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US 2017/0248458 A1Published application
Flow sensor
AssigneeMueller International, LLC
InventorsShabbir Yusuf, Werner Guenther Richarz, Daryl Lee Gibson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flow sensor for a pipe includes a housing defining an interior chamber; a mounting adapter that is circumferentially coupled to an open proximal end of the housing; and a piezoelectric cable that at least partially extends within the interior chamber of the housing. The piezoelectric cable includes a piezoelectric material.
Claims23
A flow sensor for a pipe, comprising:
- a housing defining an interior chamber;
- a mounting adapter circumferentially coupled to an open proximal end of the housing;
- and
- a piezoelectric cable comprising:
- an inner conductive layer,
- a piezoelectric material layer at least partially circumferentially surrounding and contacting the inner conductive layer, and
- an outer conductive layer at least partially circumferentially surrounding and contacting the piezoelectric material layer, a distal portion of the piezoelectric cable extending within the interior chamber of the housing.
4 more elements
A method for detecting fluid flow in a pipe system, the method comprising:
- tapping a sensor hole from an exterior surface of a pipe element of the pipe system to an interior surface of the pipe element;
- inserting a flow sensor into the sensor hole, the flow sensor comprising:
- i) a housing defining an interior chamber and ii) a piezoelectric cable comprising an inner conductive layer, a piezoelectric material layer at least partially circumferentially surrounding and contacting the inner conductive layer, and an outer conductive layer at least partially circumferentially surrounding and contacting the piezoelectric material layer, a distal portion of the piezoelectric cable extending within the interior chamber of the housing;
- positioning a portion of the housing of the flow sensor across a flow path of a fluid within the pipe system;
- vibrating the flow sensor with fluid flow within the pipe system;
- and
- measuring an output from the piezoelectric cable of the flow sensor, the output comprising a charge or a voltage.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.