Smooth Bore, Chordal Transit-Time Ultrasonic Meter and Method
AssigneeCameron International Corporation
InventorsDonald R. Augenstein, Matthew Mihalcin, Herbert Estrada
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flow element for an ultrasonic flowmeter having a plurality of transducers for analyzing fluid flow in a pipe. The flow element includes a housing having a bore with an internal diameter and a surface through which fluid flows and a plurality of cavities each of which has an opening in the surface. Each of the cavities has one of the plurality of transducers disposed in it. The flow element includes a liner that covers the openings of the cavities which prevents fluid flowing through the bore from entering the cavities.
Claims4
An apparatus for determining fluid flow in a pipe comprising:
- a transit time chordal ultrasonic meter that eliminates dependence of meter factor on Reynolds number for measuring the flow through the pipe, the meter having a smooth bore through which the fluid flows so there is no disturbance to the fluid flow by the bore and a plurality of cavities with transducers disposed in the cavities which produce ultrasonic pulses that pass through the fluid and define multiple chords, the fluid velocity measured by clocking the pulses' time traveling diagonally upstream and downstream between pairs of the transducers, the transducers in the cavities isolated from the fluid flow in the bore by each cavity of the cavities having a liner which separates each cavity from the bore.
A method for determining fluid flow in a pipe comprising the steps of:
- transit time chordal ultrasonic meter that eliminates dependence of meter factor on Reynolds number for measuring the flow through the pipe, the meter having a smooth bore through which the fluid flows so there is no disturbance to the fluid flow by the bore and a plurality of cavities with transducers disposed in the cavities, which produce, with a transit time chordal ultrasonic meter that eliminates dependence of meter factor on Reynolds number for measuring the flow through the pipe ultrasonic pulses that pass through the fluid and define multiple chords, the meter having a plurality of cavities with transducers disposed in the cavities, the transducers in the cavities isolated from the fluid flow in the bore by each cavity of the cavities having a liner which separates each cavity from the bore;
- and
- measuring the fluid velocity by clocking the pulses' time traveling diagonally upstream and downstream between pairs of the transducers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.