A heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication pole and flow measurement device

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of fluid flow measurement technology, and specifically to a heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication pole and flow measurement device. The acoustic wave communication pole includes a protective shell, a mounting fixture, a connecting portion, and a coupling protective sheet. The internal cavity of the protective shell is encapsulated with a heat-insulating and sound-conducting material. The mounting fixture is arranged at the top of the protective shell to connect the ultrasonic transducer, the connecting portion is arranged outside the protective shell to connect the measuring pipeline, and the coupling protective sheet is arranged at the bottom of the protective shell to encapsulate it. When in use, the bottom end of the acoustic wave communication pole extends into the interior of the measuring pipeline to contact the fluid to be measured to conduct sound waves. The flow measurement device includes an ultrasonic transducer, an acoustic wave communication pole, and a locking device. The present invention can accurately measure the flow of high and low temperature fluids in the pipeline, has good heat insulation and sound conduction effects, is easy to operate, and can effectively solve the technical problem that the existing ultrasonic flowmeter cannot directly contact the high and low temperature fluids and cannot measure the flow.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of fluid flow measurement, and in particular to a heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication rod and a flow measurement device. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic flowmeter is a device that uses the time difference method to measure the flow rate of fluid in a pipe. It determines the flow rate of the fluid in the pipe by measuring the time it takes for the ultrasonic pulse to travel back and forth between two ultrasonic transducers when the fluid is flowing downstream and upstream, and obtains the flow rate of the fluid by calculation. In process pipelines, the problem of measuring the flow rate of high-temperature or low-temperature fluids is often encountered. When measuring the flow rate of fluids, traditional ultrasonic flowmeters are prone to damage to the ultrasonic probe due to excessively high (up to 600°C) or too low (as low as -140°C) fluid temperatures, which affects the measurement accuracy and service life of the flowmeter. Traditional ultrasonic probes cannot come into direct contact with high and low temperature media, resulting in ultrasonic flowmeters not being widely used in high-temperature and low-temperature fluid measurements. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication rod (DTC for short) and a flow measurement device. In the measurement of the flow of high and low temperature fluid media, the ultrasonic transducer working at room temperature and the high and low temperature fluid are separated by the acoustic wave communication rod, and the flow of the high and low temperature fluid in the pipeline can be accurately measured. The thermal insulation performance and the effect of conducting sound waves are good, and the ultrasonic transducer can be replaced online, which is easy to operate. The present invention can effectively solve the technical problem that the existing ultrasonic flowmeter cannot directly contact the high and low temperature fluid and cannot measure the flow.

[0004] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication pole comprises a protective shell, a mounting fixture, a connecting portion and a coupling protective sheet. The internal cavity of the protective shell is encapsulated with a heat-insulating and sound-conducting material. The mounting fixture is arranged at the top of the protective shell to connect to an ultrasonic transducer. The connecting portion is arranged outside the protective shell to connect to a measuring pipe. The coupling protective sheet is arranged at the bottom of the protective shell to encapsulate it. When in use, the bottom end of the acoustic wave communication pole extends into the interior of the measuring pipe to conduct sound waves to the fluid to be measured.

[0006] Through the above technical solution, the acoustic wave communication pole is installed on the measuring pipe through the connecting part, and is connected to the ultrasonic transducer through the mounting fixture. The interior of the mounting fixture acoustically couples the sound waves of the ultrasonic transducer to the heat-insulating sound-conducting material through the coupling material. The bottom end of the acoustic wave communication pole is inserted into the pipe and contacts the fluid to be measured, and the acoustic wave signal is transmitted to the fluid to be measured through the coupling protective sheet, thereby realizing the flow measurement conversion. Unlike the traditional ultrasonic flowmeter, which requires the ultrasonic probe to be inserted into the pipe and contact the fluid to realize signal transmission, in this technical solution, the ultrasonic transducer transmits the signal through the acoustic wave communication pole coupled with it. The acoustic wave communication pole has excellent thermal insulation and corrosion resistance. The acoustic wave communication pole transmits the acoustic wave signal of the transducer to the high and low temperature fluid to be measured. The ultrasonic transducer does not need to directly contact the high and low temperature fluid, thereby avoiding the high and low temperature fluid from damaging or corroding the ultrasonic transducer and affecting its service life.

[0007] Furthermore, a mounting groove is provided on the top of the mounting fixture for clamping the ultrasonic transducer, and the mounting groove is coated with a coupling material to ensure the transmission of the sound wave signal of the ultrasonic transducer, so that acoustic coupling can be achieved between the ultrasonic transducer and the thermal insulation and sound-conducting material.

[0008] Furthermore, the connection between the connecting portion and the measuring pipeline is achieved by flange connection, bolt connection or welding.

[0009] Furthermore, the protective shell, the mounting fixture, and the connecting portion are integrally formed, which helps to improve the overall structural strength. The coupling protective sheet is fixedly connected to the protective shell to provide structural protection and acoustic coupling for the heat-insulating and sound-conducting material inside the protective shell.

[0010] Furthermore, the protective shell and the coupling protective sheet are both made of metal materials with high mechanical strength.

[0011] Furthermore, the protective shell and coupling protective sheet are both made of SS316 stainless steel or titanium metal material to ensure sufficient mechanical strength and sound-conducting effect, and the internal heat-insulating and sound-conducting materials are encapsulated and protected to adapt to various complex on-site working conditions and harsh high and low temperature media such as corrosive ones.

[0012] Furthermore, the heat-insulating sound-conducting material is made of metal or graphite material with low acoustic damping and low thermal conductivity, and is encapsulated inside a high-strength protective shell to conduct ultrasonic waves, thereby having a good heat-insulating effect.

[0013] The present invention also provides a flow measurement device, including an ultrasonic transducer, an acoustic wave communication rod and a locking device, wherein the acoustic wave communication rod is the acoustic wave communication rod in the above technical solution, the ultrasonic transducer and the acoustic wave communication rod are detachably connected, and the acoustic wave communication rod is fixedly connected to the installation short section on the measuring pipeline through the locking device. The flow measurement device in this technical solution can be fixedly installed on the pipeline to be measured through the locking device, the ultrasonic transducer and the acoustic wave communication rod can be installed by means of threads or snaps, and acoustic coupling can be performed by means of coupling agents, etc., and the ultrasonic transducer can be replaced online according to the on-site process requirements to ensure normal production operation, and the on-site installation and disassembly are convenient, which reduces the maintenance cost of the equipment.

[0014] Furthermore, the locking device is fitted on the upper end surface of the connecting part in the acoustic wave communication pole, the lower end surface of the connecting part is connected to the end surface of the mounting short section, and the locking device and the mounting short section are locked and fixed by bolts.

[0015] Compared with the existing flow measurement device, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] In the present invention, an ultrasonic transducer is installed on the top of the acoustic wave communication pole. The ultrasonic transducer does not need to be in direct contact with the high and low temperature fluid. The acoustic wave signal is transmitted to the high and low temperature fluid to be measured through the acoustic wave communication pole to achieve flow measurement. The acoustic wave communication pole provided by the present invention has good thermal insulation performance and sound wave conduction effect, excellent corrosion resistance, and is suitable for various complex on-site working conditions and high and low temperature media. The flow measurement device containing the acoustic wave communication pole provided by the present invention is easy to install, and the ultrasonic transducer can be replaced online, which reduces the maintenance cost of the equipment, ensures normal production operation, and can accurately measure the flow of high and low temperature fluids in the pipeline. In the present invention, the acoustic wave communication pole and the ultrasonic transducer are connected by an installation fixture, and the communication pole is connected to the measuring pipeline by a connecting part. The sound waves of the ultrasonic transducer are transmitted to the thermal insulation and sound-conducting material through the installation fixture, and the sound waves are transmitted to the fluid to be measured through the coupling protective sheet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present invention, they are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the acoustic wave communication pole in the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the internal cross-sectional structure of the acoustic wave communication pole in the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3It is a schematic diagram of the connection between the flow measurement device, the ultrasonic transducer and the pipeline in the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the flow measurement device containing the acoustic wave communication rods in the present invention installed in pairs in a pipeline.

[0022] Explanation of the numbers in the figure: 1. Protective shell; 2. Mounting fixture; 3. Connecting part; 4. Coupling protective sheet; 5. Heat-insulating sound-conducting material; 6. Mounting groove; 100. Ultrasonic transducer; 200. Acoustic wave communication pole; 300. Locking device; 400. Mounting short section; 500. Pipeline; 600. Fluid. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, it does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to the implementation.

[0024] In the description of the present embodiment, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "top", "bottom" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the positions or positional relationships in which the inventive product is usually placed when used, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0025] In the description of this embodiment, it is also necessary to explain that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this embodiment can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present invention, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication pole 200 includes a protective shell 1, a mounting fixture 2, a connecting portion 3 and a coupling protective sheet 4, and a heat-insulating and sound-conducting material 5 is encapsulated in the internal cavity of the protective shell 1. The protective shell 1 and the coupling protective sheet 4 are fixedly connected by welding or threaded connection, and the protective shell 1 and the coupling protective sheet 4 are used to perform structural protection and acoustic coupling on the heat-insulating and sound-conducting material 5 inside the protective shell 1. The protective shell 1, the mounting fixture 2, and the connecting portion 3 are integrally formed, which helps to improve the overall structural strength. The protective shell 1 and the coupling protective sheet 4 are both made of metal materials with high structural strength, such as SS316 stainless steel or titanium alloy, to adapt to various complex on-site working conditions and high and low temperature media with corrosive properties.

[0028] Specifically, in this embodiment, if Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the mounting fixture 2 is arranged at the top of the protective shell 1, and the top of the mounting fixture 2 is provided with a mounting groove 6 for clamping the ultrasonic transducer 100. In the mounting groove 6, a coupling agent is applied to the contact surface between the mounting fixture 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 100 to ensure the transmission of the sound wave signal. The coupling agent acoustically couples the sound waves of the ultrasonic transducer 100 and transmits them to the heat-insulating sound-conducting material 5. The connecting portion 3 is arranged on the outside of the protective shell 1 to connect the measuring pipe. The connecting portion 3 extends outward in the radial direction relative to the protective shell 1 to form an annular raised step. The connection method of the connecting portion 3 and the measuring pipe can be flange connection, bolt connection or welding. The coupling protective sheet 4 is arranged at the bottom end of the protective shell 1 to encapsulate it. When in use, the coupling protective sheet 4 at the bottom end of the acoustic wave communication pole 200 extends into the interior of the measuring pipe to conduct sound waves to the fluid to be measured.

[0029] In this embodiment, the heat-insulating sound-conducting material 5 is made of metal materials with low acoustic damping and low thermal conductivity, such as iron or stainless steel, or graphite materials, which are used to conduct ultrasonic waves and have good heat-insulating effects. The heat-insulating sound-conducting material 5 is in a filamentary, rod-shaped or strip-shaped structure, and is provided in several groups and arranged longitudinally and packaged inside the protective shell 1.

[0030] refer to Figure 3As shown, the acoustic wave communication rod 200 of this embodiment is installed on the mounting short section 400 on the pipe 500 through the connecting part 3, and is connected to the ultrasonic transducer 100 through the mounting fixture 2. The acoustic wave of the ultrasonic transducer 100 is acoustically coupled and the signal is transmitted to the heat-insulating sound-conductive material 5 through the coupling material arranged inside the mounting fixture 2. The bottom end of the acoustic wave communication rod 200 is inserted into the pipe and contacts with the fluid to be measured, and the acoustic wave pulse signal emitted by the ultrasonic transducer 100 is transmitted to the fluid to be measured through the coupling protective sheet 4, thereby realizing the flow conversion measurement. Unlike traditional ultrasonic flow meters that require the ultrasonic probe to be inserted into the pipeline to contact the fluid to achieve signal transmission, the ultrasonic transducer 100 in this embodiment conducts signals through the acoustic wave communication pole 200 coupled to it. The acoustic wave communication pole 200 has excellent thermal insulation and corrosion resistance. The acoustic wave communication pole 200 transmits the acoustic wave signal of the ultrasonic transducer 100 to the high-temperature or low-temperature fluid 600 to be measured. The ultrasonic transducer 100 does not need to directly contact the fluid 600, thereby preventing the high-temperature or low-temperature fluid 600 from damaging or corroding the ultrasonic transducer 100 and affecting its service life.

[0031] In another embodiment of the present invention, a flow measurement device is provided. Figure 3 As shown, it includes an ultrasonic transducer 100, an acoustic wave communication rod 200 and a locking device 300, wherein the acoustic wave communication rod 200 adopts the acoustic wave communication rod in the above embodiment. The ultrasonic transducer 100 and the acoustic wave communication rod 200 are detachably connected by means of threads or buckles, and acoustic coupling is performed by applying coupling agent.

[0032] According to the on-site process requirements, it is only necessary to remove the ultrasonic transducer 100 from the mounting fixture 2 of the acoustic wave communication pole 200 to achieve online replacement of the ultrasonic transducer 100, ensure normal production operation, facilitate on-site installation and disassembly, and reduce the maintenance cost of the equipment. The lower end face of the raised step of the connecting portion 3 in the acoustic wave communication pole 200 is connected to the installation short section 400, and the locking device 300 is fitted on the upper end face of the raised step of the connecting portion 3. The locking device 300 and the installation short section 400 are both provided with mounting holes for mounting bolts for locking and fixing, and a metal winding gasket is provided therein to ensure sealing performance. Thus, the acoustic wave communication pole 200 is fixedly connected to the installation short section 400 on the measuring pipeline through the locking device 300.

[0033] When the flow measurement device of this embodiment is used, the acoustic communication rods are generally installed in pairs on the on-site pipeline. Figure 4The installation method in the instrument measures the time it takes for an ultrasonic pulse to travel back and forth between two ultrasonic transducers when the fluid is flowing downstream and upstream. Due to the existence of the flow velocity, the two time values ​​are not equal, and there is a time difference. The flow velocity of the fluid can be calculated based on the time difference, and then the flow measurement result can be converted.

[0034] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above contents are further detailed descriptions of the present invention in combination with specific embodiments, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. Therefore, any technical solution that can be obtained by those skilled in the art through logical analysis, reasoning or limited experiments based on the concept of the present invention on the basis of the prior art should be within the scope of protection determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication pole, characterized in that: The invention comprises a protective shell (1), a mounting fixture (2), a connecting portion (3) and a coupling protective sheet (4); a heat-insulating sound-conducting material (5) is encapsulated in the internal cavity of the protective shell (1); the mounting fixture (2) is arranged at the top of the protective shell (1) for connecting an ultrasonic transducer (100); the connecting portion (3) is arranged outside the protective shell (1) for connecting a measuring pipe; the coupling protective sheet (4) is arranged at the bottom of the protective shell (1) for encapsulating the protective shell; when in use, the coupling protective sheet (4) at the bottom of the acoustic wave communication pole extends into the interior of the measuring pipe to conduct acoustic waves to the fluid to be measured; a mounting groove (6) is provided at the top of the mounting fixture (2) for clamping the ultrasonic transducer (100); the mounting groove (6) is coated with coupling material.

2. A heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication pole according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connection between the connecting portion (3) and the measuring pipeline is achieved by flange connection, bolt connection or welding.

3. A heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication pole according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective shell (1), the mounting fixture (2), and the connecting portion (3) are integrally formed, and the coupling protective sheet (4) is fixedly connected to the protective shell (1).

4. The heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication pole according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective shell (1) and the coupling protective sheet (4) are both made of metal materials.

5. A heat-insulating and sound-conducting acoustic wave communication pole according to claim 4, characterized in that: The protective shell (1) and the coupling protective sheet (4) are both made of SS316 stainless steel or titanium metal.

6. A flow measurement device, characterized in that: It comprises an ultrasonic transducer (100), an acoustic wave communication rod (200) and a locking device (300), wherein the acoustic wave communication rod (200) is a acoustic wave communication rod as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, the ultrasonic transducer (100) and the acoustic wave communication rod (200) are detachably connected, and the acoustic wave communication rod (200) is fixedly connected to a mounting short section (400) on a measuring pipe via a locking device (300).

7. A flow measurement device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The locking device (300) is fitted on the upper end surface of the connecting portion (3) in the acoustic wave communication pole (200), the lower end surface of the connecting portion (3) is connected to the end surface of the mounting short section (400), and the locking device (300) and the mounting short section (400) are locked and fixed by bolts.

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