Methods and apparatus to measure fluid flow rates
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a flowline;
a circulator to selectively circulate a fluid in the flowline;
a generator controllable to form a heat wave in the fluid, wherein the generator is thermally coupled to the flowline at a first location;
a sensor to measure a first value representative of the heat wave, wherein the sensor is thermally coupled to the flowline at a second location;
a phase detector to determine a second value representative of a wavelength of the heat wave at the second location based on the first value;
a frequency adjuster to control the generator to form the heat wave in the fluid at a first frequency, the first frequency selected so that the second value is substantially equal to a distance between the first and second locations; and
a flow rate determiner to determine a flow rate of the fluid based on the first frequency.
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Abstract
Example methods and apparatus to measure fluid flow rates are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a circulator to selectively circulate a fluid in a flowline, a generator thermally coupled to the flowline at a first location and controllable to form a heat wave in the fluid, a sensor thermally coupled to the flowline at a second location to measure a first value representative of the heat wave, a phase detector to determine a second value representative of a wavelength of the heat wave based on the first value, a frequency adjuster to control the generator to form the heat wave in the fluid at a first frequency, the first frequency selected so that the second value is substantially equal to a distance between the first and second locations, and a flow rate determiner to determine a flow rate of the fluid based on the first frequency.
13 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a flowline; a circulator to selectively circulate a fluid in the flowline; a generator controllable to form a heat wave in the fluid, wherein the generator is thermally coupled to the flowline at a first location; a sensor to measure a first value representative of the heat wave, wherein the sensor is thermally coupled to the flowline at a second location; a phase detector to determine a second value representative of a wavelength of the heat wave at the second location based on the first value; a frequency adjuster to control the generator to form the heat wave in the fluid at a first frequency, the first frequency selected so that the second value is substantially equal to a distance between the first and second locations; and a flow rate determiner to determine a flow rate of the fluid based on the first frequency. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method comprising:
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forming a first heat wave having a first frequency in a fluid at a first location, the first heat wave formed while the fluid is not circulating; selecting the first frequency based on a first wavelength of the first heat wave detected at a second location and a distance between the first and second locations; forming a second heat wave having a second frequency in the fluid at the first location, the second heat wave formed while the fluid is circulating; selecting the second frequency based on a second wavelength of the second heat wave detected at the second location and the distance between the first and second locations; and determining a flow rate of the circulated fluid based on the first and second frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification