Apparatus and Method for Metering Flare Gas
First Claim
1. A flow cell assembly comprising:
- a flow cell having an outer surface, an inner surface, and an internal bore, said flow cell including a first aperture and a second aperture, each of said first and second apertures providing an opening to said internal bore;
an optical probe detachably mounted on said outer surface of said flow cell, said optical probe having a proximal end and a distal end, said optical probe being disposed through said first aperture in said flow cell so that said distal end of said optical probe is positioned within said internal bore of said flow cell, said optical probe capable of measuring the velocity of a gas flowing through said internal bore of said flow cell; and
an optical probe mounting assembly detachably mounted on said outer surface of said flow cell, a portion of said optical probe encased within said optical probe mounting assembly.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A flow cell assembly for measuring the flow rate of gas in a pipe having an optical probe mounted on a flow cell inserted between sections of pipe. A distal end of the optical probe is disposed within an internal bore of the flow cell. The optical probe is capable of measuring the velocity of particles in a gas flowing through the internal bore. A sensor mechanism may be mounted on the flow cell and have a sensor array with a distal end disposed within the flow cell internal bore. The sensor array is capable of measuring physical properties of the gas. The optical probe is self-aligned when mounted to the flow cell through the use of a locking cam and an orientation ring. Velocity and physical property measurements are used to calculate flow rate. Alternatively, the optical probe and sensor mechanism may be mounted directly onto an existing pipe.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A flow cell assembly comprising:
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a flow cell having an outer surface, an inner surface, and an internal bore, said flow cell including a first aperture and a second aperture, each of said first and second apertures providing an opening to said internal bore; an optical probe detachably mounted on said outer surface of said flow cell, said optical probe having a proximal end and a distal end, said optical probe being disposed through said first aperture in said flow cell so that said distal end of said optical probe is positioned within said internal bore of said flow cell, said optical probe capable of measuring the velocity of a gas flowing through said internal bore of said flow cell; and an optical probe mounting assembly detachably mounted on said outer surface of said flow cell, a portion of said optical probe encased within said optical probe mounting assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of measuring a flow rate of a gas in a flow line comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a flow cell assembly within a gas flow line, said assembly comprising;
a flow cell having an outer surface, an inner surface, and an internal bore, said flow cell including a first aperture and a second aperture, each of said first and second apertures providing an opening to said internal bore;
an optical probe detachably mounted on said outer surface of said flow cell, said optical probe having a proximal end and a distal end, said optical probe being disposed through said first aperture in said flow cell so that said distal end of said optical probe is positioned within said internal bore of said flow cell, said optical probe capable of measuring the velocity of a gas flowing through said internal bore of said flow cell; and
an optical probe mounting assembly detachably mounted on said outer surface of said flow cell, said optical probe mounting assembly encasing a portion of said optical probe;b) obtaining a raw point flow velocity data of the gas flowing in said flow line; c) filtering said raw point flow velocity data to reject errant velocity data to obtain filtered raw point flow velocity data; d) correcting said filtered raw point flow velocity data based on an empirical data of flow meter type and operating conditions to obtain a bulk velocity data; e) calculating a corrected flow rate for said gas in said flow line based on said bulk velocity data and an internal diameter of said flow line. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification