Meter electronics and methods for processing sensor signals for a multi-phase flow material in a flowmeter

• US 8,781,759 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Motion Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Micro Motion Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Bell, Mark James, McAnally, Craig B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moffat, Jonathan Teixeira
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARK, HYUN D
• Application Number:
  US12/063,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,891 Days
• Field of Search: 702/45, 702/106, 702/46, 702/47, 702/190, 702/48, 702/50, 702/54, 702/137, 702/138
• US Class Current: 702/45
• 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 15/024 involving digital counting

Abstract

Meter electronics (20) for processing sensor signals for a multi-phase flow material in a flowmeter (5) is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The meter electronics (20) includes an interface (201) for receiving first and second sensor signals (210 and 211) for the multi-phase flow material and a processing system (203). The processing system (203) is configured to receive the first sensor signal (210) and the second sensor signal (211), generate a first ninety degree phase shift (213) from the first sensor signal (210) and generate a second ninety degree phase shift (214) from the second sensor signal (211), compute a frequency (221) using one of the first ninety degree phase shift (213) or the second ninety degree phase shift (214), compute a phase difference (220) using one or more of the first ninety degree phase shift (213) and the second ninety degree phase shift (214), and compute one or more of a mass flow rate (223), a density (224), or a volume flow rate (225) for the multi-phase flow material.

Claims

1. Meter electronics (20) for processing sensor signals for a multi-phase flow material in a flowmeter (5), comprising:

an interface (201) for receiving a first sensor signal (210) and a second sensor signal (211) for the multi-phase flow material; and

a processing system (203) in communication with the interface (201) and configured to receive the first sensor signal (210) and the second sensor signal (211) from the interface (201), generate a first ninety degree phase shift (213) from the first sensor signal (210), compute a frequency (221) using the first ninety degree phase shift (213) and the first sensor signal (210), compute a phase difference (220) using the first ninety degree phase shift (213), the first sensor signal (210), and the second signal (211), break out the frequency (221) into at least a gas frequency component (1412) and a fluid frequency component (1416), determine one or more of a void fraction of gas (1418) or a liquid fraction (1427) from a frequency response (1410) and one or more of the gas frequency component (1412) and the fluid frequency component (1416), and compute one or more of a mass flow rate (223), a density (224), or a volume flow rate (225) for the multi-phase flow material.

2. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the interface including a digitizer (202) configured to digitize the sensor signal.

3. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the generating comprising using a Hilbert transformation to generate the first ninety degree phase shift (213).

4. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the processing system (203) being further configured to determine one or more of a liquid phase density (1422) of a liquid flow component of the multi-phase flow material or a gas phase density (1421) of a gas flow component using the void fraction of gas (1418), and determine one or more of a gas carry under (1425) of the multi-phase flow material or a liquid carryover (1426) using one or more of the void fraction of gas (1418) or the liquid fraction (1427).

5. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the breaking out comprising processing the realtime frequency (221) with one or more filters that substantially reject one of the gas frequency component (1412) and the fluid frequency component (1416).

6. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the breaking out comprising filtering the realtime frequency (221) with a first filter that substantially rejects the gas frequency component (1412) and substantially passes the fluid frequency component (1416) and filtering the realtime frequency (221) with a second filter that substantially rejects the fluid frequency component (1416) and substantially passes the gas frequency component (1412), wherein the first filter outputs the fluid frequency component (1416) and the second filter outputs the gas frequency component (1412).

7. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the determining one or more of a void fraction of gas (1418) or a liquid fraction (1427) comprising calculating an overall density (1420) from the realtime frequency (221), calculating a fluid component density (1422) from the fluid frequency component (1416), calculating a gas component density (1421) from the gas frequency component (1412), and calculating the void fraction of gas (1418) as a ratio of the fluid component density (1422) minus the overall density (1420) divided by the fluid component density (1422) minus the gas component density (1421).

8. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the processing system (203) being further configured to break out the realtime frequency (221) into at least a gas frequency component (1412) and a fluid frequency component (1416), determine an overall density (1420) from the realtime frequency (221), and determine a mass fraction (1419) from the void fraction of gas (1418) multiplied by a ratio of the gas density (1421) divided by the overall density (1420).

9. The meter electronics (20) of claim 8, with the processing system (203) being further configured to determine a mass flow rate (223) of the flow material from the realtime frequency (221) and determine at least one of a first flow component mass and a second flow component mass using the mass fraction (1419) and the mass flow rate (223).

10. The meter electronics (20) of claim 1, with the processing system (203) being further configured to square the frequency response (1410) to generate a squared frequency response, invert the squared frequency response to generate a substantially instantaneous flow stream density, compare the substantially instantaneous flow stream density to at least one of a predetermined gas density (1421) that is representative of a gas flow fraction (1428) of the gas flow material and a predetermined liquid density (1422) that is representative of a liquid flow fraction (1427), and determine one or more of the liquid flow fraction (1427) or the gas flow fraction (1428) from the comparing.

11. A method for processing sensor signals for a multi-phase flow material in a flowmeter (5), the method comprising:

receiving a first sensor signal (210) and a second sensor signal (211) for the multi-phase flow material;

generating a first ninety degree phase shift (213) from the first sensor signal (210);

computing a realtime frequency (221) using the first sensor signal (210) and the first ninety degree phase shift (213);

breaking out the frequency (221) into at least a gas frequency component (1412) and a fluid frequency component (1416);

determining, by a processing system, one or more of a void fraction of gas (1418) or a liquid fraction (1427) from a frequency response (1410) and one or more of the gas frequency component (1412) and the fluid frequency component (1416); and

computing one or more of a mass flow rate (223), a density (224), or a volume flow rate (225) for the multi-phase flow material.

12. The method of claim 11, with the generating comprising using a Hilbert transformation to generate the first ninety degree phase shift (213).

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining one or more of a liquid phase density (1422) of a liquid flow component of the multi-phase flow material or a gas phase density (1421) of a gas flow component using the void fraction of gas (1418); and

determining one or more of a gas carryunder (1425) of the multi-phase flow material or a liquid carryover (1426) using one or more of the void fraction of gas (1418) or the liquid fraction (1427).

14. The method of claim 13, with the breaking out comprising:

filtering the frequency response (1410) with a first filter that substantially rejects the gas frequency component (1412) and substantially passes the fluid frequency component (1416); and

filtering the frequency response (1410) with a second filter that substantially rejects the fluid frequency component (1416) and substantially passes the gas frequency component (1412);

wherein the first filter outputs the fluid frequency component (1416) and the second filter outputs the gas frequency component (1412).

15. The method of claim 13, with the determining one or more of a void fraction of gas (1418) or a liquid fraction (1427) comprising:

calculating an overall density (1420) from the realtime frequency (221); and

calculating a fluid component density (1422) from the fluid frequency component (1416);

calculating a gas component density (1421) from the gas frequency component (1412); and

calculating the void fraction of gas (1418) as a ratio of the fluid component density (1422) minus the overall density (1420) divided by the fluid component density (1422) minus the gas component density (1421).

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining an overall density (1420) from the realtime frequency (221); and

determining a gas density (1421) from the gas frequency component (1412);

determining a void fraction of gas (1418) from the realtime frequency (221) and one or more of the gas frequency component (1412) and the fluid frequency component (1416); and

determining a mass fraction (1419) from the void fraction of gas (1418) multiplied by a ratio of the gas density (1421) divided by the overall density (1420).

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a mass flow rate (223) of the flow material from the realtime frequency (221); and

determining at least one of a first flow component mass and a second flow component mass using the mass fraction (1419) and the mass flow rate (223).

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

squaring the frequency response (1410) to generate a squared frequency response;

inverting the squared frequency response to generate a substantially instantaneous flow stream density;

comparing the substantially instantaneous flow stream density to at least one of a predetermined gas density (1421) that is representative of a gas flow fraction (1428) of the gas flow material and a predetermined liquid density (1422) that is representative of a liquid flow fraction (1427); and

determining one or more of the liquid flow fraction (1427) or the gas flow fraction (1428) from the comparing.