System to measure density, specific gravity, and flow rate of fluids, meter, and related methods

A system for measuring fluid flow characteristics in a pipeline, the system comprising:

• a pipeline including a first fluid passageway having a longitudinal axis to transport fluid therethrough;
• a process density meter having at least portions thereof positioned within the first fluid passageway of the pipeline and including:
• a vortex-shedding body positioned within the first fluid passageway of the pipeline and having:
• an upstream surface positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof,
• a plurality of downstream surfaces,
• a plurality of total pressure inlet ports positioned in the upstream surface, and
• a plurality of static pressure inlet ports positioned in at least one of the downstream surfaces;
• a vortex meter positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body including:
• a memory having pipeline volume data stored therein,
• a vortex frequency sensor positioned to sense the frequency of vortices shed by the vortex-shedding body to thereby produce a fluid flow rate signal responsive to the frequency of vortices shed by the vortex-shedding body, and
• a volumetric flow rate calculator positioned to receive the pipeline volume data stored in the memory and the flow rate signal from the vortex frequency sensor to calculate a volumetric flow rate signal indicative of volumetric flow rate of fluid when flowing through the pipeline;
• a total pressure manifold positioned in the vortex-shedding body and adjacent the upstream surface and having a plurality of total pressure inlet channels coaxially aligned with the plurality of total pressure inlet ports in the upstream surface and a total pressure outlet channel in fluid communication with the plurality of total pressure inlet channels so that a first portion of fluid when flowing through the pipeline passes into and through each of the total pressure inlet ports and out of the total pressure outlet channel;
• a static pressure manifold positioned in the vortex-shedding body and adjacent at least one of the downstream surfaces and having a plurality of static pressure inlet channels aligned with the plurality of static pressure inlet ports in the at least one of the downstream surfaces and a static pressure outlet channel so that a second portion of fluid when flowing through the pipeline passes into and through each of the static pressure inlet ports and out of the static pressure outlet channel;
• a differential pressure meter positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body and including a total pressure inlet positioned to receive fluid flowing through the total pressure outlet channel, a static pressure inlet positioned to receive fluid flowing through the static pressure outlet channel, and a differential pressure converter positioned to receive fluid pressure from the total pressure inlet and the static pressure inlet and to produce a differential pressure meter flow rate signal proportional to density of fluid when flowing through the pipeline;
• and
• a fluid characteristic determiner positioned in communication with the vortex meter, the differential pressure meter and the thermal flow meter, to process sensed signals therefrom, the fluid characteristic determiner including a first fluid density calculator responsive to the volumetric flow rate signal received from the vortex meter and the differential pressure meter flow rate signal received from the differential pressure meter and positioned to calculate a first density signal indicative of flowing fluid density and a fluid mass flow rate calculator to calculate a first mass flow rate signal indicative of flowing fluid mass flow rate.

A process density meter for measuring fluid flow characteristics in a pipeline including a first fluid passageway having a longitudinal axis to transport fluid therethrough, and having at least portions thereof positioned within the first fluid passageway of the pipeline, the process density meter comprising:

• a vortex-shedding body positioned within the first fluid passageway of the pipeline and having:
• an upstream surface positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof,
• at least one downstream surface,
• a plurality of total pressure inlet ports positioned in the upstream surface, and
• a plurality of static pressure inlet ports positioned in the at least one downstream surface;
• a vortex meter positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body including:
• a memory having pipeline volume data stored therein,
• a vortex frequency sensor positioned to sense the frequency of vortices shed by the vortex-shedding body to thereby produce a fluid flow rate signal responsive to the frequency of vortices shed by the vortex-shedding body, and
• a volumetric flow rate calculator positioned to receive the pipeline volume data stored in the memory and flow rate signal from the vortex frequency sensor to calculate a volumetric flow rate signal indicative of volumetric flow rate of fluid when flowing through the pipeline;
• a total pressure manifold positioned in the vortex-shedding body and adjacent the upstream surface and having a plurality of total pressure inlet channels coaxially aligned with the plurality of total pressure inlet ports in the upstream surface and a total pressure outlet channel in fluid communication with the plurality of total pressure inlet channels so that a first portion of fluid when flowing through the pipeline passes into and through each of the total pressure inlet ports and out of the total pressure outlet channel;
• a static pressure manifold positioned in the vortex-shedding body and adjacent the at least one downstream surface and having a plurality of static pressure inlet channels aligned with the plurality of static pressure inlet ports in the at least one downstream surface and a static pressure outlet channel so that a second portion of fluid when flowing through the pipeline passes into and through each of the static pressure inlet ports and out of the static pressure outlet channel;
• a differential pressure meter positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body and including a total pressure inlet positioned to receive fluid flowing through the total pressure outlet channel, a static pressure inlet positioned to receive fluid flowing through the static pressure outlet channel, and a differential pressure converter positioned to receive fluid pressure from the total pressure inlet and the static pressure inlet and to produce a differential pressure meter flow rate signal proportional to density of fluid when flowing through the pipeline;
• and
• a fluid characteristic determiner positioned in communication with the vortex meter and the differential pressure meter to process sensed signals therefrom, the fluid characteristic determiner including a first fluid density calculator responsive to the volumetric flow rate signal received from the vortex meter and the differential pressure meter flow rate signal received from the differential pressure meter and positioned to calculate a first density signal indicative of flowing fluid density, and fluid mass flow rate calculator responsive to the volumetric flow rate signal received from the vortex meter and the differential pressure meter flow rate signal received from the differential pressure meter and positioned to calculate a first mass flow rate signal indicative of flowing fluid mass flow rate.

A process density meter for measuring fluid flow characteristics in a pipeline including a first fluid passageway having a longitudinal axis to transport fluid therethrough, and having at least portions thereof positioned within the first fluid passageway of the pipeline, the process density meter comprising:

• a vortex-shedding body positioned within the first fluid passageway of the pipeline and having:
• an upstream surface positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof, and
• a plurality of downstream surfaces;
• a vortex meter positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body including:
• a memory having pipeline volume data stored therein,
• a vortex frequency sensor positioned to sense the frequency of vortices shed by the vortex-shedding body to thereby produce a fluid flow rate signal responsive to the frequency of vortices shed by the vortex-shedding body, and
• a volumetric flow rate calculator positioned to receive the pipeline volume data stored in the memory and the flow rate signal from the vortex frequency sensor to calculate a volumetric flow rate signal indicative of volumetric flow rate of fluid when flowing through the pipeline;
• a thermal flow meter positioned to produce a mass flow rate signal indicative of a mass flow rate of fluid when flowing through the first fluid passageway of the pipeline and including:
• a plurality of thermal sensors positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body to provide thermal energy and to sense temperature of a portion of fluid when flowing through the first fluid passageway of the pipeline, and
• a thermal flow meter mass flow signal calculator responsive to the plurality of thermal sensors and positioned to produce the mass flow rate signal;
• and
• a fluid characteristic determiner positioned in communication with the vortex meter and the thermal flow meter to process sensed signals therefrom, the fluid characteristic determiner including a first fluid density calculator responsive to the volumetric flow rate signal received from the vortex meter and the mass flow rate signal received from the thermal flow meter, and positioned to calculate a density signal indicative of flowing fluid density.

A method for measuring flowing fluid characteristics in a pipeline using a process density meter having at least portions thereof positioned within a fluid passageway of the pipeline, the method comprising the steps of:

• measuring a vortex frequency shedding rate of a vortex shedding body with a vortex meter to determine both a fluid flow rate and volumetric flow rate;
• measuring differential pressure formed between the upstream and downstream of the vortex-shedding body with a differential pressure meter to determine a density and specific gravity dependent fluid flow rate;
• determining the specific gravity of the flowing fluid from the volumetric flow rate and the differential pressure meter flow rate;
• determining density from the specific gravity determined from the volumetric flow rate and the differential pressure meter flow rate;
• and
• displaying density and volumetric flow rate to a user thereof on a fluid characteristic display positioned to receive density and volumetric flow rate.

A method for measuring flowing fluid characteristics in a pipeline using a process density meter having at least portions thereof positioned within a fluid passageway of the pipeline, the method including the steps of:

• measuring a vortex frequency shedding rate with a vortex meter to determine both a fluid flow rate and volumetric flow rate;
• measuring mass flow rate using a mass flow rate meter;
• determining density from the mass flow rate meter and volumetric flow rate from the vortex meter;
• and
• displaying density, mass flow rate and volumetric flow rate to a user thereof on a fluid characteristic display positioned to receive density, volumetric flow rate, and mass flow rate.

A system for measuring fluid flow characteristics in a pipeline, the system comprising:

• a pipeline including a first fluid passageway having a longitudinal axis to transport fluid therethrough;
• a process density meter having at least portions thereof positioned within the first fluid passageway of the pipeline and including:
• a vortex-shedding body positioned within the first fluid passageway of the pipeline and having:
• an upstream surface positioned transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof
• a plurality of downstream surfaces,
• a thermal sensor inlet port also positioned in the upstream surface,
• a thermal sensor outlet port also positioned in at least one of the downstream surfaces, and
• a second fluid passageway extending between the thermal sensor inlet port and the thermal sensor outlet port and positioned so that fluid flowing through the pipeline passes therethrough;
• a vortex meter positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body including:
• a memory having pipeline volume data stored therein,
• a vortex frequency sensor positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body to sense the frequency of vortices shed by the vortex-shedding body to thereby produce a fluid flow rate signal responsive to the frequency of vortices shed by the vortex-shedding body, and
• a volumetric flow rate calculator positioned to receive the pipeline volume data stored in the memory and the flow rate signal from the vortex frequency sensor to calculate a volumetric flow rate signal indicative of volumetric flow rate of fluid when flowing through the pipeline;
• a thermal flow meter positioned to produce a mass flow rate signal indicative of a mass flow rate of fluid when flowing through the pipeline and including:
• a thermal flow probe positioned within the second fluid passageway extending between the thermal sensor inlet port and thermal sensor outlet port in the vortex-shedding body to house a plurality of thermal sensors, the plurality of thermal sensors positioned to provide thermal energy and to sense temperature of a portion of fluid when flowing through the pipeline, and
• a thermal flow meter mass flow signal calculator positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body and responsive to the plurality of thermal sensors to calculate the mass flow rate signal;
• and
• a fluid characteristic determiner positioned in communication with the vortex meter and the thermal flow meter to process sensed signals therefrom, the fluid characteristic determiner including a fluid density calculator responsive to the volumetric flow rate signal received from the vortex meter and the mass flow rate signal received from the thermal flow meter, and positioned to calculate a density signal indicative of flowing fluid density.