SYSTEM FOR THE PROPORTIONAL EVALUATION OF QUANTITATIVE FLOW OF FLUIDS

• US 3,834,230 A
• Filed: 08/31/1972
• Issued: 09/10/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David Auerbach
• Original Assignee: David Auerbach
• Inventors: Auerbach, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldstein, Herbert
• Application Number:
  US05/285,887
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 73/199,203
• US Class Current: 73/199
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/00 Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow measuring a proportion of the volume flow G01F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/001 Means for regulating or setting the meter for a predetermined quantity

Abstract

A system for the proportional evaluation of quantitative fluid flow through a supply line to a receiver, includes a meter in the supply line that is bypassed by a line having therein a regulator valve controlled by the pressure upstream of the meter and bypass. The meter is calibrated so that for each unit of actual flow through the supply line at any pressure it will continuously show proportional quantities according to the desired rate per unit fixed by the supplier.

Claims

1. In a system for the proportional evaluation of quantitative fluid flow between a supply of fluid and a point of usage through a fluid supply system including at least one supply line;

the improvement comprising a fluid flow meter for connection within said supply line;

bypass line means for fluid connection to said supply line upstream and downstream of said meter for bypassing fluid flow around the meter and allowing fluid to flow directly to the point of usage without passing through the meter;

fluid flow regulating means connected within said bypass line means for controlling the flow of fluid within said bypass line means; and

fluid pressure sensing means for connection to said fluid supply system upstream from said meter and controlling operation of said fluid flow regulating means in response only to fluid pressure upstream of said meter for increasing the proportional fluid flow through said bypass line with increasing upstream fluid pressure and decreasing the proportional fluid flow through said bypass line means with decreasing upstream fluid pressure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said fluid flow regulating means is movable between its fully open and fully closed position in direct linear correlation to upstream pressure within a predetermined pressure range.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said fluid flow regulating means includes a diaphragm actuator and said fluid pressure sensing means supplies fluid under pressure from closely adjacent the upstream end of said bypass line means to said diaphragm to control said fluid flow regulating means.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said fluid flow regulating means includes a diaphragm actuator and said fluid pressure sensing means supplies fluid under pressure from a point in the fluid supply system remote from and upstream of said bypass line means.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said fluid flow meter is calibrated to register a fluid flow substantially greater than the actual flow through it.

6. A system for supplying pressurized fluid from a source to a plurality of separate consumers where there is a tendency for peak consumer usage to unsatisfactorily drop the fluid pressure, comprising a fluid supply system including a plurality of supply lines individually serving respective ones of the consumers and being fluid connected in a network to the source of fluid under pressure;

at least some of said supply lines each having a calibrated fluid flow meter, a bypass line around each said meter, flow control means within said bypass lines for controlling flow of fluid through said bypass lines, and means controlling the operation of said fluid flow control means automatically in response to pressure upstream of the fluid supply system for increasing fluid flow through the bypass line under conditions where the upstream fluid pressure of the system is at or above a predetermined level, and decreasing fluid flow through the bypass line upon the upstream fluid pressure dropping below the predetermined level.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said meter is calibrated to register fluid flow at a predetermined substantial multiple of the actual fluid flow through said meter and to register actual fluid flow through its supply line to its consumer when said bypass line flow control means is fully open.

8. A method of supplying pressurized fluid through a network of supply lines from a source to a plurality of separate consumers where there is a tendency for peak consumer usage to unsatisfactorily drop the fluid presSure, comprising the steps of:

measuring the flow of fluid through a section of an individual supply line to a consumer for a predetermined upstream fluid pressure, calibrating the actual flow through the section at a predetermined proportional rate at the predetermined upstream fluid pressure, bypassing a proportional amount of fluid around said supply line section upon the fluid pressure upstream of said section being maintained at or above the predetermined level and decreasing fluid bypass around said supply line section upon the upstream fluid pressure falling below the predetermined level.

9. The method of claim 8, including the additional steps of linearly controlling the quantity of fluid being bypassed around said supply line section in direct proportion only to the upstream pressure between said levels.

10. The method of claim 8, including the further step of calibrating a meter within the supply line section for the steps of determining and recording so that the recorded unit flow corresponds to actual unit flow only when the bypass line is fully open.

11. The method of claim 8, including repeating the above steps for each of a plurality of the supply lines for a corresponding plurality of consumers.