 0.2 liters/hour since C is a constant.
- For
FIG. 1 : -
- t1: upstream transit time
- t2: downstream transit time
- L: path length
- C: speed of sound in fluid
- V: fluid velocity
-
- Q=V·Area Q: Mass Flow D: diameter of opening
-
- In order to solve for the speed of sound in fluid and fluid velocity the upstream and downstream transit times need to be measured via a
controller 20. Thecontroller 20 computes the transit time differences between the upstream and downstream flow. The At is then used to calculate the fluid velocity for a givenflowmeter 10 length “L” for a calculated speed of sound “C”. Once the velocity “V” has been calculated then the Mass Flow Q can be determined since the area “A” of the fluid opening orpipe 12 is known. - For
FIG. 2 : - λ: wavelength
- Nd: focal length
-
- r: radius of the transducer
-
-
- When sound diverges at angle φ, it then propagates into
pipe 12 wall which is received by the opposing transducer as noise. - f. frequency
- Since sound travels faster in the
solid pipe 12 or tube 14 wall than in the fluid medium, the receiving transducer suffers from acoustic noise from thepipe 12/tube 14 acoustic paths. This acoustic noise arrives at a time preceding the sound that travels in the liquid since sound velocities in the solid are higher than those in the fluid. This noise is significant because it reduces the accuracy of the flow measurement and results in a poor or no measurement at low flow rates. The measure of the effect of this noise is signal to noise ratio. - In order to solve this problem, a tube 14 with acoustically attenuative properties is in inserted within the pipe 12 (
FIG. 3 ). The acoustic tube 14 has a small inner diameter and a large outer diameter. The opening in the tube 14 acts as conduit for the fluid and the fluid path for sound, while the surrounding area acts as sound absorber. After the sound travels through the conduit it begins to spread again but this has no effect on the signal to noise ratio therefore the surrounding sound absorber successfully disables thepipe 12 noise. - The tube 14 is made preferably of a polymer filled with attenuative particles, for example tungsten particles (mesh 200) with a certain volume fraction up to 50%. The polymer can be for example epoxy, nylon, PTFE or PEEK but is not limited to these materials. The choice of polymer is dependent on the pressure rating of the application and its effectiveness in working with the attenuative particles to attenuate sound. The filler can be any metal, metal oxide, or rubber with a small mesh size, the lower the volume fraction of particle filler the higher the acoustic attenuation. Once a cylinder is fabricated then it is machined such that there is an inner diameter for fluid flow. The sound absorbing tube 14 can be threaded on the OD; therefore, it screws into the
flowmeter 10. The sound absorbing tube 14 can be glued on the OD; therefore, it bonds into theflowmeter 10. The sound absorbing tube 14 can either press fit or captured by clips or retainers. - Simple ultrasonic flow measurement tests have shown an improvement in the signal to noise ratio at low flow rates. The experimental setup included 5 MHz frequency ultrasonic transducers separated a distance of 4 inches. The tube 14 used had an inner diameter of ¼″ and outer diameter of 1″. The tube 14 was made of epoxy with tungsten particle filler. For test purposes olive oil was used since it has a similar viscosity to certain injection chemicals to be applied. It is noted that the higher the viscosity of the fluid, the more important the sound absorbing properties become. Specifically, as the viscosity increases, the fluid path acoustic signal is attenuated and the signal to noise ratio decreases.
- A flow rate of 1 liter/hour was measured and the signal to noise ratio improved by 10 times using the attenuative tube 14. Flow rates as low as 0.2 Liters/hour are readily achievable. Flow rates up to 90 liters/hour may also be analyzed. The low flow meter enables a chemical injection metering valve to dispense corrosion preventing chemicals to the subsea well at a low flow rate. The low flow meter is being used for chemical injection, but it could also be used for any application requiring a measurement at low flow rates. See
FIG. 4 which shows a demonstration of transit time flow meter performance—a 4.5 mm diameter tube with 100 cSt Oil (3 MHz Signal). - During ultrasound transmission any sound which propagates at an angle after the transducer focal length is attenuated or absorbed within the sound absorber tube 14 walls. This allows a line of sight ultrasound signal to be received uninhibited from any other acoustic noise source. As a result the signal to noise ratio is greatly improved thereby enabling ultrasonic transit time flow measurements at very low flow rates that were not possible before since the SNR increased 10 times fold. This invention will be used in a low flow meter for monitoring fluid injection in subsea oil wells.
- Although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims.
Claims (11)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US15/650,242 US20170314976A1 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2017-07-14 | Flowmeter and Method |
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/653,087 US8245581B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2009-12-08 | Flowmeter and method |
US13/565,341 US8806734B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2012-08-02 | Flowmeter and method |
US14/453,373 US9389108B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2014-08-06 | Flowmeter and method |
US15/196,998 US9709427B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2016-06-29 | Flowmeter and method |
US15/650,242 US20170314976A1 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2017-07-14 | Flowmeter and Method |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US15/196,998 Continuation US9709427B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2016-06-29 | Flowmeter and method |
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US20170314976A1 true US20170314976A1 (en) | 2017-11-02 |
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US13/565,341 Active US8806734B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2012-08-02 | Flowmeter and method |
US14/453,373 Active US9389108B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2014-08-06 | Flowmeter and method |
US15/196,998 Active US9709427B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2016-06-29 | Flowmeter and method |
US15/650,242 Abandoned US20170314976A1 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2017-07-14 | Flowmeter and Method |
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US12/653,087 Active 2030-07-19 US8245581B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2009-12-08 | Flowmeter and method |
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US14/453,373 Active US9389108B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2014-08-06 | Flowmeter and method |
US15/196,998 Active US9709427B2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2016-06-29 | Flowmeter and method |
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EP (1) | EP2510317B1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR101730377B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN102667419B (en) |
BR (1) | BR112012013584B1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2783085C (en) |
DK (1) | DK2510317T3 (en) |
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EP2396273A2 (en) * | 2009-02-09 | 2011-12-21 | Warren Rogers Associates, Inc. | Method and apparatus for monitoring fluid storage and dispensing systems |
US8245581B2 (en) * | 2009-12-08 | 2012-08-21 | Cameron International Corporation | Flowmeter and method |
US8181536B2 (en) * | 2009-12-19 | 2012-05-22 | Cameron International Corporation | Ultrasonic Flow Meter including a transducer having conical face |
US8726739B2 (en) | 2011-10-26 | 2014-05-20 | General Electric Company | Torsional sensor including a high-pressure sealing mechanism and system for measurement of fluid parameters |
US9170140B2 (en) * | 2012-05-04 | 2015-10-27 | Cameron International Corporation | Ultrasonic flowmeter with internal surface coating and method |
GB201312558D0 (en) | 2013-07-12 | 2013-08-28 | Gill Res And Dev Ltd | An ultrasonic flowmeter |
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US9389108B2 (en) | 2016-07-12 |
CA2783085C (en) | 2020-06-02 |
KR20120098870A (en) | 2012-09-05 |
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CA2783085A1 (en) | 2011-06-16 |
US20110132103A1 (en) | 2011-06-09 |
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MX2012006264A (en) | 2012-06-19 |
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BR112012013584B1 (en) | 2020-06-09 |
US8245581B2 (en) | 2012-08-21 |
WO2011071633A1 (en) | 2011-06-16 |
CN102667419B (en) | 2016-03-09 |
EP2510317B1 (en) | 2020-10-21 |
US20140345390A1 (en) | 2014-11-27 |
US8806734B2 (en) | 2014-08-19 |
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