US 5,992,230 A · Dual rotor flow meter

Abstract

A positive displacement flow meter includes a pair of smooth oval shaped rotors mounted to a pair of spaced apart rotatable shafts contained within a sealed housing. The rotatable shafts penetrate the measuring chamber and have a pair of toothed, oval shaped timing gears located in a separate gear cavity chamber which are responsible for synchronizing and maintaining the relative orientation of the smooth faced rotors with respect to one another. The fluid that is being metered forms seals between the rotating surfaces of the rotors, as well as between the rotors and the wall of rotor chamber, thus the inlet and outlet plenums are physically isolated and are consequently not in direct communication at any point during the rotation cycle of the rotors. Thus, each rotation of the rotors results in the transport of a precise and known volume of fluid from the inlet plenum to the outlet plenum. A magnetic sensing/counting system, which includes an magnetic actuator attached to one of the rotor shafts and a magnetic sensor mounted to the flow meter housing, monitors the rotation rate of the rotors and hence the flow rate of the fluid passing through the meter.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A dual rotor flow meter for measuring the flow rate of a liquid passing through the flow meter, comprising:

a) a housing having an internal chamber;
b) an inlet and an outlet formed in the housing for permitting liquid to flow into, through and out the internal chamber;
c) a pair of rotors rotatively mounted within the internal chamber and operative to be rotated by the liquid passing through the internal chamber;
d) the rotors having a general oval shaped cross-section and including smooth non-intermeshing spaced apart outer surfaces;
e) a pair of generally oval shaped intermeshing timing gears coupled to the rotors;
f) the timing gears disposed externally of the internal chamber and separated from the liquid passing through the internal chamber by a separation wall that extends between the rotors and the timing gear;
and
g) a flow sensor mechanism for determining the rotational rate of at least one rotor which is proportional to the flow rate of liquid passing through the internal chamber.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Dual rotor flow meter

Life of this patent

Dual rotor flow meter

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29