Flow meter that measures solid particulate flow
First Claim
1. A flow meter for measurement of the mass flow rate of solid particulate matter comprising:
- a first hollow conduit forming a flow path along which the solid particulate matter moves;
a second hollow conduit having at least the same diameter as the first conduit, and being joined to the first conduit at an angle;
at least one sensor associated with said second hollow conduit, said at least one sensor including;
a transmitter of electromagnetic energy for radiating the entire particulate matter flow path formed by said first conduit such that substantially all of the particulate matter contributes to and forms back scattered energy;
a receiver for receiving said backscattered energy and generating an electrical signal that is proportional to the concentration of solid particulate matter flowing in said first hollow conduit; and
processor means coupled to said at least one sensor for generating an output signal representative of said concentration of solid particulate matter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A non-contact solids flow meter for measuring solid particulate flow is comprised of a flow tube, a sensor, and an indicator. The product enters the flow tube at one end and flows downward by gravity past the sensor and then exits the flow tube at the bottom. The sensor is placed in a sensor tube at an angle to the flow of particulate solids. As the product passes the sensor signal (low microwave energy), this energy upon contacting the particulates undergoes a Doppler shift which is detected by the sensor. The width of the sensor beam has to be at least the diameter of the flow tube so that it covers the entire cross-sectional area of the flow tube. In this manner, all particulate materials flowing through the flow tube come in contact with the beam and are thus reflected. The instrument is calibrated and algorithms determined from the calibration to cause the indicator to provide a best fit function over the output range of the indicator.
34 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A flow meter for measurement of the mass flow rate of solid particulate matter comprising:
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a first hollow conduit forming a flow path along which the solid particulate matter moves; a second hollow conduit having at least the same diameter as the first conduit, and being joined to the first conduit at an angle; at least one sensor associated with said second hollow conduit, said at least one sensor including; a transmitter of electromagnetic energy for radiating the entire particulate matter flow path formed by said first conduit such that substantially all of the particulate matter contributes to and forms back scattered energy; a receiver for receiving said backscattered energy and generating an electrical signal that is proportional to the concentration of solid particulate matter flowing in said first hollow conduit; and processor means coupled to said at least one sensor for generating an output signal representative of said concentration of solid particulate matter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of measuring mass flow rate of a solid particulate matter comprising the steps of:
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conveying the particulate matter through a first hollow conduit; transmitting electromagnetic energy through a second hollow conduit attached to said first hollow conduit at an angle; said second hollow conduit having at least the same diameter as the first hollow conduit; radiating substantially all of said particulate matter in said first conduit as it passes said second hollow conduit to form a signal from backscattered electromagnetic energy; receiving said backscattered energy signal from said particulate matter; and converting said received backscattered energy signal to mass flow rate in pounds/hour.
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Specification