Calibration apparatus and method for heat transfer measurement
AssigneeOnicon, Inc.
InventorMurray F Feller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A calibrator for calibrating a compatible heat transfer meter comprises a temperature controlled reference thermowell and a reference temperature sensor. The reference thermowell is similar in dimensions to thermowells usable for measuring inlet and outlet temperatures of a heat exchanger so that the reference temperature sensor is selectively insertable into any of the thermowells. The calibrator also comprises temperature measurement circuitry operable to generate a temperature reading from an output of the reference temperature sensor; and control circuitry operable to control the temperature of the reference thermowell.
Claims8
Apparatus for calibrating a heat transfer meter comprising a flow meter, a heat exchanger inlet temperature sensor and a heat exchanger outlet temperature sensor, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one thermowell respectively associated with each of the inlet and outlet temperature sensors;
- and
- a calibrator comprising:
- a temperature controlled reference thermowell;
- a reference temperature sensor having an output, the reference temperature sensor selectively insertable into at least one thermowell respectively associated with each of the inlet and outlet temperature sensors;
- temperature measurement circuitry operable to generate a temperature reading from the output of the reference temperature sensor;
- and
- control circuitry operable to control the temperature of the reference thermowell.
A method of calibrating a heat transfer meter comprising a flow meter, an inlet temperature sensor and an outlet temperature sensor, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a calibrator comprising:
- a reference thermowell;
- a reference temperature sensor;
- a flow rate simulator providing a simulated flow signal;
- and
- control circuitry operable to control a temperature of the reference thermowell;
- b) inserting the reference temperature sensor into a thermowell associated with one of the inlet and outlet temperature sensors;
- c) inserting the other of the outlet and inlet temperature sensors into the reference thermowell and controlling the temperature of the reference thermowell to differ from that of the reference sensor by a selected amount;
- d) calculating, from the selected temperature difference and the simulated flow signal, a simulated value of heat transfer;
- and
- e) comparing the simulated heat transfer value to a heat transfer value output by the meter being calibrated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.