Correcting for two-phase flow in a digital flowmeter

• US 9,021,892 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Henry, Manus P., De La Fuente, Maria Jesus
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, JEWEL VERGIE
• Application Number:
  US13/495,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20130145863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 738/613.55, 738/613.56, 738/613.57
• 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 1/8486 with multiple measuring conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/024 involving digital counting

Abstract

A flowmeter is disclosed. The flowmeter includes a vibratable conduit, and a driver connected to the conduit that is operable to impart motion to the conduit. A sensor is connected to the conduit and is operable to sense the motion of the conduit and generate a sensor signal. A controller is connected to receive the sensor signal. The controller is operable to detect a single-phase flow condition and process the sensor signal using a first process during the single-phase flow condition to generate a validated mass-flow measurement. The controller is also operable to detect a two-phase flow condition and process the sensor signal using a second process during the two-phase flow condition to generate the validated mass-flow measurement.

Claims

1. A digital flowmeter comprising:

a vibratable conduit;

a driver connected to the conduit and operable to impart motion to the conduit;

a first sensor connected to the conduit and operable to sense the motion of the conduit and generate a first sensor signal representative of said sensed motion, wherein said first sensor signal is a periodic signal having a first amplitude and a first frequency;

a second sensor connected to the conduit and operable to sense the motion of the conduit and generate a second sensor signal representative of said sensed motion, wherein said second sensor signal is a periodic signal having a second amplitude and a second frequency; and

a control and measurement system connected to the driver, the first sensor, and the second sensor, the control and measurement system comprising circuitry to;

receive a first sensor signal from the first sensor,

receive a second sensor signal from the second sensor;

compute a corrected first amplitude as a function of the first amplitude of the received first sensor signal;

compute a corrected second amplitude as a function of the second amplitude of the received second sensor signal; and

generate a measurement of a property of material flowing through the conduit as a function of the corrected first amplitude and the corrected second amplitude.