ULTRASONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MEASURING FLUID FLOW USING THE ULTRASONIC DEVICE

• US 20170102253A1
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: YE, Jing, AO, Shirley Xiaolei, MEI, Yan, WOLFE, Christopher Edward, NIU, Ran, SHANG, Weihua
• Application Number:
  US15/314,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20170102253A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/662 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/663 by measuring Doppler frequency shift
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/00 Details of, or accessories for, apparatus of groups G01F1/00 - G01F13/00 insofar as such details or appliances are not adapted to particular types of such apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/006 characterised by the use of a particular material, e.g. anti-corrosive material G01F15/14 takes precedence

Abstract

An ultrasonic device includes a fluid conduit configured to couple with one or more pipes and an ultrasonic transducer mounted on the conduit. The conduit includes a main body defining a flow channel and a thermal barrier coupled to the main body. The thermal barrier includes an organic polymeric material and is configured to thermally isolate the ultrasonic transducer from the flow channel.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic device, comprising:

a fluid conduit configured to couple with one or more pipes and comprising a main body defining a flow channel and a thermal barrier coupled to the main body, the thermal barrier comprising an organic polymeric material; and

an ultrasonic transducer mounted on the conduit, wherein

the thermal barrier is configured to thermally isolate the ultrasonic transducer from the flow channel.

2. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein the organic polymeric material is substantially acoustic transparent and has a maximum service temperature higher than about 120°

C.

3. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein the organic polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), and combinations thereof.

4. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein the thermal barrier thermally isolates a thermal sensitive part of the ultrasonic transducer from the main body.

5. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein the thermal barrier has a fitting surface substantially conforming to a front end of the ultrasonic transducer where a thermal sensitive part of the ultrasonic transducer is located.

6. The ultrasonic device according to claim 5, further comprising an acoustic couplant between the fitting surface of the thermal barrier and the front end of the ultrasonic transducer.

7. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein the thermal barrier has a fluid facing surface in contact with the fluid, a refraction angle at the fluid facing surface for sound beam of the ultrasonic transducer ranging from about 20 degrees to about 80 degrees.

8. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein the thermal barrier comprises a liner coupled to an inner surface of the main body and providing an internal conduit surface through which the fluid flows.

9. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein the thermal barrier comprises a plug coupled to the main body and providing a part of an internal conduit surface through which the fluid flows, and wherein the other part of the internal conduit surface is provided by the main body.

10. The ultrasonic device according to claim 9, wherein the part of the internal conduit surface provided by the plug is approximately perpendicular to sound beam of the ultrasonic transducer.

11. A method, comprising:

flowing a fluid in a conduit coupling with one or more pipes, wherein the conduit comprises a main body defining a flow channel for the fluid to flow through, and a thermal barrier comprising an organic polymeric material and coupled to the main body; and

measuring the fluid flow with an ultrasonic transducer mounted on the conduit, wherein the ultrasonic transducer is thermally isolated from the flow channel by the thermal barrier.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the organic polymeric material is substantially acoustic transparent and has a maximum service temperature higher than about 120°

C.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the organic polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), and combinations thereof.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the thermal barrier thermally isolates a thermal sensitive part of the ultrasonic transducer from the main body.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the thermal barrier has a fitting surface substantially conforming to a front end of the ultrasonic transducer where a thermal sensitive part of the ultrasonic transducer is located.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising an acoustic couplant between the fitting surface of the thermal barrier and the front end of the ultrasonic transducer.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the thermal barrier has a fluid facing surface in contact with the fluid, a refraction angle at the fluid facing surface for sound beam of the ultrasonic transducer ranging from about 20 degrees to about 80 degrees.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the thermal barrier comprises a liner coupled to an inner surface of the main body and providing an internal conduit surface through which the fluid flows.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the thermal barrier comprises a plug mounted in the main body and providing a part of an internal conduit surface through which the fluid flows, and wherein the other part of the internal conduit surface is provided by the main body.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the part of the internal conduit surface provided by the plug is approximately perpendicular to sound beam of the ultrasonic transducer.