US 6,711,958 B2Granted

Coriolis mass flow rate/density/viscoy sensor with two bent measuring tubes

AssigneeEndress + Hauser Flowtec AG

InventorsEnnio Bitto, Christian Schütze, Ole Koudal

Life of this patent

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Abstract

This sensor (10) generates accurate measuring results, for example with an error in the order of 0.5% of the measuring value, hat has mimimized production costs as well as a shorter overall length compared to that of conventional sensors. The sensor has two parallel V shaped measuring tubes (1, 2) each being of one-piece construction. Each tube has a straight inlet portion (11, 21), a straight outlet portion (12, 22), an inlet bend (13, 23) connected with the inlet portion, an outlet bend (14, 24) connected with the outlet portion, a straight tube portion (15, 25) connected with the inlet bend, a straight tube portion (16, 26) connected with the outlet bend, and a vertex bend (17, 27) connected with the first and second straight tube portions. The inlet portions (11, 21) are fixed in an inlet manifold (18) and the outlet portions in an outlet manifold (19); the manifolds (18, 19) are mounted in a support frame (30) which forms part of a housing (3). An excitation arrangement (6) causes the measuring tubes (1, 2) to vibrate as a tuning fork. Interspaced sensor elements (7, 8) are fixed to the measuring tubes. Mounted in the support frame (30) is a feedthrough (37) for a printed-circuit board (96) having conducting tracks (97) to which leads (63, 64, 73, 74, 83, 84) of the excitation system (6) and of the sensor elements (7, 8) are connected.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A Coriolis mass flow rate/density/viscosity sensor designed to be installed in a pipe through which a fluid flows at least temporarily, and comprising:

a first measuring tube bent to a V shape in a first plane symmetrically with respect to a first axis of symmetry;
a second measuring tube bent to a V shape in a second plane symmetrically with respect to a second axis of symmetry,
which measuring tubes are arranged parallel to each other and are each of one-piece construction, and
each of which measuring tubes has
a straight inlet portion with an inlet axis lying in the first plane and second plane, respectively,
a straight outlet portion with an outlet axis lying in the first plane and second plane, respectively, and aligned with the inlet axis,
an inlet bend connected with the inlet portion,
an outlet bend connected with the outlet portion,
a first straight tube portion connected with the inlet bend,
a second straight tube portion connected with the outlet bend, and
a vertex bend connected with the first and second straight tube portions,
which inlet portions are fixed in an inlet manifold, which outlet portions are fixed in an outlet manifold, and
which manifolds are mounted in a support frame which forms part of a housing;
an excitation arrangement
which in operation causes the measuring tubes to vibrate as a tuning fork,
a first portion of which is fixed to the vertex bend of the first measuring tube in the area of the axis of symmetry of the first measuring tube, and
a second portion of which is fixed to the vertex bend of the second measuring tube in the area of the axis of symmetry of the second measuring tube;
a first velocity or displacement sensor,
a first portion of which is fixed to the first straight tube portion of the first measuring tube, and
a second portion of which is fixed to the first straight tube portion of the second measuring tube;
a second velocity or displacement sensor, positioned symmetrically with respect to the axes of symmetry of the measuring tubes,
a first portion of which is fixed to the second straight tube portion of the first measuring tube, and a second portion of which is fixed to the second straight tube portion of the second measuring tube;
a feedthrough mounted in the support frame opposite the vertex bends and containing several electric conductors;
and
a printed-circuit board attached to the support frame and extending between the support frame and the vertex bends and having conducting tracks
to which leads of the excitation system and of the velocity or displacement sensors are connected.

23 more elements

Coriolis mass flow sensor for measuring a fluid flowing through a pipe, said sensor comprising:

a first tube for conducting the fluid to be measured, said first tube having a single substantially V-shaped tube segment with an inlet-side straight tube portion and an outlet-side straight tube portion, said straight tube portions being in connection via a vertex bend portion of said first tube segment, said V-shaped tube segment being coupled to the pipe via an inlet-side tube segment and an outlet-side tube segment, respectively, during operation, wherein a straight portion of said inlet-side tube segment and a straight portion of said outlet-side tube segment are aligned to each other;
a second tube having a single substantially V-shaped tube segment with an inlet-side straight portion and a outlet-side straight portion, said straight portions being in connection via a vertex bend portion of said second tube segment,
wherein said first and said second tubes are coupled mechanically with each other at an inlet-side location and an outlet-side location, respectively;
an excitation arrangement coupled to said first and said second tubes for vibrating said first and said second tubes;
and
a sensor arrangement coupled to said first and said second tubes for detecting inlet-side and outlet-side vibrations of at least one of the tubes.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/832,751Filed 11 Apr 2001 · us provisional application
Priority: EP 0011009112 May 2000
Published: US 2001/0037690 A18 Nov 2001
Granted: 30 Mar 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G01F 1/8404
Coriolis or gyroscopic mass flowmeters: details of flowmeter manufacturing methods
G01F 1/8409
Coriolis or gyroscopic mass flowmeters: constructional details
G01F 1/8413
Constructional details: means for influencing the flowmeter's motional or vibrational behaviour, e.g., conduit support or fixing means, or conduit…
G01F 1/8422
Constructional details: exciters