Flow conditioner for more accurate measurement of fluid flow

A flow conditioner in a tubular pipe, of inside diameter D, to enable more accurate measurement of the rate of fluid flow in said pipe, the flow conditioner comprising:

• (a) an anti-swirl device, said device comprising a bundle of tubes of length about 0.2 *D to about 1 *D, and said tubes of diameter about 0.2 *D, the bundle sized and arranged to fit inside the pipe so that flowing fluid in the pipe flows through bores of the tubes;
• and
• (b) a profile plate comprising a disk-shaped body sized to fit within the pipe, the body comprising a plurality of through bores therethrough to enable fluid flowing in the pipe to pass through the profile plate;
• wherein the profile plate is installed a distance of at least about D upstream of a measuring device.

A unitary flow conditioner for installation in a pipe of internal diameter D to modify flow profiles of fluid flowing in said pipe, the flow conditioner comprising:

• (a) an anti-swirl device for positioning downstream from a flow disturbance in the pipe and upstream from a flow measuring device to reduce swirl to less than about 2.degree.;
• (b) a profile device for positioning in the pipe upstream from the measuring device, at a distance of at least about D, and downstream from the anti-swirl device to create a pseudo-fully developed flow profile;
• and
• (c) elongate spacer rods extending between a downstream face of the anti-swirl device and an upstream face of the profile device thereby defining a settling chamber intermediate said anti-swirl and profile devices, the length of said spacer rods being sufficient to allow decoupling of the effects produced in flowing fluid by the anti-swirl device from the profile device, when said unitary flow conditioner is installed in a pipe to modify flow profiles of fluids.