Flow control system

• US 5,504,693 A
• Filed: 07/13/1993
• Issued: 04/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OMNI Flow Computers, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Omni-Flow Incorporated
• Inventors: Frenzel, G. Charles Jr., Elliott, Kenneth D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEESO, THOMAS R
• Application Number:
  US08/090,749
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 364/510, 73/195, 73/196, 73/861.66, 73/861.77, 73/861.21, 73/204.14, 251/129.04, 251/129.11, 340/606, 340/615, 340/825.06, 324/220
• US Class Current: 700/282
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means

Abstract

A personal computer is operated in conjunction with an in line flow computer to provide real time flow data on the personal computer screen. Pipeline flow can be regulated and directed from the personal computer by flow control valves and by motor operated valves via a programmable logic controller and by the flow computer.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising

a) a plurality of sensor units disposed integrally in the wall of a pipeline at a flow measurement point for receiving input signals representative of pressure, temperature, gravity, gas analysis, Brine, Sediment and Water and the rate of change in gravity with time for the fluid flow, and a signal converter for converting said input signals into electrical signals representative of said inputs;

b) a flow computer;

c) a means for transmitting said electrical signals from said sensor units to the flow computer;

wherein the flow computer receives said electrical signals and converts said electrical signals into a digital flow signal representative of flow through said pipeline, said flow computer including a means for establishing a digital time signal, a means for relating said digital flow signal with said digital time signal to form a unit of time/flow rate data, and memory means for retrievably storing said data for a short time period of one second or less;

d) a general purpose personal computer;

wherein said electrical signals are received by said flow computer, converted to data, stored in said memory means, and retrieved by the general purpose personal computer;

e) a means for transmitting electrical data signals between the flow computer and the general purpose personal computer;

f) a computer program for said general purpose personal computer to signal the flow computer to retrieve items of time/flow rate data from the memory means; and

to transmit said time/flow rate data to the general purpose personal computer;

g) a display screen;

h) a computer program for said general purpose personal computer to display the time/flow rate data received from the flow computer on the display screen; and

i) a computer program for said general purpose personal computer to display a flow diagram representative of pipeline flow and an indicator on said flow diagram indicative of the location of the flow measurement point;

wherein said computer program for displaying the time/flow rate data instructs that said data be displayed adjacent to the flow measurement point indicator on the display screen;

j) a motor valve operatively associated with said pipeline for controlling batch flows through the pipeline;

k) a driver for said motor valve;

l) a means for transmitting an actuation signal from said general purpose personal computer to said motor valve;

m) a user interface for said general purpose personal computer; and

n) a means tier said general purpose personal computer for initiating the actuation signal responsive to inputs from said user interface.

2. An apparatus comprising

a) a plurality of sensor units disposed integrally in the wall of a pipeline at a flow measurement point for receiving input signals representative of pressure, temperature, gravity and the rate of change in gravity with time for the fluid flow, and a signal converter for converting said input signals into electrical signals representative of said inputs;

b) flow computer;

c) a means for transmitting said electrical signals from said sensor units to the flow computer;

wherein the flow computer receives said electrical signals and converts said electrical signals into a digital flow signal representative of flow through said pipeline, said flow computer including a means for establishing a digital time signal, a means for relating said digital flow signal with said digital time signal to from a unit of time/flow rate data, and memory means for retrievably storing said data for a short time period of one second or less;

d) a general purpose personal computer;

e) a means for transmitting electrical data signals between the flow computer and the general purpose personal computer;

f) a computer program for said general purpose personal computer to signal the flow computer to retrieve items of time/flow rate data from the memory means; and

to transmit said time/flow rate data to the general purpose personal computer;

g) a display screen;

h) a computer program for said general purpose personal computer to display the time/flow rate data received from the flow computer on the display screen; and

i) a computer program for said general purpose personal computer to display a flow diagram representative of pipeline flow and an indicator on said flow diagram indicative of the location of the flow measurement point;

wherein said computer program for displaying the time/flow rate data instructs that said data be displayed adjacent to the flow measurement point indicator on the display screen;

j) a motor valve operatively associated with said pipeline for controlling batch flows through the pipeline;

k) a driver for said motor valve;

l) a means for transmitting an actuation signal from said general purpose personal computer to said motor valve;

m) a user interface for said general purpose personal computer; and

n) a means for said general purpose personal computer for initiating the actuation signal responsive to inputs from said user interface;

wherein the means for transmitting an actuation signal from the general purpose personal computer to the motor valve includes a PLC.

3. An apparatus comprising

a) a plurality of sensor units disposed integrally in the wall of a pipeline at a flow measurement point for receiving input signals representative of pressure, temperature, gravity and the rate of change in gravity with time for the fluid flow, and a signal converter for converting said input signals into electrical signals representative of said inputs;

b) a flow computer;

c) a means for transmitting said electrical signals from said sensor units to the flow computer;

wherein the flow computer receives said electrical signals and converts said electrical signals into a digital flow signal representative of flow through said pipeline, said flow computer including a means for establishing a digital time signal, a means for relating said digital flow signal with said digital time signal to form a unit of time/flow rate data, and memory means for retrievably storing said data for a short time period of one second or less;

d) a general purpose personal computer;

e) a means for transmitting electrical data signals between the flow computer and the general purpose personal computer;

f) a computer program for said general purpose personal computer to signal the flow computer to retrieve items of time/flow rate data from the memory means; and

to transmit said time/flow rate data to the general purpose personal computer;

g) a display screen;

h) a computer program for said general purpose personal computer to display the time/flow rate data received from the flow computer on the display screen; and

i) a computer program for said general purpose personal computer to display a flow diagram representative of pipeline flow and an indicator on said flow diagram indicative of the location of the flow measurement point;

wherein said computer program for displaying the time/flow rate data instructs that said data be displayed adjacent to the flow measurement point indicator on the display screen;

j) a motor valve operatively associated with said pipeline for controlling batch flows through the pipeline;

k) a driver for said motor valve;

l) a means for transmitting an actuation signal from said general purpose personal computer to said motor valve;

m) a user interface for said general purpose personal computer; and

n) a means for said general purpose personal computer for initiating the actuation signal responsive to inputs from said user interface;

o) an alarm means for comparing the flow rate data retrieved from the flow computer with a predetermined limit value; and

p) means associated with the comparison means and the alarm means for activating the alarms means when the flow rate data is outside of the predetermined limit value wherein the limit value is representative of fluid density.