Method for operating a Coriolis mass flowmeter and Coriolis mass flowmeter

• US 10,641,642 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krohne Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Krohne Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Kunze, Johannes, Storm, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Roberts, Herbert K
• Application Number:
  US15/817,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20180143064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/00 Indicating measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/84 Coriolis or gyroscopic mass flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8436 signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8468 vibrating measuring conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/849 having straight measuring conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/00 Testing or calibration of apparatus for measuring volume, volume flow or liquid level or for metering by volume
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/10 of flowmeters

Abstract

A method for operating a Coriolis mass flowmeter having at least one measuring tube, at least one oscillation generator, at least two oscillation sensors, and at least one control and evaluation unit, the oscillation generator and the oscillation sensors being arranged on the measuring tube, wherein the measuring tube has a medium flowing through it, wherein the oscillation generator puts the measuring tube into a harmonic oscillation with the excitation frequency f₀ and the excitation amplitude A₀, wherein the first and the second oscillation sensors detect the oscillation of the measuring tube and wherein the first oscillation sensor forwards the oscillation to the control and evaluation unit as first measuring signal and wherein the second oscillation sensor forwards the oscillation to the control and evaluation unit as second measuring signal, and wherein at least one comparison measurement signal is determined from the first measuring signal and/or the second measuring signal.

Claims

1. A method for determining occurrence of a condition affecting accuracy of measurements produced during operation of a Coriolis mass flowmeter that comprises at least one measuring tube, at least one oscillation generator, at least two oscillation sensors, and at least one control and evaluation unit, the oscillation generator and the oscillation sensors being arranged on the measuring tube, the method comprising:

directing a flow of medium through the measuring tube,

causing the oscillation generator to put the measuring tube into a harmonic oscillation with an excitation frequency f₀ and an excitation amplitude A₀,

using the first and the second oscillation sensors to detect the oscillation of the measuring tube,

forwarding oscillation detected by the first oscillation sensor to the control and evaluation unit as a first measuring signal,

forwarding oscillation detected by the second oscillation sensor to the control and evaluation unit as a second measuring signal,

determining at least one comparison measurement signal from at least one of the first measuring signal and the second measuring signal,

determining mass flow of the medium flowing through the measuring tube from the amplitude and phase of the oscillation detected by the first and the second oscillation sensors,

using the excitation frequency f₀ and the excitation amplitude A₀ to calculate an expected value of at least one of the amplitude, phase and a variable derived therefrom at at least one evaluation frequency,

wherein the evaluation frequency corresponds to the excitation frequency f₀ and/or a harmonic of the excitation frequency f₀,

determining at least one of the amplitude, the phase and the variable derived therefrom of the comparison measurement signal exclusively at the evaluation frequency,

comparing the expected value of the at least one of the amplitude, the phase and the variable derived therefrom to a corresponding value of the comparison measurement signal and determining a measure for a deviation of the comparison measurement signal from the expected value,

issuing an alert when the deviation of the expected value exceeds an upper limit value or falls below a lower limit value, and

determining the existence of a mechanical problem with the flowmeter when an alert is issued.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical problem is one of mechanical disengagement of the oscillation sensors, misalignment of the oscillation generator and misalignment of at least one of the oscillation sensors.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one variable derived from the amplitude is at least one of power, a value for harmonic distortion, a value for the harmonic distortion including noise, a distortion factor and a signal-to-noise ratio.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the comparison measurement signal is one of the first measuring signal, the second measuring signal, a sum signal of the first measuring signal and the second measuring signal, a difference signal of the first and second measuring signals, and a functional relationship between the first and the second measuring signals.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein more than one said expected value of at least one of the amplitude, the phase and the variable derived therefrom is determined, and wherein the expected values are compared to the corresponding values of the comparison measurement signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one additional expected value is determined at an evaluation frequency which lies in at least one of a frequency interval around ±

20 to 50% of the excitation frequency around the excitation frequency f₀, and a frequency interval around the harmonic of the excitation frequency f₀, of ±

20 to 50% of the frequency of the harmonic around the frequency of the harmonic; and

wherein the at least one of the amplitude, the phase and a variable derived therefrom of the comparison measurement signal is detected at the evaluation frequency and compared to the corresponding expected value.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of at least one of the expected value of the amplitude, the phase and the variable derived therefrom, and the comparison to the corresponding values of the comparison measurement signal are performed periodically.

8. A Coriolis mass flowmeter comprising:

at least one measuring tube,

at least one oscillation generator on the at least one measuring tube for producing a harmonic oscillation of the at least one measuring tube with an excitation frequency f₀ and an excitation amplitude A₀,

at least two oscillation sensors on the at least one measuring tube for detecting oscillation of the measuring tube, and

at least one control and evaluation unit,

wherein the first and the second oscillation sensors are connected to the at least one control and evaluation unit so as to forward the oscillation detected to the control and evaluation unit as first and second measuring signals, respectively, and wherein the at least one control and evaluation unit comprises;

means for producing at least one comparison measurement signal using at least one of the first measuring signal and the second measuring signal,

means for determining mass flow of a medium flowing through the at least one measuring tube from the amplitude and phase of the oscillation detected by the first and second oscillation sensors,

means for calculating an expected value of at least one of amplitude, phase and at least one variable derived therefrom using the excitation frequency f₀ and the excitation amplitude A₀ at at least one evaluation frequency,

means for determining the at least one of the amplitude and the phase and the variable derived therefrom of the comparison measurement signal exclusively at the evaluation frequency,

means for comparing the expected value to a corresponding value of the comparison measurement signal and for determining a measure of deviation of the comparison measurement signal from the expected value, and

means for issuing an alert when the deviation determined exceeds an upper limit value or falls below a lower limit value.

9. Coriolis mass flowmeter according to claim 8, wherein the alert represents the existence of a mechanical problem with the flowmeter.

10. Coriolis mass flowmeter according to claim 9, wherein mechanical problem is one of mechanical disengagement of the at least one of the oscillation sensors, misalignment of the oscillation generator and misalignment of at least one of the oscillation sensors.