ELECTRONIC FLOW CHARACTERISTIC INDICATING FLOW METER

• US 20090150096A1
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Burger & Brown Engineering, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Burger & Brown Engineering, Inc.
• Inventors: Foos, Kendall D., Brown, Mark A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/45
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/075 with magnetic or electromagnetic coupling to the indicating device
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/024 involving digital counting
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/068 with electrical means G01F15/063 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic flow meter having sensors to determine the temperature and flow rate of a fluid flowing through the flow meter and into a downstream circuit, such as a cooling water circuit, of known diameter is flowing under turbulent or laminar conditions based upon a calculation of a corresponding Reynolds number and comparison of the calculated Reynolds number to Reynolds numbers indicative of the desired flow characteristic. A display is provided to indicate the flow characteristic of the fluid flowing through the flow meter as determined by the processor.

Claims

1. An electronic flow meter connectible in-line with a piping system for indicating flow characteristics of a known fluid flowing through the piping system of known internal diameter comprising:

a) a flow meter body having a flow passageway extending therethrough;

b) an electronics assembly mounted to said flow meter body and including a processor, a power supply, a display, a temperature sensor and a flow rate sensor;

said temperature sensor communicating a measured temperature indicative of the temperature of the known fluid flowing through said flow passageway to said processor and said flow rate sensor communicating a measured value indicative of the flow rate of the known fluid flowing through said flow meter to said processor;

said processor programmed to calculate a calculated flow rate using the measured value; and

said processor programmed to calculate a calculated Reynolds number associated with the known fluid flowing through pipe of the known internal diameter at the measured temperature and the calculated flow rate;

said processor programmed to compare the calculated Reynolds number versus an established Reynolds number indicative of whether a known flow characteristic exists and to display a flow characteristic indicating icon on the display if the comparison determines that the known flow characteristic exists.

2. The electronic flow meter as in claim 1 wherein the known flow characteristic is turbulent flow.

3. The electronic flow meter as in claim 1 wherein the known flow characteristic is laminar flow.

4. An electronic flow meter connectible in-line with a piping system for indicating flow characteristics of a known fluid flowing through the piping system of known internal diameter comprising:

a) a flow meter body having a flow passageway extending therethrough;

b) an electronics assembly mounted to said flow meter body and including a processor, a power supply, a display, a temperature sensor and a flow rate sensor;

said temperature sensor communicating a measured temperature indicative of the temperature of the known fluid flowing through said flow passageway to said processor and said flow rate sensor communicating a measured value indicative of the flow rate of the known fluid flowing through said flow meter to said processor;

said processor programmed to calculate a calculated flow rate using the measured value; and

said processor programmed to calculate a calculated Reynolds number associated with the known fluid flowing through pipe of the known internal diameter at the measured temperature and the calculated flow rate;

said processor programmed to compare the calculated Reynolds number versus an established Reynolds number indicative of whether fluid flow is turbulent and to display a turbulent flow indicating icon on the display if the calculated Reynolds number equals or exceeds the established Reynolds number.

5. A process for determining the flow characteristic of a fluid flowing through a piping system of known internal diameter using a flow meter connected in-line with the piping system wherein the flow meter includes a flow meter body having a flow passageway extending therethrough and an electronics assembly mounted to the flow meter body and including a processor, a power supply, a display, a temperature sensor and a flow rate sensor;

the process comprising the steps of selecting the known pipe diameter in the processor, communicating a measured temperature indicative of the temperature of the known fluid flowing through the flow passageway of the flow meter body from the temperature sensor to the processor and communicating a measured value indicative of the flow rate of the known fluid flowing through the flow meter from the flow rate sensor to the processor and programming the processor to calculate a calculated flow rate using the measured value; and

programming the processor to calculate a calculated Reynolds number associated with the known fluid flowing through pipe of the known pipe diameter at the measured temperature and the calculated flow rate;

comparing the calculated Reynolds number to an established Reynolds number indicative of whether a known flow characteristic exists and causing the display to display a flow characteristic indicating icon if the comparison determines that the known flow characteristic exists.

6. The process as in claim 5 wherein the step of comparing the calculated Reynolds number to an established Reynolds number comprises comparing the calculated Reynolds number to an established Reynolds number indicative of whether turbulent flow exists and causing the display to display a turbulent flow indicating icon if the calculated Reynolds number equals or exceeds the established Reynolds number.