Process for operating a Coriolis mass flow rate measurement device

• US 7,640,813 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krohne Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Krohne Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Storm, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, HARSHAD R
• Application Number:
  US11/734,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20080011101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 73/861.356
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/74 Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8436 signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/849 having straight measuring conduits

Abstract

A process for operating a Coriolis mass flow rate measurement device, with at least one measurement tube (10) through which a medium flows and which is subjected to vibration excitation that leads to resulting vibrations of the measurement tube (10), a first indicator quantity being used for detection of a multiphase flow. For detection of the multiphase flow, an additional, second indicator quantity that is independent of the first indicator quantity is used. Thus, a process for operating a Coriolis mass flow rate measurement device (1) is attained with which the detection of multiphase flows, especially of two-phase flows, is reliably possible without the need to make assumptions regarding the properties of the individual phases of the flowing medium.

Claims

1. Process for operating a Coriolis mass flow rate measurement device, with at least one measurement tube through which a medium flows, comprising the steps of:

subjecting the at least one measurement tube to vibration excitation leading to vibrations of the measurement tube,

using both a first indicator quantity and an additional, second indicator quantity that is independent of the first indicator quantity for detection of multiphase flow,

wherein the first indicator quantity is based on one of

a) a quantity based on friction losses within the multiphase flow, wherein to determine a quantity based on friction losses within a multiphase flow, at least one value from the value of drive power necessary for producing vibration excitation of the at least one measurement tube, drive amplitude, resulting vibration amplitude and at least one quantity derived from at least one of said values is evaluated,

b) a quantity based on inhomogeneity of the multiphase flow, wherein a quantity based on the inhomogeneity of the multiphase flow is obtained from noise of an internal signal of the Coriolis mass flow rate measurement device and wherein the internal signal of the Coriolis mass flow rate measurement device is at least one value from the values of;

a phase difference between two signals detected at detection sites spaced apart from one another in the lengthwise direction of the at least one measurement tube for the resulting vibrations, the natural frequency of the at least one measurement tube through which flow takes place, a phase difference between the vibration excitation and resulting vibrations, an instantaneous amplitude of drive power per vibration amplitude and at least one quantity derived from at least one of said values,

c) a quantity based on modeling of the nominal behavior of the Coriolis mass flow rate measurement device, wherein the deviation of a detected signal from a signal which is expected based on modeling is used for determining one of said quantities based on modeling of the nominal behavior of the Coriolis mass flow rate measurement device, and

d) a quantity based on transit time effects of the multiphase flow between two detection sites which are spaced apart from one another in the lengthwise direction of the at least one measurement tube for the resulting vibrations, wherein to determine such a quantity, the deviation of a computed transit time for the resulting vibrations based on the determined mass flow rate is determined by the transit time determined for the multiphase flow, and

wherein the second indicator quantity is based on another of said quantities a)-d).

2. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one quantity derived from at least one of said values is at least one the mass flow rate through the measurement tube and the density of the flowing medium.

3. Process in accordance with claim 2, wherein one of the variance, the standard deviation or the difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of a time interval is determined for at least one of said values.

4. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the detected signal is a signal that represents a characteristic from one of the vibration excitation of the measurement tube, the resulting vibrations of the measurement tube and at least one quantity derived from at least one of the characteristics represented by said detected signal.

5. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one third indicator quantity is used for detection of the multiphase flow.

6. Process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the indicator quantities ach exhibit a value that is larger, the more pronounced the multiphase flow.