Densitometer with tension measuring device for increased accuracy

A non-transitory machine-readable medium having program code for estimating fluid density of a fluid, the program code comprising program code to:

• control a vibration source to induce a vibration in a tube of a densitometer;
• receive an indication of vibration detected by a vibration detector attached to the tube at a different location than the vibration source;
• calculate an estimate ρf of a fluid density of a fluid in the tube, wherein the program code to calculate the fluid density estimate comprises program code to,
• input the vibration indication, a plurality of measurements received from a one or more sensors attached to the densitometer and a plurality of tension measurements received from one or more tension measuring devices attached to the densitometer into a calibrated fluid density model;
• and
• generate, from the calibrated fluid density model, the estimate ρf of the fluid density of the fluid in the tube,
• wherein an inner tube section of the tube is held within a clamp that extends along the inner tube section of the tube for a length L of the tube,
• wherein the vibration source and the vibration detector are attached to the inner tube section of the tube, and
• wherein the tube extends beyond each of the ends of the clamp along a longitudinal axis of the tube to form sections of the tube outside of the clamp, and wherein at least one of the one or more tension measuring devices are attached to the tube in the sections of the tube outside of the clamp.

An apparatus comprising:

• a tube that receives a sample fluid;
• a clamp encompassing the tube;
• a vibration source attached to the tube;
• a vibration detector attached to the tube;
• one or more sensors attached to the apparatus;
• one or more tension measuring devices attached to the tube,
• wherein an inner tube section of the tube is held within a clamp that extends along the inner tube section of the tube for a length L of the tube,
• wherein the vibration source and the vibration detector are attached to the inner tube section of the tube, and
• wherein the tube extends beyond each of the ends of the clamp along a longitudinal axis of the tube to form sections of the tube outside of the clamp, and wherein at least one of the one or more tension measuring devices are attached to the tube in the sections of the tube outside of the clamp;
• and
• a computing device coupled to control the vibration source to induce a vibration in the tube and coupled to the vibration detector to receive an indication of the vibration in the tube detected by the vibration detector, the computing device programmed to determine an estimate ρf of a fluid density of the sample fluid in the tube based, at least in part, on a plurality of tension measurements received from the one or more tension measuring devices, and a plurality of measurements received from the one or more sensors attached to the apparatus.