APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING TRANSVERSE VELOCITY OR TEMPERATURE OF A FLUID IN A PIPE

• Main Authors: HAUSER, ERNEST M, HASTINGS, CALVIN R, MILLER, ROBERT C
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 08.02.2011
• Subjects: INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION,OR SHOCK; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUIDLEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME; PHYSICS; TESTING; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

An apparatus for determining a period of time of an acoustic wave in a fluid in a pipe where the wave is provided to the fluid from the outside of the pipe and a signal is obtained corresponding to when the wave has traversed the pipe and the fluid therein, and signal processing means measures the period of time the wave is in the fluid based on the signal, the signal processing means being in communication with means providing the acoustic wave. Also disclosed is a method and apparatus for determining sound velocity of fluid flowing in a pipe comprising transmitting acoustic energy into the fluid flowing in the pipe such that the energy takes a path through the pipe, receiving the acoustic energy after it passes out of the fluid, measuring the time the energy takes to pass through the fluid, and identifying sound velocity of the fluid from the time measured. The apparatus also allows determination of the temperature of the fluid.