Flow rate measuring method and flowmeter, flow rate measuring section package used for them and flow rate measuring unit using them, and piping leakage inspection device using flowmeter

• US 6,973,827 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2003
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun-S Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamagishi, Kiyoshi, Koike, Atsushi, Nakamura, Toshimi, Kawanishi, Toshiaki, Takahata, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Takisha
• Application Number:
  US10/508,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20050155421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 738/61, 732/041.1, 732/041.7
• US Class Current: 73/204.17
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/68 by using thermal effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/6847 where sensing or heating elements are not disturbing the fluid flow, e.g. elements mounted outside the flow duct
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/699 by control of a separate heating or cooling element
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 7/00 Volume-flow measuring devices with two or more measuring ranges; Compound meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2807 for pipes G01M3/2892, G01M3/30 take precedence

Abstract

Measurements are obtained by a computing unit based on an output Vh from an indirectly-heated constant-temperature controlling flow rate measuring section (16) and an output Vout from a two-constant-point temperature difference detecting flow rate measuring sections (18a, 18b). In the flow rate measuring section (16), a heating element (163) is feedback-controlled based on a detected temperature by a heat sensing element (162) to obtain an output Vh based on the feedback-controlled condition. An output Vout is obtained from flow rate measuring sections (18a, 18b) based on the detected temperature difference between a heat sensing element (182) disposed on the liquid-flow-direction upstream side of the flow rate measuring section (16) and a temperature sensing element disposed on the downstream side. A computing unit outputs as a measurement a flow rate obtained based on the output Vh in a flow rate region where a flow rate is larger than a predetermined boundary flow rate, and outputs as a measurement a flow rate obtained based on the output Vout in a flow rate region where it is less than a boundary flow rate. Accordingly, a flow rate is measured with good precision and sensitivity over a wide flow rate range from a trace-amount flow rate region to a comparatively large flow rate region.

Claims

1. A method of measuring a flow rate of a fluid in a fluid flow channel, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a flow rate value obtained by measuring a flow rate of the fluid by indirectly-heated constant-temperature controlling flow rate measuring as a measurement with respect to a high flow rate region larger than a boundary flow rate region predetermined concerning a value of the flow rate;

obtaining a flow rate value obtained by two-constant-point temperature difference detecting flow rate measuring as a measurement with respect to a low flow rate region smaller than the boundary flow rate region;

obtaining a flow rate value obtained by the indirectly-heated constant-temperature controlling flow rate measuring or a flow rate value obtained by the two-constant-point temperature difference detecting flow rate measuring as a measurement with respect to the boundary flow rate region; and

using a measuring section for the indirectly-heated constant-temperature controlling flow rate measuring as a heat source which heats the fluid in the fluid flow channel in the two-constant-point temperature difference detecting flow rate measuring.

2. The flow rate measuring method according to claim 1, wherein the boundary flow rate region is constituted of one specific flow rate value only.

3. The flow rate measuring method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

first measuring the flow rate of the fluid by the indirectly-heated constant-temperature controlling flow rate measuring;

obtaining the flow rate value as the measurement, when the obtained flow rate value belongs to the high flow rate region or one of the high flow rate region and the boundary flow rate region;

in another case, next measuring the flow rate of the fluid by the two-constant-point temperature difference detecting flow rate measuring; and

obtaining the obtained flow rate value as the measurement.

4. The flow rate measuring method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

first measuring the flow rate of the fluid by the two-constant-point temperature difference detecting flow rate measuring;

obtaining the flow rate value as the measurement, when the obtained flow rate value belongs to the low flow rate region or one of the low flow rate region and the boundary flow rate region;

in another case, next measuring the flow rate of the fluid by the indirectly-heated constant-temperature controlling flow rate measuring; and

obtaining the obtained flow rate value as the measurement.

5. A flow rate measuring unit, comprising:

the flow rate measuring section package according to claim 1;

a unit substrate for attaching the flow rate measuring section package; and

a flow rate measuring circuit element attached to the unit substrate.

6. The flow rate measuring unit according to claim 5, wherein the flow rate measuring circuit element includes an analog circuit element.

7. The flow rate measuring unit according to claim 6, wherein the analog circuit element feedback-controls the heating element based on a detected temperature of the first temperature detecting element, obtains a first flow rate corresponding output based on a state of the feedback control, and obtains a second flow rate corresponding output based on a difference between detected temperatures of the second and third temperature detecting elements.

8. The flow rate measuring unit according to claim 7, wherein the flow rate measuring circuit element further includes a digital circuit element.

9. The flow rate measuring unit according to claim 8, wherein the digital circuit element comprises a computing section which obtains a flow rate measurement based on the first and second flow rate corresponding outputs, and the computing section outputs a flow rate value obtained based on the first flow rate corresponding output as the measurement with respect to a high flow rate region larger than a boundary flow rate region predetermined concerning the value of the flow rate, outputs a flow rate value obtained based on the second flow rate corresponding output as the measurement with respect to a low flow rate region smaller than the boundary flow rate region, and outputs a flow rate value obtained based on the first or second flow rate corresponding output as the measurement with respect to the boundary flow rate region.

10. The flow rate measuring unit according to claim 9, wherein the boundary flow rate region is constituted of one specific flow rate value only.

11. The flow rate measuring unit according to claim 9, wherein the computing section first outputs the flow rate value obtained based on the first flow rate corresponding output as the measurement, when the first flow rate corresponding output corresponds to the high flow rate region or one of the high flow rate region and the boundary flow rate region, and, in another case, outputs the flow rate value obtained based on the second flow rate corresponding output as the measurement.

12. The flow rate measuring unit according to claim 9, wherein the computing section first outputs the flow rate value obtained based on the second flow rate corresponding output as the measurement, when the second flow rate corresponding output corresponds to the low flow rate region or one of the low flow rate region and the boundary flow rate region, and, in another case, outputs the flow rate value obtained based on the first flow rate corresponding output as the measurement.