# US 12,000,722 B2 · Coriolis meter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,000,722 B2 - Document ID: US12000722B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/806,492 - Filed: 2022-06-12 - Published: 2022-09-29 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-24 - Assignees: Corvera, LLC - Applicants: Daniel Gysling - Inventors: Daniel Gysling - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000722B2 ## CPC - G01F 1/74: Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid - G01F 1/8477: {with multiple measuring conduits} - G01F 1/8422: {exciters} - G01F 1/8431: {electronic circuits} - G01F 1/8436: {signal processing} - G01F 1/849: {having straight measuring conduits} - G01F 25/10: of flowmeters - G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME ## Abstract In accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for determining parameters for, and application of, models that correct for the effects of fluid inhomogeneity and compressibility on the ability of Coriolis meters to accurately measure the mass flow and/or density of a process fluid on a continuous basis is disclosed. Example embodiments mitigate the effect of multiphase fluid conditions on a Coriolis meter. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A Coriolis flowmeter comprising: at least one flow tube configured to convey a process-fluid there through; a drive system configured to vibrate the at least one flow tube at a first natural frequency and a second natural frequency; electronics configured to determine a first measured process fluid density using the first natural frequency and a second measured process fluid density using the second natural frequency; a plurality of sensors positioned proximate the at least one flow tube configured to measure a speed of sound of the process fluid; an error model configured to use the speed of sound and the first measured process fluid density and the second measured process fluid density to quantify at least one effect of decoupling on the first measured process fluid density and to quantify at least one effect of decoupling on the second measured process fluid density; the electronics configured to determine a corrected density of the process fluid in real time; and a reporting device to report the corrected density of the process fluid. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein the electronics are further configured to determine a liquid phase density from the corrected process fluid density. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 2 wherein the electronics are further configured to: determine a measured mass flow of the process fluid from at least one of the first natural frequency and the second natural frequency; determine a mass flow error using at least one of the at least one effect of decoupling on the first measured process fluid density and the at least one effect of decoupling on the second measured process fluid density; determine a corrected mass flow of the process fluid using the mass flow error and the measured mass flow of the process fluid; and the reporting device further configured to report the corrected mass flow of the process fluid. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 3 wherein the at least one effect of decoupling on the first measured process fluid density and the at least one effect of decoupling on the second measured process fluid density comprises a mass decoupling parameter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 4 wherein said array of sensors responsive to pressure variations are strain-based sensors. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein the electronics are further configured to determine a gas void fraction of the process fluid using the speed of sound of the process fluid. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein the at least one effect of decoupling on the first measured process fluid density and the at least one effect of decoupling on the second measured process fluid density comprises a density decoupling parameter. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein the system for measuring the sound speed of said process-fluid further comprises: at least one strain based sensor engaged with at least one conduit; and said at least one strain based sensor is electronically coupled with a central processor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein the system for measuring the vibration characteristics of said at least one conduit further comprises: at least one pick-off coil responsive to the vibration at least one conduit; and said at least one pick-off coil is electronically coupled with a central processor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein a central processor interprets said sound speed and vibrational characteristics of said at least one conduit vibrating at, at least two vibration frequencies, to provide a measurement of the process-fluid density. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein a central processor interprets said sound speed and vibrational characteristics of said at least one conduit vibrating at, at least two vibration frequencies, to provide a measurement of the process-fluid mass flow. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein said system that measures process-fluid sound speed is an array of sensors responsive the pressure variations within the process-fluid deployed on a conduit other than said at least one conduit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein said system that measures process-fluid sound speed determines a measure of gas void fraction of the process-fluid; and said system determines a reduced vibration frequency of more than one of the vibration frequencies of said at least one conduit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The Coriolis flowmeter of claim 1 wherein said system that measures process-fluid sound speed determines a more than one reduced frequency of vibration of said at least one conduit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A method for optimizing a process parameter of the Coriolis meter of claim 1 comprising: vibrating said at least one conduit at two or more frequencies; and said two or more frequencies being low or known reduced frequencies; and providing homogeneous flows through said at least one conduit; and measuring said process parameter at said two or more frequencies; and calibrating said Coriolis meter to operate on the effects of process-fluid variability; and measuring a process fluid sound speed; and calibrating said measurement of a process parameter interpreted by said sound speed, wherein an optimized process parameter is determined. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein: said process parameter is the density of said process-fluid. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein: said process parameter is the mass flow of said homogeneous flow. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein: the effects of process-fluid variability is fluid inhomogeneity and/or changes in fluid compressibility. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 wherein calibrating said Coriolis meter to measure the effects of process-fluid variability further comprises the steps of: correcting measured process parameters; and minimizing the difference between corrected process parameters. ### Claim 20 A flow metering system comprising: a process-fluid in one or more conduits; actuator(s) for vibrating said one or more conduits; a sensor engaged with said one or more conduits for determining a process-fluid gas void fraction and a reduced frequency; a model for interpreting process-fluid mass flow rate and/or density by the vibrational characteristics of said one or more conduits; a calibration of said vibrational characteristics that is applicable for homogeneous flows at a known or sufficiently low reduced frequency; a model to correct interpreted process-fluid mass flow rate and/or density based on said calibration, applicable for homogeneous flows at a known or sufficiently low reduced frequency; and wherein a plurality of correction terms for a plurality of effects of decoupling are determined substantially as a function of the process-fluid gas void fraction and the plurality of correction terms for a plurality of effects of compressibility are determined substantially as a function of the reduced frequency. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The system of claim 20, wherein said sensor is an array of strain-based sensors.