System and method for operating a flow process

• US 20050005711A1
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Expro Meters, Inc. (Umbrellastream LP, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Expro Meters, Inc. (Umbrellastream LP, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kersey, Alan D., Gysling, Daniel L., Curry, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/861.80
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/363 with electrical or electro-mechanical indication G01F1/37 and G01F1/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/662 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/7082 using acoustic detecting arrangements
• 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 15/063 using electrical means

Abstract

A system for monitoring, diagnosing, and/or controlling a flow process uses one or more flow meters based on an array of pressure sensors. A signal processor outputs at least one of a flow signal, a diagnostic signal, and a control signal in response to the pressure signals from the pressure sensors. The flow signal indicates the at least one parameter of the fluid, the diagnostic signal indicates a diagnostic condition of a device in the flow process, and the control signal is effective in adjusting an operating parameter of at least one device in the flow process. The system may be arranged as a distributed control system (DCS) architecture for monitoring a plurality of flow meters based on array-processing installed at various locations throughout a flow process.

Claims

1. A system for operating a flow process, the system comprising:

a meter for measuring at least one parameter of a fluid in the flow process, the meter including a spatial array of at least two pressure sensors disposed at different axial locations along an pipe in the flow process, each of the at least two pressure sensors providing a pressure signal indicative of unsteady pressure within the pipe at a corresponding axial location; and

a signal processor configured to output at least one of a flow signal, a diagnostic signal, and a control signal in response to the pressure signals, the flow signal indicating the at least one parameter of the fluid, the diagnostic signal indicating a diagnostic condition of a device in the flow process, and the control signal being effective in adjusting an operating parameter of at least one device in the flow process.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor provides the control signal in response to the parameter of the fluid.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

selection logic responsive to the diagnostic signal and the flow signal, the selection logic provides a monitor output signal indicative of at least one of the flow signal and the diagnostic signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor is configured to output the flow signal, and wherein the system further comprises:

a second signal processor configured to output at least one of the control signal and the diagnostic signal in response to the flow signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the parameter of the fluid includes at least one of:

speed of sound in the fluid, gas volume fraction of the fluid, volumetric flow rate, size of particles suspended in the fluid, mass flow rate of the fluid, enthalpy of the fluid, and velocity of the fluid.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the parameter of the fluid is the gas volume fraction of the fluid, and the fluid is one of a liquid having entrained gas, a mixture having entrained gas, and a slurry having entrained gas.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the signal processor includes flow logic configured to:

determine a slope of an acoustic ridge in a k-ω

plane to determine the speed of sound propagating through the fluid; and

determine the gas volume fraction of the flow in response to the measured speed of sound.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the flow logic is further is configured to:

determine the volumetric flow rate through the pipe using a cross-sectional area of the pipe and the velocity of the fluid, and

correct the volumetric flow rate of the fluid using the gas volume fraction of the fluid.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor compares an input evaluation signal based on the pressure signals against a diagnostic evaluation criteria to determine the diagnostic condition of the device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the evaluation criteria is based on a signature in at least one of the frequency domain, time domain, spatial domain, wave-number, and k-w domain.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of meters each including a spatial array of at least two pressure sensors disposed at different axial locations along an pipe in the flow process, the signal processor being further configured to output the control signal in response to signals from the plurality of meters.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the device is acoustically coupled to the pipe at least at the location of the spatial array.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least two pressure sensors are selected from a group consisting of:

piezoelectric, piezoresistive, strain gauge, PVDF, optical sensors, ported ac pressure sensors, accelerometers, velocity sensors, and displacement sensors.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two pressure sensors are wrapped around at least a portion of the pipe and do not contact the fluid.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor outputs both of the control signal and the diagnostic signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one device controlled in response to the control signal includes the device for which the diagnostic signal indicates the condition.

17. A method of operating a flow process, the method comprising:

receiving pressure signals from a meter including a spatial array of at least two pressure sensors disposed at different axial locations along an pipe in the flow process, each of the at least two pressure sensors providing a pressure signal indicative of unsteady pressure within the pipe at a corresponding axial location; and

providing at least one of a diagnostic signal and a control signal in response to the pressure signals, the diagnostic signal indicating a diagnostic condition of a device of the flow process, and the control signal being effective in adjusting an operating parameter of at least one device of the flow process.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

processing the pressure signals to provide a flow signal indicative of a parameter of a fluid flowing within the flow process.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the control signal in response to the pressure signals includes:

adjusting the control signal in response to the flow signal.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

providing a monitor output signal indicative of at least one of the flow signal and the diagnostic signal.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the parameter of the fluid includes at least one of:

speed of sound in the fluid, gas volume fraction of the fluid, volumetric flow rate, size of particles suspended in the fluid, mass flow rate of the fluid, enthalpy of the fluid, and velocity of the fluid.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the parameter of the fluid is the gas volume fraction of the fluid, and the fluid is one of a liquid having entrained gas, a mixture having entrained gas, and a slurry having entrained gas.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein processing the pressure signals to provide the flow signal includes:

determining a slope of an acoustic ridge in a k-ω

plane to determine the speed of sound propagating through the fluid; and

determining the gas volume fraction of the flow in response to the measured speed of sound.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein processing the pressure signals to provide the flow signal further includes:

determining the volumetric flow rate of the pipe using a cross-sectional area of the pipe and the velocity of the fluid, and

correcting the volumetric flow rate of the fluid using the gas volume fraction of the fluid.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein providing the diagnostic signal includes:

comparing an input evaluation signal based on the pressure signals against a diagnostic evaluation criteria to determine the diagnostic condition of the device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the evaluation criteria is based on a signature in at least one of the frequency domain, time domain, spatial domain, wave-number, and k-w domain.

27. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

adjusting the control signal in response to signals from a plurality of meters each including a spatial array of at least two pressure sensors.

28. The system of claim 17 wherein the device is acoustically coupled to the pipe at least at the location of the spatial array.

29. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least two pressure sensors are selected from a group consisting of:

piezoelectric, piezoresistive, strain gauge, PVDF, optical sensors, ported ac pressure sensors, accelerometers, velocity sensors, and displacement sensors.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least two pressure sensors are wrapped around at least a portion of the pipe and do not contact fluid within the flow process.

31. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing both the control signal and the diagnostic signal.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the at least one device controlled in response to the control signal includes the device for which the diagnostic signal indicates the condition.

33. A diagnostic monitoring system, for monitoring a diagnostic condition of a device that is coupled to a pipe, comprising:

at least one sensor disposed so as to measure unsteady pressures within or strain fields on the pipe, each sensor providing a sensor input signal; and

diagnostic processing logic, responsive to said sensor input signals, which provides a diagnostic output signal indicative of a diagnostic condition of the device.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein said device is acoustically coupled to the pipe at least at the location of said at least one sensor.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein said at least one sensor comprises an axial array of at least two sensors.

36. The system of claim 33 wherein said at least one sensor is selected from a group consisting of:

piezoelectric, piezoresistive, strain gauge, PVDF, optical sensors, ported ac pressure sensors, accelerometers, velocity sensors, and displacement sensors.

37. The system of claim 33 further comprising flow processing logic, responsive to said sensor input signals, which provides a flowmeter output signal indicative of at least one flow parameter of a material flowing within the pipe.

38. The system of claim 37 further comprising selection logic, responsive to said diagnostic output signal and said flowmeter output signal, which provides a monitor output signal indicative of at least one said flowmeter output signal and said diagnostic output signal.

39. The system of claim 33 wherein said diagnostic processing logic comprises logic which compares an input evaluation signal based on said sensor input signals against a diagnostic evaluation criteria to determine said diagnostic condition of the device.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein said evaluation criteria is based on a signature in at least one of the frequency domain, time domain, spatial domain, wave-number, and k-w domain.