Method and apparatus for measuring the mass flow rate of a fluid

Patent · 01 January 2002

OSTI ID:874549

Evans, Robert P ^[1]; Wilkins, S Curtis ^[1]; Goodrich, Lorenzo D ^[2]; Blotter, Jonathan D ^[3]

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1. Idaho Falls, ID
2. Shelley, ID
3. Pocatello, ID

A non invasive method and apparatus is provided to measure the mass flow rate of a multi-phase fluid. An accelerometer is attached to a pipe carrying a multi-phase fluid. Flow related measurements in pipes are sensitive to random velocity fluctuations whose magnitude is proportional to the mean mass flow rate. An analysis of the signal produced by the accelerometer shows a relationship between the mass flow of a fluid and the noise component of the signal of an accelerometer. The noise signal, as defined by the standard deviation of the accelerometer signal allows the method and apparatus of the present invention to non-intrusively measure the mass flow rate of a multi-phase fluid.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-94ID13223
• Assignee: Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC (Idaho Falls, ID)
• Patent Number(s): US 6412352
• OSTI ID: 874549
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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accelerometer
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analysis
apparatus
attached
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component
defined
deviation
flow
flow rate
fluctuations
fluid
invasive
magnitude
mass
mean
measure
measurements
measuring
method
multi-phase
multi-phase fluid
noise
non-intrusively
phase fluid
pipe
pipes
produced
proportional
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random
rate
related
relationship
sensitive
signal
standard
velocity