Flowmeter/prover system and method
OwnerGalen Cottoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pulse production interval measurement module (or temporal reconciliation module) for preferred use with a computational flowmeter and/or non-computational flowmeters to thereby temporally reconcile or time shift flowmeter output produced by a volume of fluid flow through the computational flowmeter with the start and stop times of the flow of a calibrated fluid volume through a prover. The pulse production interval measurement module may be implemented with software and/or hardware and operate on stored data or real time or near real time measurements.
Claims20
A method for use in proving a flowmeter in response to a fluid flow rate through said flowmeter, said flowmeter producing a series of flowmeter output pulses wherein each flowmeter output pulse is representative of a volume of fluid flow through said flowmeter, said method comprising:
- determining a time interval C between at least one particular volume of said fluid flow past at least one measuring element of said flowmeter and a subsequent production of a flowmeter output pulse that represents said at least one particular volume of fluid flow, said time interval C representing a delay time during which said at least one particular volume of fluid flow is displaced from said at least one measuring element by a physical distance of said time interval C multiplied by said fluid flow rate.
A flowmeter/prover system for proving a flowmeter in response to a fluid flow rate through a prover, at least one measurement element of said flowmeter used in producing a series of flowmeter output pulses wherein each flowmeter output pulse is representative of a volume of fluid flow through said flowmeter, a time interval C representing a delay time between at least one particular volume of said fluid flow past said at least one measuring element of said flowmeter and a subsequent production of a flowmeter output pulse, said time interval C representing a delay time during which said volume of fluid flow is displaced from said at least one measuring element by a physical distance of said time interval C multiplied by said fluid flow rate, said flowmeter/proving system comprising:
- an A timer for measuring a time interval A for a calibrated volume of fluid to flow through a corresponding calibrated portion of said flowmeter/proving system;
- a C timer to measure said delay time C;
- and
- a processor operable for utilizing said time interval C in selecting a time interval B portion of said series of flowmeter output pulses for comparison with said time interval A to prove said flowmeter.
A flowmeter/proving system, comprising:
- a calibrated portion of pipe for measuring a calibrated volume of fluid with which to prove a flowmeter;
- a displacer moveable through said calibrated portion of pipe for displacing said calibrated volume of water for proving said flowmeter while said flowmeter/proving system is in a proving mode of operation;
- position detectors for detecting a position of said displacer in said proving mode of operation;
- a bypass flowpath for use during a bypass mode of operation that permits fluid flow through said flowmeter when said displacer is not being used for displacing said calibrated volume of fluid;
- an operation mode detector for detecting a change of operation between said proving mode of operation and said bypass mode of operation;
- a fluid flow detector for determining a change in fluid flow through said flowmeter as a result of said change of operation between said proving mode of operation and said bypass mode of operation;
- and
- a timer for measuring a time interval C which is the time between said change of operation and said change in fluid flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.