Methods and meter electronics for rapidly detecting a non-uniformity of a material flowing through a coriolis flowmeter

• US 7,908,097 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2006
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Motion Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Micro Motion Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: McAnally, Craig B., Duffill, Graeme Ralph, Maginnis, Richard L., Bell, Mark James
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui; Bryan
• Application Number:
  US11/914,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 702/45, 702/100, 702/51, 702/56, 73861354-861355, 738/613.56
• US Class Current: 702/45
• 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 1/8413 means for influencing the flowmeter's motional or vibrational behaviour, e.g., conduit support or fixing means, or conduit attachments
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8436 signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/8477 with multiple measuring conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/00 Details of, or accessories for, apparatus of groups G01F1/00 - G01F13/00 insofar as such details or appliances are not adapted to particular types of such apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/024 involving digital counting
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/002 using variation of the resonant frequency of an element vibrating in contact with the material submitted to analysis G01N9/34 takes precedence

Abstract

Meter electronics (20) and methods for detecting a flow anomaly in a flow material flowing through a flow meter (5) are provided. The meter electronics (20) includes an interface (201) for receiving a vibrational response of the flow material, with the vibrational response including at least a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal, and a processing system (203) in communication with the interface (201). The processing system (203) is configured to receive the vibrational response from the interface (201), generate a ninety degree phase shift from the first sensor signal and generate at least one flow characteristic using at least the first sensor signal and the ninety degree phase shift, compare the at least one flow characteristic to at least one anomaly profile, detect a shift in the vibrational response if the at least one flow characteristic falls within the anomaly profile, and indicate an anomaly condition as a result of the detecting.

Claims

1. Meter electronics (20) for detecting a flow anomaly in a flow material flowing through a flow meter (5), the meter electronics (20) comprising:

an interface (201) for receiving a vibrational response of the flow material, with the vibrational response including at least a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal; and

a processing system (203) in communication with the interface (201) and configured to receive the vibrational response from the interface (201), generate a ninety degree phase shift from the first sensor signal and generate at least a frequency using the first sensor signal and the ninety degree phase shift, compare the frequency to at least one anomaly profile, detect a flow anomaly occurrence if the frequency falls within an anomaly profile, and indicate an anomaly condition as a result of the detecting.

2. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the interface (201) including a digitizer configured to digitize the sensor signal.

3. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, wherein the processing system (203) is further configured to iteratively perform the receiving, generating, comparing, detecting, and indicating.

4. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the flow meter (5) comprising a Coriolis flow meter.

5. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the flow meter (5) comprising a vibrating densitometer.

6. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, wherein the processing system (203) is further configured to compute a phase difference response using the ninety degree phase shift, the first sensor signal, and the second sensor signal.

7. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, wherein the processing system (203) is further configured to generate a second ninety degree phase shift from the second sensor signal and compute a phase difference response using the ninety degree phase shift, the second ninety degree phase shift, the first sensor signal, and the second sensor signal.

8. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, further comprising generating a sensor signal time delay response.

9. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, further comprising generating a mass flow rate response.

10. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, farther comprising generating a density response.

11. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the indicating comprising indicating a solids anomaly.

12. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the indicating comprising indicating a foreign liquid anomaly.

13. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the indicating comprising indicating a gas anomaly.

14. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the indicating comprising indicating an air bubble anomaly.

15. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the indicating comprising setting an anomaly alarm condition.

16. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the indicating comprising incrementing an anomaly count.

17. A method for detecting a flow anomaly in a flow material flowing through a flow meter, the method comprising:

receiving a vibrational response from the flow meter, with the vibrational response including at least a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal;

generating a ninety degree phase shift from the first sensor signal and generating at least a frequency using the first sensor signal and the ninety degree phase shift;

comparing the frequency to at least one anomaly profile;

detecting a flow anomaly occurrence if the frequency falls within the anomaly profile; and

indicating an anomaly condition as a result of the detecting.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising iteratively performing the receiving, generating, comparing, detecting, and indicating.

19. The method of claim 17, with the flow meter comprising a Coriolis flow meter.

20. The method of claim 17, with the flow meter comprising a vibrating densitometer.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising computing a phase difference response using the ninety degree phase shift, the first sensor signal, and the second sensor signal.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating a second ninety degree phase shift from the second sensor signal; and

computing a phase difference response using the ninety degree phase shift, the second ninety degree phase shift, the first sensor signal, and the second sensor signal.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating a sensor signal time delay response.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating a mass flow rate response.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating a density response.

26. The method of claim 17, with the indicating comprising indicating a solids anomaly.

27. The method of claim 17, with the indicating comprising indicating a foreign liquid anomaly.

28. The method of claim 17, with the indicating comprising indicating a gas anomaly.

29. The method of claim 17, with the indicating comprising indicating an air bubble anomaly.

30. The method of claim 17, with the indicating comprising setting an anomaly alarm condition.

31. The method of claim 17, with the indicating comprising incrementing an anomaly count.

32. A method for detecting a flow anomaly in a flow material flowing through a flow meter, the method comprising:

receiving a vibrational response from the flow meter, with the vibrational response including at least a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal;

generating a ninety degree phase shift from the first sensor signal and generating at least a frequency using the first sensor signal and the ninety degree phase shift;

comparing the frequency to at least a gas anomaly profile;

detecting a flow anomaly occurrence if the frequency falls within the gas anomaly profile; and

incrementing a bubble count as a result of the detecting.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising iteratively performing the receiving, generating, comparing, detecting, and incrementing.

34. The method of claim 32, with the flow meter comprising a Coriolis flow meter.

35. The method of claim 32, with the flow meter comprising a vibrating densitometer.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising computing a phase difference response using the ninety degree phase shift, the first sensor signal, and the second sensor signal.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

generating a second ninety degree phase shift from the second sensor signal; and

computing a phase difference response using the ninety degree phase shift, the second ninety degree phase shift, the first sensor signal, and the second sensor signal.

38. The method of claim 32, further comprising generating a sensor signal time delay response.

39. The method of claim 32, further comprising generating a mass flow rate response.

40. The method of claim 32, further comprising generating a density response.

41. The method of claim 32, further comprising setting an anomaly alarm condition.

42. The method of claim 32, further comprising incrementing an anomaly count.