Apparatus and method of measuring gas volume fraction of a fluid flowing within a pipe
AssigneeCiDRA Corporation
InventorsDaniel L. Gysling, Douglas H. Loose
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus 10,110 is provided that measures the speed of sound or acoustic disturbances propagating in a fluid or mixture having entrained gas/air to determine the gas volume fraction of the flow 12 propagating through a pipe 14. The apparatus includes an array of pressure sensors disposed axially along the length of the pipe. The apparatus measures the speed of sound propagating through the fluid to determine the gas volume fraction of the mixture using adaptive array processing techniques to define an acoustic ridge in the k-ω plane. The slope of the acoustic ridge 61 defines the speed of sound propagating through the fluid in the pipe.
Claims20
An apparatus for measuring the gas volume fraction process flow flowing within a pipe, the apparatus comprising:
- at least two sensors that provide a sound measurement signal indicative of sound waves propagating in the process flow flowing within the pipe;
- and
- a processor that determines the slope of an acoustic ridge in the k-ω plane, in response to the sound measurement signals, to provide a sound speed signal indicative of the speed of sound propagating through the process flow, and that determines the gas volume fraction of the flow, in response to the sound speed signal.
A method of measuring the gas volume fraction process flow flowing within a pipe, the method comprising:
- measuring the sound waves propagating in the process flow flowing within the pipe to provide a sound measurement signal;
- determining the slope of an acoustic ridge in the k-ω plane, in response to the sound measurement signals, to provide a sound speed signal indicative of the speed of sound propagating through the process flow, and
- determining the gas volume fraction of the process flow, in response to the sound speed signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.