Turbine wheel flow measuring transducer
First Claim
1. An apparatus for measuring low flow rates of gas at pressure drops in the order of twenty inches of water pressure or less, and at flow rates in the order of twenty milliliters per minute to ten thousand milliliters per minute, comprising:
- a housing having a chamber through which the gas to be measured passes;
a disk rotatably mounted about a center thereof in said chamber;
said disk having reaction turbine blades formed around the entire periphery thereof, said blades located on a spacing of ten to twenty degree segments about said central axis of said disk, each blade having an impact surface thereon for receiving the impact of said gas entering said chamber;
nozzle means mounted in said housing in a plane substantially parallel to the plane wherein said disk is disposed for directing substantially the entire flow of the gas entering said chamber sequentially against individual ones of said impact surfaces at velocities between five to twenty feet per second, thereby presenting the adjacent impact surface;
photoelectric circuit means for directing light onto side portions of said disk and measuring relative movement thereof in response to impact of the gas against said impact surfaces; and
said disk further having reflecting surfaces formed on side portions thereof for reflecting light directed from said photoelectric circuit means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A turbine wheel flow measuring transducer having a reaction turbine wheel measures low flow rates of a gas. A disk (D) is rotatably mounted in a chamber (C) formed within a housing (H) through which the gas to be measured passes through a nozzle assembly (N). Plural teeth (T) are formed around the periphery of disk (D) for receiving the impact of the gas from nozzle assembly (N). A photoelectric circuit (P) directs light onto side portions of disk (D) to measure the relative movement of disk (D) in response to the impact of the gas against teeth (T).
24 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus for measuring low flow rates of gas at pressure drops in the order of twenty inches of water pressure or less, and at flow rates in the order of twenty milliliters per minute to ten thousand milliliters per minute, comprising:
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a housing having a chamber through which the gas to be measured passes; a disk rotatably mounted about a center thereof in said chamber; said disk having reaction turbine blades formed around the entire periphery thereof, said blades located on a spacing of ten to twenty degree segments about said central axis of said disk, each blade having an impact surface thereon for receiving the impact of said gas entering said chamber; nozzle means mounted in said housing in a plane substantially parallel to the plane wherein said disk is disposed for directing substantially the entire flow of the gas entering said chamber sequentially against individual ones of said impact surfaces at velocities between five to twenty feet per second, thereby presenting the adjacent impact surface; photoelectric circuit means for directing light onto side portions of said disk and measuring relative movement thereof in response to impact of the gas against said impact surfaces; and said disk further having reflecting surfaces formed on side portions thereof for reflecting light directed from said photoelectric circuit means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A rotatable apparatus for measuring low gas flow rates in the order of twenty milliliters per minute to ten thousand milliliters per minute at pressure drops in the order of twenty inches of water pressure or less in a flow meter of the type which includes a housing having a chamber through which the gas to be measured passes and a photoelectric circuit for measuring relative movement of said apparatus as the gas passes through the housing, said apparatus comprising:
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a disk adapted to be rotatably mounted in the chamber; plural reaction turbine blades formed around the entire periphery of said disk for receiving the impact of substantially the entire flow of gas entering the chamber in a direction parallel to the plane wherein said disk is disposed sequentially against individual ones of said blades thereby presenting the adjacent blade; and
,reflective surfaces formed on portions of said disk for reflecting light directed from the photoelectric circuit. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A rotatable disk assembly for measuring low gas flow rates in a flow meter of the type which includes a housing having a chamber through which the gas to be measured passes and a photoelectric circuit for forming an output proportional to the gas flow rate, said assembly comprising:
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a disk having a centrally disposed axle having a pivotal tip to support said disk for rotatable movement; turbine blades formed around the entire periphery of said disk for receiving substantially the entire flow of gas entering the chamber in a direction parallel to the plane wherein said disk is disposed on a spacing of ten to twenty degree segments about said central axis of said disk; reflective surfaces formed on portions of said disk for reflecting light directed from the photoelectric circuit; removable carriage means for mounting said disk in the chamber; said carriage means having bearing surfaces for rotatably mounting said axle; and said carriage means having a removably mounted nozzle assembly for directing the impact of the gas sequentially against individual ones of said turbine blades at a controlled location, thereby presenting the adjacent turbine blade, and permitting nozzle assemblies of varying sizes to be mounted in said carriage means to effectively vary the sensitivity of the assembly to gas flows. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification