Coriolis viscometer using parallel connected Coriolis mass flowmeters
AssigneeMicro Motion, Inc.
InventorsCraig Brainerd Van Cleve, Roger Scott Loving
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pair of flowmeters having unequal flow carrying capabilities are effectively connected in parallel to receive a material flow. The material flow through the flowmeters supplies output signals to associated meter electronics which derives mass flow and other information for each meter. The meter electronics is pre-programmed with information regarding the physical characteristics of each flowmeter. The meter electronics uses the pre-programmed information and the derived material flow velocity for each meter and other information to determine the viscosity for the material in the flowmeters.
Claims23
Apparatus for determining the viscosity of flowing material;
- said apparatus comprising:
- a first Coriolis mass flowmeter having an inlet connectable to a material source and an outlet connectable to a material receiver;
- a second Coriolis mass flowmeter having an inlet connectable to said material source and an outlet connectable to said material receiver;.
- said second Coriolis mass flowmeter having a resistance to material flow different in magnitude from a resistance to material flow of said first Coriolis mass flow meter;
- means responsive to a material flow through said first and second Coriolis mass flowmeters from said material source to said material receiver for determining the density and the material flow velocity in said first Coriolis mass flowmeter as well as the density and the material flow velocity in said second Coriolis mass flowmeter;
- and
- means responsive to said determination of said density and said material flow velocity in each of said first and said second flowmeters for generating output information regarding the viscosity of said flowing material.
A method of determining the viscosity of flowing material;
- said method comprising the steps of:
- flowing material through a first Coriolis mass flowmeter having an inlet connectable to a material source and an outlet connectable to a material receiver;
- concurrently flowing material through a second Coriolis mass flowmeter having an inlet connectable to said material source and an outlet connectable to said material receiver;
- said second Coriolis mass flowmeter having a resistance to material flow different in magnitude from the resistance to material flow of said first Coriolis mass flow meter;
- determining the density and the material flow velocity in said first Coriolis flowmeter as well as the density and the material flow velocity in said second Coriolis flowmeter in response to the material flow through said first flowmeter and said second flowmeter;
- and
- generating output information regarding the viscosity of said flowing material in response to said determination of said density and said material flow velocity in said first flowmeter and said second flowmeter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.