Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
  • G01F5/00—Measuring a proportion of the volume flow
  • G01F5/005—Measuring a proportion of the volume flow by measuring pressure or differential pressure, created by the use of flow constriction
• • 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
  • G01F1/05—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 using mechanical effects
  • G01F1/34—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 using mechanical effects by measuring pressure or differential pressure
  • G01F1/36—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 using mechanical effects by measuring pressure or differential pressure the pressure or differential pressure being created by the use of flow constriction
  • G01F1/40—Details of construction of the flow constriction devices
  • G01F1/42—Orifices or nozzles
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
  • G01F7/00—Volume-flow measuring devices with two or more measuring ranges; Compound meters

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a flowmeter which is adapted to enable the total fluid flow through a conduit to be measured, this conduit being referred to hereinafter as the main conduit.
• the invention can also be applied to measure the pre ⁇ vailing rate of flow, although for the sake of sim ⁇ plicity, the flowmeter will be described herebelow with reference solely to its alternative function of measuring the total fluid flow.
• the invention is a further development of a flowmeter which utilizes a flowmeter constriction arranged or inserted in a section of the main conduit, a measuring conduit which extends parallel with the main conduit section and is connected across the constriction, wherein a subflow is caused to pass through the mea ⁇ suring conduit in response to the pressure difference across the constriction caused by the rate of flow in the main conduit section, a subflow meter connected in the measuring conduit, and an electric signal convert ⁇ er with associated correction unit constructed to convert a signal delivered by the subflow meter to a proportional signal which corresponds to the total flow through the main conduit and which is applied to a flow registering or flow presenting means-
• Flowmeters of the aforedescribed kind are known to the art and can be referred to as "by-pass flowmeters", since a determined part of the instant, total flow through the main conduit is caused to pass through the measuring conduit and the volume of this flow is determined and is proportional to the total flow through the main conduit.
• These known flowmeters include a larger or smaller fixed throttling orifice in the main conduit section, and the measuring conduit, or branch pipe, connected in parallel across the constriction includes a flowmeter which delivers a signal corresponding to the flow (or rate of flow) through the measuring conduit.
• this signal is exem ⁇ plified in the following description as one pulse per unit of volume passing through the measuring conduit.
• a measured frequency multiplied by the volume unit can then be considered proportional to the by-pass flow or the percentage of flow through the subflow meter and therewith, with a chosen constant, also proportional to the total flow through the main conduit.
• the pressure difference occurring across the throttle will increase with increasing flow through the throughflow area of the throttle and therewith drive the by-pass flow through the measuring conduit and the measuring device and through the main conduit section of the flowmeter.
• the British Patent Specification 2257/1886 discloses an arrangement which includes a by-pass meter and a variable throttle. Since this throttle is located downstream of the by-pass meter where the unmeasured main flow and the measured by-pass flow combine to form a common flow, the ratio of the main flow to the by-pass flow is not affected by the throttle.
• the throttle is obtained with the aid of a pivotally suspended flap which is constructed to maintain a constant proportionality between measured and unmea ⁇ sured water flows, irrespective of the instant posi ⁇ tional setting of the flap.
• the flap functions to urge the measuring flow through the by-pass meter, which is comprised of an impeller, ⁇ in response to the pressure exerted thereon by the main flow, which results in an unequivocal ratio between the occurrent pressure and the generated measuring flow with unchanged low flowmeter dynamics.
• flowmeters which function according to other concepts, namely flowmeters which lack a measuring conduit through which a by-pass passes.
• a restriction is used in the main conduit and flow is measured by sensing the instant pressure difference between occurrent pressures on each side of the con ⁇ striction.
• the flow detected by the meter is proportional to the square root of the pressure difference.
• Flowmeters of this category have been found to be highly accurate within a pressure difference range of 50:1, which then gives a flowmeter dynamic of only about 7:1, at a constant throughflow area formed by the constriction and obtained, for instance, by using an orifice plate, a measuring flange, a measuring nozzle, a Venturi tube or some like device.
• flowmeter dynamics can be improved when the variable throughflow area is per ⁇ mitted to increase with increasing pressure differ ⁇ ence, and vice versa. This is achieved with the aid of an axially movable and spring-biassed throttling body placed in the main conduit, for instance a flow throt- tling body of the kind illustrated and described in British Patent Specification 1,566,251. In this re ⁇ gard, it has been found that the flowmeter dynamics can be increased to an order of magnitude of 50:1.
• a still more qualified technical problem is one of realizing the significance of further developing the fundamental conditions and principles of the by-pass meter so as to enable the meter to utilize all types of flowmeters in its measuring conduit and to make corrections which not only take into consideration the measuring device but also the instant or current throughflow area. It will also be seen that a technical problem resides in realizing, among other things as a first step towards the object of providing a flowmeter which will solve the aforesaid technical problems, that the by- pass meter shall be complemented with a flow-depen ⁇ dent, variable throughflow area, in principle previ ⁇ ously known in differential pressure flowmeters.
• a technical problem is one of realizing that a second step towards the object of providing a flowmeter which solves the aforesaid technical problems is associated with the possibility of linearizing the measuring signals obtained from the subflow meter, so that subsequent being corrected as required, the signal can represent the proportionality to the total flow through the main conduit within a large flowmeter dynamic, for instance a dynamic above . 1000:1.
• a technical problem resides in the significance of utilizing the fact that in the event of a low total flow a relatively large part of this flow will pass to the measuring conduit and that in the case of a large total flow a relatively small, very small, part of this flow will pass through the measuring conduit, and therewith to realize that a large flow of medium through the main conduit will result in a much smaller increase in the by-pass flow through the measuring conduit than in the case of a fixed throughflow area, which experience shows would result in a proportional increase of the instant flow through the measuring conduit and vice versa.
• a tech ⁇ nical problem resides in the ability to realize the significance of using a compensating device, normally included in the electronic signal converter, such as to compensate the output signal from the by-pass meter in response to occurrent discrepancies in a manner to achieve precise proportionality with the instant total flow through the main conduit.
• a technical problem is one of realizing the significance of configuring the aforesaid conical body as more or less a truncated ' conical body with the cone apex pointing towards the flow direction in the main conduit, and permitting the conical body to be axially movable in relation to a fixed throttling plate as to define a given throughflow area which is related to the instant flow.
• Another technical problem is one of realizing the sig ⁇ nificance of adapting the force exerted by the spring device to a value which corresponds to a selected maximum flow through the main conduit and the main conduit section when its narrowest part is located in or adjacent to a plane of the throttle or constriction at said maximum flow.
• the present invention is intended to solve one or more of the aforesaid technical problems on the basis of a flowmeter of the kind which utilizes a constriction which is disposed in a main-conduit section and which defines a throughflow area therein, a measuring con ⁇ duit which is connected in parallel across the con ⁇ striction, wherein a by-pass flow is caused to pass through the measuring conduit by the pressure difference across the constriction caused by the flow in the main-conduit section, a measuring device connected in the measuring conduit, and an electronic signal converter which functions to convert a signal delivered by the measuring device to a signal which corresponds to the total flow through the main conduit.
• the area of the main conduit con ⁇ striction is regulated by a conical body which is disposed in the main conduit such as to produce an in ⁇ creasing throughflow area in response to an increasing pressure difference across the constriction or an increasing flow through the throughflow area, or vice versa.
• a conical body which is move- able in a fixed constriction necessarily implies the use of a complex compensating device, normally inte ⁇ grated with the electronic signal converter, so adapt ⁇ ed as to be capable of fully compensating a signal obtained from the by-pass flowmeter in response to occurrent, instant discrepancies, to proportionality to the total flow through the main conduit.
• the conical body shall have a truncated r or at least essentially truncated, conical configuration, with the cone apex pointing towards the flow direction in the main-conduit section, and that the conical body is mounted for movement in relation to a fixed constric ⁇ tion.
• a spring device is provided for urging the conical body in a direction towards the fixed constriction in an adapting fashion, by adapting the force exerted by the spring device in accordance with selected minimum and maximum flows through the main conduit.
• the aforesaid electronic signal converter is constructed to assign, through calibration, to each selected by-pass flow measured in the flowmeter a value which corresponds to the pre ⁇ vailing or instant total flow while taking the posi- tional setting of the conical body into account.
• the advantages primarily afforded by the inventive flowmeter reside in the creation of conditions which enable the dynamic of a flowmeter which operates in accordance with the principles of measuring instant flow in a measuring conduit connected in parallel with a constriction in a main-conduit section to be greatly increased, while still providing a flowmeter whose output signal is linear to the total flow through the main conduit, due to a particular compensation facili ⁇ ty afforded by an associated electronic signal con- verter.
• Figure 1 illustrates the principles of a flowmeter which includes a section of a main conduit and which also includes a fixed constriction and a measuring conduit which is connected in parallel across the con ⁇ striction and in which a by-pass flow is evaluated, wherein the present invention constitutes a further development of the illustrated arrangement;
• Figure 2A illustrates a flowmeter constructed in accordance with the principle of determining occurrent pressure differences on each side of a fixed constric ⁇ tion in the main conduit;
• Figure 2B illustrates the principles according to Figure 2A when the constriction used has a variable throughflow area, said throughflow area increasing with larger flows through the main conduit, and vice versa;
• Figure 3 illustrates schematically an inventive flow ⁇ meter which operates in a manner similar to the flow ⁇ meter shown in Figure 1 but which, among other things, has been complemented with the features shown in
• Figure 4 is a diagram which shows a number of curves representing pressure difference variation in the ab ⁇ sence of compensation in relation to the total flow for the flowmeters illustrated in Figures 1, 2A and 2B;
• Figure 5 is a diagram which includes curves showing the variation in the by-pass flow in the absence of compensation and with compensation, in relation to the total flow;
• Figure 6 is a diagram showing the volume representa ⁇ tion of the by-pass meter in accordance with known techniques and in accordance with the invention in relation to the total flow;
• Figure 7 is a diagram showing signal frequency varia ⁇ tion in accordance with known techniques and in accordance with the present invention in relation to the total flow. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS AT PRESENT PREFERRED
• Figure 1 illustrates schematically a flowmeter 1 which includes a section 2a of a main conduit 2.
• the conduit section 2a has mounted therein a fixed constriction 3 and a measuring conduit or by-pass conduit 4 is connected in parallel across the constriction.
• a pres ⁇ sure difference created across the constriction 3 as a result of the rate of flow of the medium in the main-conduit section 2a causes a by-pass flow dQ to pass through the measuring conduit 4.
• the measuring conduit 4 includes a measuring device 5 to which there is connected an electronic signal converter 6 which functions to convert the outward signal of the device 5 to a signal which corresponds to the total flow Q passing through the main conduit 2.
• an electronic signal converter 6 which functions to convert the outward signal of the device 5 to a signal which corresponds to the total flow Q passing through the main conduit 2.
• the by-pass flow and main flow and the signals are essentially proportional.
• the flowmeter 1 thus comprises a section 2a of a main conduit 2, a fixed constriction 3 which is mounted in the conduit section 2a and which defines a throughflow area 3a, a measuring conduit 4 which is connected in parallel across the constriction 3, a measuring device 5 which is connected to the measuring conduit and which can be said to deliver a signal which is representative of a quantified by-pass flow-section, and an electronic signal converter 6 which functions to deliver on a line 6a a signal which is proportional to the flow through the main conduit 2.
• this signal is shown as an electric pulse representing a quantified by-pass flow- section through the measuring conduit.
• the invention is based on the assumption that the flowmeter will function faultlessly when the measuring device 5 is comprised of earlier known means, such as a fluidistor oscillator 5a, a rotatable impeller, an inductive meter or similar means. Since these devices are known to the art they will not be described in great detail here.
• the device 5 includes a means (5a) which is able to determine the instant or occur ⁇ rent by-pass flow dQ, by generating a pulse, for instance an electric pulse, for each determined, quantified flow part which passes through the measuring conduit and a corresponding, instant total flow Q through the main conduit 2 is calculated in dependence on an evaluated pulse frequency from an electronic signal converter and by proportionalization and possibly by a minor correction.
• the total mea- - suring ratio (Qmax-Qmin) for the flow Q through the main conduit will be the same as the total measuring ratio applicable to the measuring device used.
• the flow dynamic (Qmax-Qmin) with this known technique is 50:1-100:1.
• this ratio is a general ratio, irrespective of whether the means 5a is a mechanical meter (impeller) or a fluidistor oscillator meter.
• FIG. 2A illustrates, in a similar manner, a flowme ⁇ ter which operates in accordance with other principles and conditions than those described with reference to Figure 1.
• the pressure PI occurring upstream of the constriction 3/ propagates through a narrow channel 5a' to a pres ⁇ sure difference meter 5', whereas the pressure P2 occurring downstream of the constriction 3' propagates through a narrow channel 5b' to the pressure differ- ence meter 5', on each side of a membrane which moves in response to the pressure difference.
• the membrane coacts with a signal emitter 5c' in a known manner.
• the illustrated flowmeter 1' includes a known pressure difference meter 5' which is connected to an electron ⁇ ic signal converter 6'.
• the electronic signal convert ⁇ er 6' is constructed to transpose the obtained signal in accordance with a quadratic function and in this way to deliver on the line 6a' a signal which is proportional to and which corresponds to the total flow Q'.
• the achieved flowmeter dynamic will only be about 7:1.
• Figure 3 illustrates an inventive flowmeter embodiment which includes the components illustrated in Figure 1.
• the significant feature of the Figure 3 embodiment is that the measuring conduit 4 incorporates a small flowmeter 5 which is principally of the same kind as that illustrated in Figure 1.
• the necessary constriction is comprised 5 of an.orifice plate 3 and a conical body 11 which are mounted in the main-conduit section 2a, such that the widest part 11a of the conical body will seal against the inner edge surface 3a' of the plate 3 in the absence of flow, such as to present a small or zero 0 throughflow area 3a.
• the conical body 11 will be pressed to the right so as to increase the through- 5 flow area (defined by the edge 3a' and the periphery of the conical body) and that when the flow Q decreas ⁇ es, the conical body 11 will be pressed to the left by means of a spring 12, so as to decrease the through- flow area 3a.
• the throughflow area 3a When the flow Q through the main conduit 2 is large, the throughflow area 3a will also be large and a p smaller part dQ of the total flow Q will pass through the measuring conduit 4.
• the conical body 11 is thus intended to increase the throughflow area in the main conduit in response to an increasing flow, which results in only a slight in ⁇ crease in the pressure difference in the measuring conduit 4, since the conical body 11 is moved to the right in Figure 3 and the spring 12 is compressed. This means that the proportional ratio illustrated in Figure 1 between the subflow dQ in the measuring conduit 4 and the flow Q through the main conduit 2 no longer exists.
• the proportional relationship between subflow dQ and total flow Q obtained with a fixed constriction will be changed such that in the case of a large flow the subflow dQ will not increase so radically but will be small through the measuring conduit 4 in relation to the instant main flow Q through the main conduit section 2a.
• the illustrated conical body 11 has a truncated coni ⁇ cal configuration, with the cone apex pointing in a direction towards the direction of flow through the main conduit 2, and is axially movable in the main- conduit section 2a in relation to the fixed constric ⁇ tion 3 and is positioned centrally in the conduit section 2a.
• a spring device 12 is active in pressing the aforesaid conical body 11 towards the constriction 3, with the force exerted by said spring means 12 being adapted to a chosen minimum and maximum flow through the main conduit 2.
• the minimum flow is that flow from which the flowmeter functions, and minimum flow conditions the conical body 11 will normally be located in a position in which its peripheral surface defines a small through- flow area 3a with the edge surface 3a' of the fixed constriction 3.
• the conical body 11 At maximum flow, the conical body 11 will be located in a position to the right of the constriction in which it defines a large throughflow area 3a.
• the electronic signal converter 6" is also constructed so that it can assign, via calibration, to each evalu ⁇ ated by-pass flow dQ passing through the measuring conduit 4 a value which corresponds to the instant total flow Q (while taking into account the influence of the conical body 11 in its current positional setting) .
• the curves are chosen so that Qmax represents a maxi ⁇ mized and same pressure drop dP across the flowmeter 5, 5'.
• Curve A is meant to illustrate the proportional rela ⁇ tionship of the pressure drop with the total flow in the case of a flowmeter according to Figure 1.
• the curve B is intended to illustrate the quadratic relationship of the pressure drop with the volume flow in the case of a subflow meter according to Figure 2A having a fixed constriction 3 r .
• Curve C is intended to illustrate the relationship that occurs with a variable throughflow area, in accordance with Figure 2B. In practice, an accurate correction is required in this case in order for the signal to be proportional to the instant total flow.
• FIG. 5 illustrates a curve D which is representative of the invention.
• Curve D is intended to illustrate the relationship of the by-pass volume to the total flow volume when using an inventive measuring device, in which the flowmeter dynamic can be as large as 2500:1.
• Figure 5 is intended to illustrate that the output signal obtained from the subflow meter 5 and which is not corrected can be considered to follow the curve D, and that it is therefore necessary to introduce a cor ⁇ rection towards the straight line represented by curve D' in order to achieve proportionality between the obtained output signal and the instant total flow.
• the flowmeter dynamic can at least be assumed to exceed 1000:1, and a value of about 1500:1 is thought to be appropriate. It is also believed to be most appropriate to choose the flowmeter dynamic range within the limits of 1000:1-2000:1.
• the flowmeter dynamic may be increased to lie within the upper range, by using a flowmeter 5 which has an extremely small internal pressure drop, such as an inductive flow transducer.
• FIG. 6 illustrates that in the case of a by-pass meter of the kind illus ⁇ trated in Figure 1, in which there is precise propor- tionality between the flow passing through the measur ⁇ ing conduit and the flow passing through the main conduit, the small by-pass flow or the quantified subflow parts (liter/pulse "l/p") measured in the measuring conduit 4 is constant, irrespective of the instant total flow through the main conduit 2.
• the output pulses of the flowmeter 5 therewith have a frequency f which varies linearly with changes in the instant volume flow through the main conduit.
• a measured flow through the measuring conduit 4 within the region of Qmin represents a small total flow Q.
• the ratio can then be set at 1:1. Depending, among other things, on the configura ion of the conical body, the ratio will increase in accor ⁇ dance with the line 21 with increasing flows Q, such, that the flow measured in the measuring conduit 4 will represent a successively greater total flow Q through the main conduit 2.
• the inventive flowmeter When comparing with the earlier known construction shown in Figure 1, it can be said in summary that with a given total flow Q' through the main conduit 2, the inventive flowmeter will provide, through correction, a value Q" which is calculated from a quantified by ⁇ pass flow part and which is smaller or greater than that obtained with earlier known constructions and from a frequency which is greater or smaller than that obtained with earlier known constructions.
• the configuration of the illustrated conical body is such as to provide a given relationship between its axial movement and the increase in throughflow area, and that this configura- tion is inexpensive in manufacture.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Measuring Volume Flow (AREA)

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• 1991
  • 1991-12-17 SE SE9103735A patent/SE500754C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1992
  • 1992-12-11 WO PCT/SE1992/000856 patent/WO1993012406A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1992-12-11 EP EP93900482A patent/EP0649515B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1992-12-11 CA CA002125976A patent/CA2125976A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1992-12-11 CZ CZ941496A patent/CZ283572B6/cs not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1992-12-11 DE DE69224849T patent/DE69224849T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1992-12-11 US US08/256,006 patent/US5554805A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1992-12-11 HU HU9401795A patent/HU217054B/hu not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1992-12-11 RU RU94030379A patent/RU2126527C1/ru active

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