Enhanced supercritical fluid measurement with a vibration sensor

Abstract

A method for deriving a derived speed of sound of a flowing fluid is disclosed. The method is performed by a computer system (200) having a processor (210) and a memory (220), the processor (210) being configured to execute instructions from the memory (220) and store data in the memory (220), the memory (220) having a SoS derivation module (202). The method includes deriving, by the SoS derivation module (202), the derived speed of sound of the flowing fluid based on a derived relationship between a measured density of the flowing fluid and the derived speed of sound of the flowing fluid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments described below relate to mass flow sensors, and more specifically, to the calibration of mass flow sensors. Background Technology

[0002] Some substances are optimally transported at high temperatures and / or high pressures under critical and / or supercritical phase conditions (hereinafter referred to as "supercritical"). An exemplary substance is ethylene. For example, when ethylene is used as a feedstock in plastics manufacturing processes, it is often pumped at high pressures under critical phase conditions. Supercritical ethylene has a higher density than gaseous ethylene, and therefore its pumping cost is generally relatively low. The flow rate of ethylene is typically determined by mass flow rate measurement.

[0003] Supercritical ethylene is particularly non-ideal, meaning its density and sound velocity characteristics vary significantly with small changes in temperature and / or pressure. This makes flow measurement very difficult for all technologies, including Coriolis flow sensors. Supercritical ethylene typically transfers at pressures of 50 bar or higher. Temperature is typically around ambient temperature, possibly around 20°C, but can vary depending on geological conditions as pipelines are often underground.

[0004] Within the supercritical range, the density of ethylene (and other substances) varies significantly with changes in pressure and / or temperature. For example, a pressure change of 1 psi (pound force per square inch) results in a density change of 2 kg / m³ (kg / m³). 3 The density change of an ideal gas is less pronounced than that of a 1 psi pressure. 3 The density changes. For this reason, Coriolis flow sensors are generally preferred. Small changes in pressure and / or temperature lead to large density changes, making it challenging to determine mass flow rate using a combination of density and volumetric flow sensors.

[0005] In addition to density variations, the velocity of sound (hereinafter referred to as "SoS") of ethylene (and other substances) also varies significantly with pressure and / or temperature. For example, a 1 psi pressure change can result in a 5 m / s (hereinafter referred to as "m / s") SoS change, where the SoS of an ideal gas does not change with pressure. Some Coriolis flow sensors, such as larger Coriolis flow sensors, are susceptible to the SoS effect. Some larger Coriolis flow sensors have such high errors that it is pointless to use them in applications where the fluid is in a critical state. Error propagation from the velocity of sound effect is more pronounced in sensors with larger flow pipe diameters and sensors operating at higher frequencies. The velocity of sound error in mass flow rate determination is higher when the velocity of sound of the flowing fluid is low. For example, a 1 psi change that can result in a 5 m / s SoS change can also result in a 0.03% change in the measurement of a Coriolis flow sensor. A pressure change of 100 psi in a typical pipeline can result in a 3% error in the flow measurement provided by a Coriolis sensor. A typical requirement for measurement results is an error of less than 0.5%. Many standards specify that the error should be less than 0.35%.

[0006] Mass flow rate equations and relationships that take sound velocity into account can correct for sound velocity effects. Numerous equations and relationships exist in the prior art for correcting mass flow rates using the sound velocity of the flowing fluid. One example can be found in U.S. Patent No. 6,412,355B1. The mass flow rate correction method of that patent is conceived in this specification and is incorporated herein by reference; however, it should be understood that these are merely exemplary, and other implementations of mass flow rate correction algorithms that take sound velocity into account exist and can be used in conjunction with the features of this disclosure. These equations and relationships can make larger Coriolis flow sensors useful in a wider range of applications where sound velocity effects are significant.

[0007] Therefore, a method is needed to correct the sound velocity effect in Coriolis flow sensors. Summary of the Invention

[0008] An implementation of a method for deriving the derived sound velocity of a flowing fluid is disclosed. The method is executed by a computer system (200) having a processor (210) and a memory (220), the processor (210) being configured to execute instructions from the memory (220) and store data in the memory (220), the memory (220) having a SoS derivation module (202). The method includes deriving the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid by the SoS derivation module (202) based on a derivation relationship between the measured density of the flowing fluid and the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0009] An embodiment of an apparatus for deriving the derived sound velocity of a flowing fluid is disclosed. The apparatus includes a computer system (200) having a processor (210) and a memory (220). The processor (210) is configured to execute instructions from the memory (220) and store data in the memory (220). The memory (220) has a SoS derivation module (202). The SoS derivation module (202) is configured to derive the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid based on the derivation relationship between the measured density of the flowing fluid and the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0010] aspect

[0011] According to one aspect, a method for deriving the derived sound velocity of a flowing fluid is disclosed. The method is executed by a computer system (200) having a processor (210) and a memory (220), the processor (210) being configured to execute instructions from the memory (220) and store data in the memory (220), the memory (220) having a SoS derivation module (202). The method includes deriving the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid by the SoS derivation module (202) based on a derivation relationship between the measured density of the flowing fluid and the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0012] Preferably, the derived relationship between the deduced sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the density of the flowing fluid is an inverse relationship between the deduced sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the square root of the measured density of the flowing fluid.

[0013] Preferably, the derivation relationship between the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid and the density of the flowing fluid also takes into account the pressure of the flowing fluid, wherein the pressure of the flowing fluid is one or more of the measured pressure measured by the pressure sensor (20) and the pressure derivation based on the stiffness of the density sensor (10).

[0014] Preferably, the derivation relationship is also based on the relationship between the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid and the heat capacity ratio of the flowing fluid, wherein the derivation relationship is based on the relationship between the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid and the square root term, which is the square root of the product of the heat capacity ratio and the pressure divided by the square root of the measured density.

[0015] Preferably, the heat capacity ratio is associated with a flowing fluid and one or more of a group of flowing fluids in which the flowing fluid is a component, and wherein the heat capacity ratio is one or more of a temperature-dependent and a pressure-dependent relationship, such that the heat capacity ratio is determined based on a predetermined correspondence between the heat capacity ratio and one or more of the measured temperatures and pressures.

[0016] Preferably, the computer system (200) is a density sensor instrument electronic device (120) of the density sensor (10), and the method further includes: measuring the measured density by the density sensor (10); and transmitting the derivation speed of the fluid to the vibration sensor (5) by the density sensor (10).

[0017] Preferably, the method further includes: if the derivation relationship between the measured density of the flowing fluid and the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid takes into account the pressure of the flowing fluid, then the pressure of the flowing fluid is derived by the density sensor instrument electronics (120) based on the measured stiffness of the elements of the density sensor (10) determined by the density sensor (10).

[0018] Preferably, the computer system (200) is a vibration flow sensor instrumentation (110) of the vibration flow sensor (5), and the method further includes: receiving a measured density from the density sensor (10) via the computer system (200); receiving the pressure of the flowing fluid via the computer system (200); and determining a corrected mass flow rate based on the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid via the computer system (200).

[0019] Preferably, the vibration sensor (5) has one or more of the following characteristics: causing the vibration element of the vibration sensor (5) to vibrate at a frequency greater than or equal to 300 Hz; and having an inner diameter greater than or equal to two inches, and the density sensor (10) has one or more of the following characteristics: causing the vibration element of the density sensor (10) to vibrate at a frequency less than 300 Hz; and having an inner diameter less than two inches.

[0020] Preferably, the flowing fluid is in a supercritical state and includes one or more of ethylene, ethane, carbon dioxide, and argon.

[0021] According to one aspect, an apparatus for deriving the derived sound velocity of a flowing fluid is disclosed. The apparatus includes a computer system (200) having a processor (210) and a memory (220), the processor (210) being configured to execute instructions from the memory (220) and store data in the memory (220), the memory (220) having a SoS derivation module (202). The computer system (200) is configured to derive the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid by the SoS derivation module (202) based on the derivation relationship between the measured density of the flowing fluid and the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0022] Preferably, the derived relationship between the deduced sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the density of the flowing fluid is an inverse relationship between the deduced sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the square root of the measured density of the flowing fluid.

[0023] Preferably, the derivation relationship between the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid and the density of the flowing fluid also takes into account the pressure of the flowing fluid, wherein the pressure of the flowing fluid is one or more of the measured pressure measured by the pressure sensor (20) and the pressure derivation based on the stiffness of the density sensor (10).

[0024] Preferably, the derivation relationship is also based on the relationship between the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid and the heat capacity ratio of the flowing fluid, wherein the derivation relationship is based on the relationship between the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid and the square root term, which is the square root of the product of the heat capacity ratio and the pressure divided by the square root of the measured density.

[0025] Preferably, the heat capacity ratio is associated with a flowing fluid and one or more of a group of flowing fluids in which said flowing fluid is a component, and wherein the heat capacity ratio is one or more of a temperature-dependent and a pressure-dependent relationship, such that the heat capacity ratio is determined based on a predetermined correspondence between the heat capacity ratio and one or more of the measured temperature and pressure.

[0026] Preferably, the computer system (200) is a density sensor instrumentation (120) of the density sensor (10), which is configured to: measure the density; and transmit the derivation velocity of the fluid to the vibration sensor (5).

[0027] Preferably, if the derivation relationship between the measured density of the flowing fluid and the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid takes into account the pressure of the flowing fluid, then the density sensor instrumentation (120) is configured to derive the derived flowing fluid pressure based on the measured stiffness of the elements of the density sensor (10) determined by the density sensor (10).

[0028] Preferably, the device is a vibration flow sensor (5), and the computer system (200) is a vibration flow sensor instrumentation device (110) of the vibration flow sensor (5). The computer system (200) is also configured to: receive a measured density from the density sensor (10); receive the pressure of the flowing fluid; and determine a corrected mass flow rate based on the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0029] Preferably, the vibration sensor (5) has one or more of the following characteristics: causing the vibration element of the vibration sensor (5) to vibrate at a frequency greater than or equal to 300 Hz; and having an inner diameter greater than or equal to two inches, and the density sensor (10) has one or more of the following characteristics: causing the vibration element of the density sensor (10) to vibrate at a frequency less than 300 Hz; and having an inner diameter less than two inches.

[0030] Preferably, the flowing fluid is in a supercritical state and includes one or more of ethylene, ethane, carbon dioxide, and argon. Attached Figure Description

[0031] In all the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals denote embodiments of the same elements. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0032] Figure 1 A system 100 for providing calibration flow sensor measurements is shown.

[0033] Figure 2 A block diagram illustrating an implementation of a computer system 200 for deriving and / or applying the speed of sound is shown.

[0034] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 300 for deriving the velocity of sound from a flowing fluid is shown.

[0035] Figure 4 A flowchart is shown of an embodiment of a method 400 for deriving the velocity of sound for deriving a flowing fluid.

[0036] Figure 5 A flowchart is shown of an embodiment of a method 500 for deriving the velocity of sound for deriving the fluid flowing in the density sensor 10.

[0037] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown of an embodiment of a method 600 for deriving the velocity of sound of the fluid flowing in a vibration flow sensor 5.

[0038] Figure 7 A flowchart is shown of an implementation of a method 700 for correcting flow measurement results using derived sound velocity.

[0039] Figure 8 A graph 800 is shown illustrating an implementation of the relationship between the heat capacity ratio of ethylene and both pressure and temperature.

[0040] Figure 9 A graph 900 is shown illustrating an implementation of the relationship between the percentage of mass flow rate error due to the sound velocity effect and the pressure and temperature of ethylene flowing through the CMF400 mass flow meter. Detailed Implementation

[0041] Figures 1 to 9The following description depicts specific examples to teach those skilled in the art how to construct and use implementations of systems and methods for enhanced supercritical fluid measurements utilizing vibration sensors. For the purpose of teaching the principles of the invention, some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilled in the art will understand variations of these examples that fall within the scope of this specification. Those skilled in the art will understand that the features described below can be combined in various ways to form numerous variations of systems and methods for enhanced supercritical fluid measurements utilizing vibration sensors. Therefore, the embodiments described below are not limited to the specific examples described below.

[0042] Figure 1 A system 100 for providing calibration of flow sensor measurements is shown. System 100 can use derivation to calibrate flow measurements in Coriolis flow meters that may be affected by the SoS effect. When the terms "infer" or "inferring" are used in the verb form, it should be understood that this means using a derivational correlation, such as a derivational relationship, to determine the flow. In an embodiment, system 100 can derive the SoS of a fluid. The SoS of a flowing fluid can be derived from measurements of one or more of the pressure, density, and / or temperature of the flowing fluid. SoS derivation can utilize the relationship between the specific heat ratio of the flowing fluid and one or more of temperature and pressure (hereinafter, "temperature and / or pressure-related heat ratio"). The heat ratio symbolically represented as "k" in this specification is the constant-pressure specific heat (typically expressed in C). p (represented by) and constant volume specific heat (usually expressed in C) v (Indicates the ratio).

[0043] The hardware used in System 100 can vary in different implementations. The calibrated mass flow rate can be determined using methods known in the art via a Coriolis flow sensor. Coriolis flow sensors, especially larger ones, may be susceptible to the SoS effect. The SoS effect can cause errors in the mass flow rate determined by the Coriolis flow sensor. If the SoS of the flowing fluid is known, the SoS effect can be considered. However, because Coriolis flow sensors are sensitive to the SoS effect, they may not be reliable in producing one or more measurements that can be used to derive the SoS of the flowing fluid.

[0044] The envisioned flowing fluid can be a fluid that is typically transported or used in a supercritical fluid state. Examples of flowing fluids envisioned in this specification are, for example, one or more of ethylene, ethane, carbon dioxide, and argon.

[0045] In one embodiment, an additional sensor is used to provide a measurement of the mass flow rate of the flowing fluid, which can be used to correct for the SoS effect measured by the Coriolis flow sensor. For example, a densitometer or viscometer can be used to determine the measurement to be used in the derivation of the SoS of the flowing fluid. In another embodiment, a pressure sensor can be used to determine the measured pressure for the derivation of the SoS of the flowing fluid. In an alternative embodiment, the pressure can be derived from other measurements. For example, density sensor 10 can measure the stiffness of density sensor 10 and the pressure of the flowing fluid can be derived from the measured stiffness. In another embodiment, the stiffness can have a linear relationship with the derived pressure, with a simple slope and intercept. In yet another embodiment, the derived pressure can be derived using a relationship expressed by equation (13).

[0046] In implementation, the SoS of the flowing fluid can be determined based on one or more of the measured density, measured temperature, measured or derived pressure, and temperature and / or pressure-related specific heat ratio. This relationship can be derived from the ideal gas law equation, which has been modified to take supercompressibility into account.

[0047] P×V=z×R×T (1)

[0048] Rearrangement:

[0049]

[0050] In equations (1) and (2), P is the pressure of the flowing fluid, V is the volume of the flowing fluid, z is the compressibility coefficient of the flowing fluid, R is the universal gas constant (as a function of molecular weight (hereinafter referred to as "MW")), and T is the absolute temperature of the flowing fluid. Since the gas constant is a function of MW, the density equation of equation (2) can be rewritten as equation (3):

[0051]

[0052] In equation (3), ρ is the density of the flowing fluid.

[0053] Equation (3) can also be rearranged to produce equation (4) for later use:

[0054]

[0055] The fluid's SoS, "a", is a function of pressure change and density change, as shown in equation (5):

[0056]

[0057] Assuming that SoS is isentropic in the system, then equation (5) can be extended to equation (6):

[0058]

[0059] In equation (6), k is the specific heat ratio of the gas and is a function of temperature and / or pressure. As with equation (1), equation (6) can be modified to account for the effects of non-ideal gas behavior to produce equation (7):

[0060]

[0061] Combining equations (4) and (7), we get equation (8):

[0062]

[0063] In the implementation, k is a function of temperature and / or pressure and can be expressed as k(T,P) (or, alternatively, as k(P) or k(T)). Equation (8) can be rewritten as Equation (9) to represent this.

[0064]

[0065] Equations (5) to (9) represent the derivation of the SoS relationship based on one or more values ​​of the flowing fluid pressure, density, and temperature. Deriving the SoS relationship may be more practical because the derived relationship can be obtained using measurements typically performed in existing systems used for the transfer, transport, and / or storage of supercritical fluids.

[0066] It can be seen that the relationships in equations (8) and / or (9) have specific relationships between parameters that distinguish the derivation of equations (8) and / or (9) from existing methods for determining SoS. For example, SoS can be derived based on the inverse relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and its density. Furthermore, SoS can be derived based on the direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and its pressure. SoS can be derived based on the direct relationship between the square root of the pressure of the flowing fluid and its SoS. SoS can be derived based on the inverse relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the square root of its density. SoS can be derived based on the direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the product of the heat capacity ratio (k) and pressure. SoS can be derived based on the direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the product of the temperature and / or pressure-related heat capacity ratios (k(T), k(P), and / or k(T,P)) and pressure. SoS can be derived based on the direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the ratio of pressure to density. The SoS of a flowing fluid can be derived based on the proportional relationship between the SoS and the square root of the ratio of pressure to density. The SoS of a flowing fluid can also be derived based on the proportional relationship between the SoS and the square root of the product of the heat capacity ratio (which may be a temperature- and / or pressure-related heat capacity ratio) and the ratio of pressure to density.

[0067] To assess the heat capacity ratio based on temperature and / or pressure, the computer system 200, which performs the derivation, can store predetermined relationships, possibly material-specific constants, to determine the heat capacity ratio. In an alternative embodiment, the computer system 200 has a material-specific table showing the heat capacity ratio at specific temperature and / or pressure values. If no precise values ​​of the heat capacity ratio are stored for the relevant temperature and / or pressure values, the computer system 200 may interpolate or extrapolate the heat capacity ratio based on the table values ​​or take the closest table value.

[0068] System 100 may include a vibration flow sensor 5, a density sensor 10, an optional pressure sensor 20, a pipe 160, and a sideflow 170. In embodiments, one or more of the vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, and optional pressure sensor 20 may be communicatively coupled, possibly at their respective computer and / or instrumentation electronics. The vibration flow sensor 5 can be used to determine various flowing fluids and / or fluid flow measurements, such as one or more of mass flow rate, density, and viscosity.

[0069] Vibration flow sensor 5 is a vibration flow sensor that detects fluid flow and / or the characteristics of the flowing fluid. In this embodiment, vibration flow sensor 5 is a Coriolis flow sensor. Vibration sensors, such as Coriolis mass flow meters, vibration densitometers, and viscometers, typically operate by detecting the motion of a vibrating pipe containing flowing material or a vibrating element immersed in a fluid. Characteristics associated with the material in the pipe, such as mass flow rate and density, can be determined by processing measurement signals received from a motion transducer associated with the pipe. The vibration modes of a system filled with vibrating material are typically influenced by the mass, stiffness, and damping characteristics of the fluid-containing pipe and the material contained within it.

[0070] A typical Coriolis mass flow meter comprises one or more pipes or flow tubes connected in series in a pipeline (e.g., pipe 160 or side flow 170) or other transmission system and conveying materials such as fluids, slurries, emulsions, etc., in system 100. Each pipe can be considered to have a set of inherent vibration modes, including, for example, simple bending, torsional, radial, and coupling modes. In typical Coriolis mass flow measurement applications, the pipe is excited in vibrational modes as material flows through it, and the movement of the pipe is measured at points spaced apart along the pipe. The excitation is typically provided by actuators that periodically agitate the pipe, such as electromechanical devices like magnets and coil-type drives. The mass flow rate can be determined by measuring the time delay or phase difference between the movements at the transducer locations. Typically, two such transducers (or pickup sensors) are used to measure the vibrational response of one or more flow pipes, and the two such sensors (or pickup sensors) are typically located upstream and downstream of both the actuators. The pickup sensors can generate signals that are out of phase with each other, and the phase difference or time delay between the signals can represent the Coriolis force affecting the pipe vibration. Two pickup sensors are connected to an electronic instrument. The instrument receives and processes signals from the two pickup sensors to derive a mass flow rate measurement or a density measurement, etc. For the purposes of this specification, the described instrument will be designated as a vibrating flow sensor instrument electronics 110. Other flow meter arrangements are conceivable, for example, systems using only one pickup sensor or driver that also have a pickup sensor mode such that only a single driver is used to determine the phase difference.

[0071] The mass flow rate generated by the flow meter is achieved using the vibration flow sensor instrument electronics 110. Equation (10) can be used to determine:

[0072]

[0073] In equation (10), FCF is the flow calibration coefficient, Δt is the time delay, and Δt0 is the zero offset of the time delay. Implementations using phase difference instead of time delay are common in the art and are contemplated, but for the sake of brevity, these examples are not presented.

[0074] Using a vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics, the mass flow rate can be corrected for the sound velocity effect. Examples of the relationship that can be used to correct the mass flow rate for the sound velocity can be found in equations (11) and (12):

[0075] x 误差 =b + c × (a) + d × (a) 2 )+e×(a 3 )+f×(a 4 (11)

[0076]

[0077] In equation (11), x 误差 This is the mass flow rate error factor, which depends on the relationship with the speed of sound "a". In various embodiments, this relationship can be a polynomial of the speed of sound. For each power of the speed of sound, there exists a corresponding coefficient (e.g., b, c, d, e, and f), which are associated with the fluid (these coefficients may be associated with the fluid via instrumentation electronics, which performs mass flow rate correction, stores these coefficients, and associates them with a specific fluid used to correct the mass flow rate of that fluid; these coefficients may be associated with the fluid's relevant k value). In alternative embodiments, there may be coefficients that depend on the flow sensor used but not on the fluid, such that only one set of coefficients exists for all types of flowing fluids. Combinations of these embodiments are contemplated, for example, embodiments that associate coefficients with both the flowing fluid and the fluid sensor. Although described as a fourth-order polynomial, other relationships involving polynomials of different orders are also contemplated. Other orders of the polynomial can be, for example, first, second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, etc. In Equation 12), It is the mass flow rate measured by flow sensor 5 that has not been corrected for the sound velocity effect, and This is the mass flow rate corrected for the speed of sound effect. It should be understood that the uncorrected mass flow rate... Any known relation can be used, such as equation (10) (where equation (10) is... For equation (12) To determine this. In equation (12), This is the mass flow rate corrected for the sound velocity effect. Using the relationships in equations (1) to (9) to derive the sound velocity and using equations (10) to (12) to correct the measured mass flow rate, an effective system for correcting the mass flow rate of measurements for the sound velocity effect can be created. In other embodiments, instead of a mass flow rate error factor, the magnitude of the mass flow rate error can be determined such that the corrected mass flow rate can be the sum of the uncorrected mass flow rate and the magnitude of the mass flow rate error, or the difference between the uncorrected mass flow rate and the magnitude of the mass flow rate error.

[0078] In larger vibration sensors, such as those with an inner diameter of 2 inches or more, the sound velocity effect may be considered significant. In vibration sensors that vibrate at higher frequencies, such as 300 Hz or higher, the sound velocity effect may also be considered significant.

[0079] In this implementation, the vibrating flow sensor 5 may have a sufficiently large inner diameter and / or vibrate at a sufficiently high frequency, making it susceptible to the SoS effect, and measurements performed by the vibrating flow sensor 5 may have associated SoS-related errors. A mass flow rate correction relationship can be used in conjunction with SoS measurements or derivations to determine the impact of SoS on the mass flow rate measurements produced by the vibrating flow sensor 5.

[0080] The vibration flow sensor 5 can be connected to and / or in fluid communication with pipe 160. The pipe is a hollow component, possibly substantially cylindrical, through which fluid flows. The vibration flow sensor 5 can be embedded in pipe 160 and / or can be fluidly coupled in series to the fluid flow from pipe 160.

[0081] If the vibratory flow sensor 5 is of the type susceptible to the SoS effect, an additional density sensor 10 can be used to determine measurements that are largely unaffected by the SoS effect, in order to determine or derive the SoS to correct for the mass flow rate measured by the vibratory flow sensor 5. The density sensor 10 is a sensor that determines the density of the flowing fluid. The vibratory flow sensor 5 can be considered of the type susceptible to the SoS effect if its inner diameter is large and / or its vibration frequency is high. For example, the vibratory flow sensor 5 may have an inner diameter equal to or greater than two inches and / or the vibratory flow sensor 5 may vibrate its vibrating element at a frequency equal to or greater than 300 Hz. The density sensor 10 can be determined and derived, and measurements can be performed using logic stored in the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120. The density sensor 10 can also be a Coriolis flow sensor, possibly a flow sensor that vibrates at a lower frequency and / or has a smaller flow tube inner diameter than the vibratory flow sensor 5. In this respect, the density sensor 10 can also be a vibratory flow sensor different from the vibratory flow sensor 5. In embodiments, the density sensor can be one of a Coriolis density meter and a Coriolis flow meter. An embodiment of the density sensor 10 as a fork-shaped densitometer or fork-shaped viscometer is envisioned; however, it should be noted that these embodiments are high-frequency instruments with significant SoS effects, and the SoS effects are corrected using empirical corrections with associated errors propagating to subsequent determinations. An embodiment of the density sensor 10 as a gas density meter (GDM) is also envisioned; however, it should be noted that these embodiments operate at high frequencies and have associated SoS effect errors requiring in-situ calibration, which may make density and other determinations more susceptible to errors and more difficult to use conveniently.

[0082] In one embodiment, density sensor 10 has a smaller diameter and / or a lower vibration frequency than the vibrating flow sensor 5. For example, the inner diameter of density sensor 10 may be less than two inches and / or the density sensor may vibrate at a frequency below 300 Hz. Density sensor 10 may be able to measure densities substantially unaffected by sound velocity effects, possibly within predetermined tolerances. Density measurements performed by density sensor 10 can be performed using methods recognized in the art, such as based on the relationship between the vibration frequency of density sensor 10 and the density of the material flowing within density sensor 10. Density sensor 10 may be positioned upstream or downstream of vibrating flow sensor 5 (relative to the direction of fluid flow). In another embodiment, if the diameter of density sensor 10 is smaller than the diameter of vibrating flow sensor 5, density sensor 10 may be in fluid communication with vibrating flow sensor 5 via side flow 170 (e.g., Figure 1 (As shown). Sideflow 170 is a branch of pipe 160 in fluid communication with pipe 160, but may have an inner diameter (effective flow diameter and / or effective flow cross-section) different from that of pipe 160. Alternatively, density sensor 10 may be in direct fluid communication with pipe 160. Preferably, vibration flow sensor 5 is within a certain distance threshold of density sensor 10, such that the measurement results of vibration flow sensor 5 and density sensor 10 largely correspond to each other and represent the same flowing fluid. Density sensor 10 may have a computer, possibly density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, that communicates electronically with vibration flow sensor 5.

[0083] In embodiments using derived pressure (as opposed to measured pressure), one of the density sensor 10 and the vibrating flow sensor 5 can derive the pressure of the flowing fluid based on the relationship between pressure and stiffness of the density sensor 10. In one embodiment, the density sensor 10 can derive pressure using its density sensor instrumentation electronics 120. In another embodiment, the relevant stiffness value or relationship is transmitted from the density sensor 10 to the vibrating flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, such that the vibrating flow sensor 5 derives the pressure of the flowing fluid based on the stiffness of the density sensor 10. Any measurement or derivation (which may include one or more of the measured density, measured stiffness, and derived pressure) can be transmitted from the density sensor 10 to the instrumentation electronics of the vibrating flow sensor 5 for use in the derivation of the SoS and / or determination of the SoS corrected mass flow rate. The density sensor 10 can derive one or more of the pressure and velocity of sound of the flowing fluid and transmit one or more of these derived quantities to the vibrating flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110.

[0084] In the implementation of deriving (as opposed to measuring) pressure, if the pressure derivation is performed by density sensor 10, density sensor 10 may be able to derive the derived velocity of sound by density sensor instrumentation 120, possibly by evaluating one of the relationships in equation (8) or equation (9) using the derived pressure, and possibly by evaluating one or more of the measured density and the measured temperature (temperature and / or pressure used to determine the heat capacity ratio k).

[0085] In embodiments using measured pressure (as opposed to derived pressure), system 100 may have an additional optional pressure sensor 20. The optional pressure sensor 20 is a sensor that measures the pressure of the flowing fluid. The pressure sensor 20 can be any pressure sensor known in the art. The pressure sensor 20 may be in fluid communication with pipe 160 to determine the pressure of the flowing fluid through pipe 160, side flow 170, vibration flow sensor 5, and / or density sensor 10, or one or more of them. The pressure sensor 20 may transmit pressure data to vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 and / or density sensor instrumentation electronics 120 for deriving the velocity of sound of the flowing fluid from the measured pressure. In embodiments, the pressure sensor 20 may be integrated into one or more of vibration flow sensor 5 and density sensor 10.

[0086] An implementation of a density sensor 10 that derives the SoS of the fluid itself is envisioned. In this implementation, the instrumentation electronics of the density sensor can measure the density of the flowing fluid and derive the pressure of the flowing fluid based on the measured stiffness of the density sensor 10. In this implementation, the density sensor 10 can transmit the derived SoS to the instrumentation electronics 110 of the vibration flow sensor for use in correcting the mass flow rate measurement results of the vibration flow sensor 5.

[0087] Figure 2 A block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a computer system 200 for deriving and / or applying the speed of sound is shown. In this embodiment, the computer system 200 may be an instrumentation device or may be an element having components that may be more than one computer system or instrumentation device, such as a vibration flow sensor instrumentation device 110, a density sensor instrumentation device 120, and / or any electronics associated with an optional pressure sensor 20. It should be understood that many operations may be performed by one or both of the vibration flow sensor instrumentation device 110 and / or the density sensor instrumentation device 120, such that each operation may be a different embodiment of the computer system 200, wherein one or more embodiments of modules and capabilities are expressed relative to the computer system 200.

[0088] In various implementations, computer system 200 may include an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or may have discrete processor and memory elements, the processor element being used to process commands from the memory element and store data on the memory element. Computer system 200 may be an isolated physical system, a virtual machine, and / or may be built in a cloud computing environment. Computer system 200 may be configured to perform any of the method steps presented in this description.

[0089] The computer system may include a processor 210, a memory 220, an interface 230, and a communication coupler 240. The memory 220 may store and / or may have integrated circuits representing, for example, one or more of the SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and / or calibration module 208. In various embodiments, the computer system 200 may have other computer elements integrated into or communicating with the computer elements, such as buses, other communication protocols, etc.

[0090] Processor 210 is a data processing element. Processor 210 can be any element used for processing, such as a central processing unit, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other integrated circuits, analog controllers, graphics processing units, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or any combination of these or other common processing elements. Processor 210 may have a cache memory to store processed data. Processor 210 can benefit from the methods described in this specification because these methods can improve the resolution of computation and reduce errors in those computations using the presented inventive structures.

[0091] Memory 220 is a device for electronic storage. Memory 220 can be any non-transitory storage medium and may include hard disk drives, solid-state drives, volatile memory, integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, random access memory, read-only memory, dynamic random access memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, cloud storage devices, cache memory, etc. Processor 210 can execute data from memory 220 and utilize data stored in memory 220.

[0092] Computer system 200 can be configured to store any data used by one or more of the SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and / or calibration module 208, and can store historical data representing any temporal quantity of any parameter received or used by one or more of the SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and / or calibration module 208 in memory 220, possibly with timestamps indicating when the data was measured and / or determined. Computer system 200 can also store any data representing the determination of any intermediate in memory 220. While one or more of the SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and / or calibration module 208 are shown as four separate and discrete modules, this specification contemplates any number (even specified one or four) of modules and various modules working together to accomplish the methods expressed in this specification.

[0093] SoS derivation module 202 is a module for deriving the sound velocity of a flowing fluid. SoS derivation module 202 can derive the sound velocity of a flowing fluid using one or more of the relations expressed in equations (1) to (9). In various implementations, the SoS derivation module derives the speed of sound of the flowing fluid using one or more of the following relationships: an inverse relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and its density; a direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and its pressure; a direct relationship between the square root of the pressure of the flowing fluid and its SoS; an inverse relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the square root of its density; a direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the product of the heat capacity ratio (k) and its pressure; a direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the product of the temperature and / or pressure-related heat capacity ratio (k(T,P)) and its pressure; a direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the ratio of pressure to density; a direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the square root of the ratio of pressure to density; and / or a direct relationship between the SoS of the flowing fluid and the square root of the product of the heat capacity ratio (possibly the temperature and / or related heat capacity ratio) and the ratio of pressure to density.

[0094] If the heat capacity ratio is temperature- and / or pressure-related, the temperature- and / or pressure-related heat capacity ratio relationship can be pre-stored in the SoS derivation module 202. The usable measurement temperature can be measured by any vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, and / or pressure sensor 20. Again, the pressure can be derived by the density sensor 10 using the pressure derivation module 204 stored in the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120 based on the stiffness of the density sensor 10, or the pressure can be measured by the measurement module 206 stored in the optional pressure sensor 20. Alternative implementations are conceivable where the density and stiffness measurement results are determined and / or transmitted as raw data signals interpreted by the SoS derivation module 202.

[0095] In an embodiment where the sound velocity derivation is performed by the vibration flow sensor 5, the computer system 200 may be an embodiment of the vibration flow sensor instrumentation 110, and the SoS derivation module 202 may be stored in the vibration flow sensor instrumentation 110. In this embodiment, the SoS derivation module 202 may receive density measurement results and pressure from the density sensor 10. The pressure may be the measured pressure and may be received by the vibration flow sensor instrumentation 110 from an optional pressure sensor 20. Alternatively, the pressure may be a derived pressure derived using the pressure derivation module 204 based on the stiffness measurement results of the density sensor 10.

[0096] In an embodiment where the sound velocity derivation is performed by density sensor 10, computer system 200 may be an embodiment of density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, and the SoS derivation module 202 may be stored in density sensor instrumentation electronics 120. In this embodiment, the SoS derivation module 202 may receive density measurement results from density sensor 10 and may receive or derive pressure values. The pressure may be the measured pressure and may be received by density sensor instrumentation electronics 120 from optional pressure sensor 20. Alternatively, the pressure may be a derived pressure derived using pressure derivation module 204 based on stiffness measurement results from density sensor 10.

[0097] In another embodiment, the standalone computer system 200 may receive measurement results and / or pressure derivations from one or more of the vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, and optional pressure sensor 20. The standalone computer system 200 may have a stored SoS derivation module 202, enabling the derivation of the sound velocity of the flowing fluid on the standalone computer system 200.

[0098] The pressure derivation module 204 is a programmed module that derives the pressure value of the flowing fluid based on the measurement results of the stiffness of the density sensor 10. In an embodiment, the pressure derivation module 204 can be stored in the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, allowing the density sensor 10 to derive the fluid pressure using the pressure derivation module 204 based on the stiffness measurement of the density sensor 10 performed by the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120. The pressure derivation module 204 can use a simple, empirically derived relationship between the derivation pressure from the density sensor 10 and the measured stiffness. This relationship can be a simple linear relationship, possibly consisting of a simple slope and intercept. For example, the pressure derivation module 204 can use a relationship of the type expressed by equation (13).

[0099] P = A × τ + B (13)

[0100] In equation (13), P is the derived pressure, A and B are coefficients (constant or temperature-dependent), and τ is the measured density sensor stiffness.

[0101] In an alternative embodiment, the pressure derivation module 204 may be stored in the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110. In this embodiment, the pressure derivation module 204 may receive the measured stiffness of the density sensor 10 to be used in density derivation from the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120. In other embodiments, the pressure derivation module 204 may determine the pressure based on raw data measured or transmitted, which represents the stiffness measurement result of the density sensor 10 to be used in pressure derivation. In embodiments where an optional pressure sensor 20 is used to measure pressure to derive the sound velocity of the flowing fluid, the pressure derivation module 204 may not be necessary and may not be present in any of the computer systems 200, vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, and density sensor instrumentation electronics 120.

[0102] Measurement module 206 is the module that determines the measured value. Each of the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, and pressure sensor 20 may have different variations of measurement module 206. For example, in one embodiment, measurement module 206 of vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 may be configured to measure mass flow rate. Density sensor instrumentation electronics 120 may have measurement module 206 that measures one or more of the measured density of the flowing fluid and the measured stiffness of density sensor 10. If the pressure used in deriving the sound velocity relationship is the derived pressure, the measured stiffness of density sensor 10 may be stored. Optionally, pressure sensor 20 may have an embodiment with measurement module 206 stored in its electronics, configured to measure the pressure value of the flowing fluid, potentially excluding other measurements.

[0103] The calibration module 208 is a programming module for correcting the measurement results of the vibration flow sensor 5 for errors caused by the sound velocity effect of the flowing fluid. In an embodiment, the calibration module 208 is stored in the vibration flow sensor instrumentation 110. The calibration module 208 can use derived sound velocity to correct the mass flow rate measurement results of the vibration flow sensor 5. An example of a mass flow rate correction equation that uses sound velocity as a term to correct for the sound velocity effect can be expressed as the relationship shown in equations (10) to (12). The calibration module 208 can alternatively use existing mass flow rate relationships for correcting the sound velocity effect. In an embodiment where the derivation of the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid is performed by the vibration flow sensor instrumentation 110, the calibration module 208 can receive the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid from the vibration flow sensor instrumentation 110 itself. In an embodiment where the derivation of the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid is performed by the density sensor instrumentation 120, the calibration module 208 can receive the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid from the density sensor instrumentation 120 via the vibration flow sensor instrumentation 110.

[0104] In embodiments where the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 derives the velocity of sound, the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 may have a SoS derivation module 202 and may receive measurement results and / or derivation results of one or more of the measured temperature of the flowing fluid, the measured pressure of the flowing fluid, the measured density of the flowing fluid, and the stiffness of the density sensor 10. In these embodiments, the flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 may determine the corrected mass flow rate based on one or more of the phase difference, time delay, and / or temperature measurement results acquired by the measurement module 206 stored in the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, or the temperature measurement results may be alternatively measured by the measurement module 206 in the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120 or the pressure sensor 20 (using their respective temperature sensors). In this embodiment, the density sensor 10 may have a measurement module 206 configured to measure the density of the flowing fluid. In this embodiment, the correction module 208 may employ the derived velocity of sound of the flowing fluid and apply it to the correction of the mass flow rate determined by the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110. In this embodiment, if the pressure used to determine the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid is the derived pressure, then the derived pressure can be derived by the pressure derivation module 204 of the density sensor 10. In an alternative embodiment where the derived pressure is used, the density sensor 10 measurement module 206 can measure the stiffness of the density sensor 10 and transmit the stiffness value to the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, so that the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 uses the pressure derivation module 204 stored in the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 to determine the derived pressure. In embodiments using measured pressure, the derived pressure may be redundant, and thus the pressure is not derived based on the stiffness of the pressure sensor 10.

[0105] In an alternative embodiment where the density sensor 10 derives the sound velocity of the flowing fluid, the SoS derivation module 202 can be stored in the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120. This SoS can be transmitted from the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120 to the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 for use by the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 in a correction module 208 stored therein to correct the mass flow rate measurement result. This corrected mass flow rate measurement result can also be based on phase difference or time delay data determined by the measurement module 206 of the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110. In this embodiment, the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120 can have a measurement module 206 that measures the measured density of the flowing fluid. Temperature measurement results can be provided by a measurement module stored in one of the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, and an optional pressure sensor 20. The pressure used to derive the sound velocity of the flowing fluid can be derived by the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120 using a pressure derivation module 204. In an alternative embodiment, the pressure used is the measurement pressure provided by an optional pressure sensor 20 to the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120.

[0106] The capabilities of the SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and / or calibration module 208 are contemplated and reflect the methods performed in the presented flowcharts. All methods in this specification are contemplated for each specified flowchart and sequence, other potential sequences, or, when the specified sequence is irrelevant, the flowcharts are informed; however, all methods and capabilities of the SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and / or calibration module 208 are contemplated for the purposes of any method and / or device claims in this specification. Furthermore, given that the systems and methods of this specification may require more than one sensor (e.g., one or more of a vibration flow sensor 5, a density sensor 10, and optionally a pressure sensor 20), each sensor may have its own implementation of the computer system 200, wherein each sensor has its own implementation of one or more of the SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and / or calibration module 208, as needed. Any sensor performing sound velocity derivation may have an implementation of the SoS derivation module 202. If the pressure used to determine the speed of sound in the derivation relationship is the derived pressure, then one or more of the vibration sensor 5 and density sensor 10 may have their own implementation of the pressure derivation module 204. Each sensor performing the measurement may have its own implementation of the measurement module 206 (with the capability to perform the measurements performed by each respective sensor). The correction module 208 is most likely stored in the vibration sensor 5, but it is conceivable that various implementations of the correction module 208 may be stored in implementations in other sensors.

[0107] Various implementations of the computer system 200 are contemplated, and some components of the computer system 200 may belong to different hardware components, such as one or more of the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, and optional pressure sensors 20. In an example in which the sound velocity of the flowing fluid is derived using measured pressure, the optional pressure sensor 20 may have a measurement module 206 that measures the pressure of the flowing fluid and transmits the measured pressure to any computer system performing the derivation of the sound velocity of the flowing fluid (e.g., transmitting the pressure to one or more of the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 and the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120).

[0108] Furthermore, in embodiments where computer system 200 is instrumentation electronics 110, instrumentation electronics 110 may include multiple communication-coupled elements. The hardware interacting to form the overall computer system 200 as instrumentation electronics 110 may have different components, such as conventional instrumentation electronics arrays communicatively coupled to corresponding and / or compatible transmitters. In embodiments, instrumentation electronics 110 may have its processor 210 within the integrated instrumentation electronics elements of the instrument, and at least some elements of the memory 220 within the transmitter.

[0109] The order in which certain modules perform their steps depends heavily on the disclosed necessary relationships. For example, if the derivation relationship for deriving the velocity of sound in a fluid requires measuring and / or deriving one or more of density, pressure, sensor stiffness, and temperature, these quantities must be measured or derived before using them to derive the velocity of sound. Furthermore, if the mass flow rate is to be corrected by deriving the velocity of sound, the velocity of sound must first be derived before correcting the mass flow rate based on the derived velocity of sound. Therefore, the order in which modules are performed or used is not truly necessary, except to the extent that the underlying process requires a step to precede the next step. For example, most measurements can be performed in any order. Derivations must only be sequential to the extent that these values ​​are required as inputs for the next step.

[0110] Interface 230 is an input / output device for communicatively coupling the data computer system 200 to external computing components. Interface 230 can connect the computer system 200 to external components using known technologies such as Universal Serial Bus, Prolink, serial communication, Serial Advanced Technology Accessories, HPC-type connections, Gigabit Ethernet, and wireless bandwidth. Interface 230 may have a communication coupler 240. The communication coupler 240 is used to couple the computer system 200 to components external to the computer system 200, for example, coupling the computer system 200 to one or more of an external computing device, a vibration flow sensor 5, a density sensor 10, and an optional pressure sensor 20.

[0111] flow chart

[0112] Figures 3 to 7 Flowcharts are shown illustrating implementations of methods for deriving sound velocity and methods for using the derived sound velocity to correct flow measurement results. The methods disclosed in the flowcharts are not exhaustive; they only show potential implementations of steps and sequences. These methods must be interpreted within the context of the entire specification, which includes… Figure 1 and Figure 2 The components disclosed in the description Figure 2 The computer system 200 and / or SoS derivation module 202 disclosed herein.

[0113] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of method 300 for deriving the velocity of sound of a flowing fluid is shown. While any suitable vibrating flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, optional pressure sensor 20, computer system 200, vibrating flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and calibration module 208 may be employed in alternative embodiments, the vibrating flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, optional pressure sensor 20, computer system 200, vibrating flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and calibration module 208 mentioned in method 300 can be as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 The disclosed components include a vibration flow sensor 5, a density sensor 10, an optional pressure sensor 20, a computer system 200, a vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, a density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, a SoS derivation module 202, a pressure derivation module 204, a measurement module 206, and a calibration module 208. All methods for performing the steps disclosed in this specification are envisioned. Furthermore, all vibration flow sensors 5, density sensors 10, and optional pressure sensors 20 (if relevant) are in fluid communication with each other and receive flowing fluid; the derived sound velocity mentioned in method 300 is the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0114] Step 302 measures the input parameters of the measurement using one or more measurement modules 206. The input parameters may include, for example, one or more of density, temperature, density sensor 10 stiffness, and pressure. The measurement need not include all of the stated input parameters. For example, in an embodiment where the pressure used in the sound velocity derivation is the measured pressure, which is the input parameter (possibly acquired by an optional pressure sensor 20), the density sensor 10 stiffness may be redundant for the SoS derivation. In an embodiment where the pressure is derived, the density sensor 10 stiffness can be measured to derive the pressure, and the pressure measurement may be unnecessary (potentially making the optional pressure sensor 20 unnecessary). Furthermore, temperature measurement can be performed by any of the measurement modules 206 of the vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, and optional pressure sensor 20. All capabilities of the different embodiments of the measurement module 206 disclosed in this specification are contemplated to accomplish this step.

[0115] Step 304 may optionally derive the derived pressure via pressure derivation module 204. As described above, the derived velocity of the flowing fluid can be derived using the derived pressure instead of the measured pressure. Density sensor 10 can measure the stiffness of density sensor 10. One of density sensor 10 and vibration sensor 5 (either having pressure derivation module 204 in its instrumentation electronics) can derive the derived pressure using the measured stiffness. All capabilities of the different embodiments of pressure derivation module 204 disclosed in this specification are contemplated to accomplish this step.

[0116] Step 306 derives the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid via the SoS derivation module 202. The SoS derivation module can derive the derived sound velocity based on one or more of the measured input parameters and the derived pressure. The SoS derivation module 202 can use any of its capabilities and can use any of the stated relationships, such as the relationship between the derived sound velocity and the measured input parameters (and the derived pressure, if in the relevant embodiments) and the relationship expressed by equations (1) to (9). As disclosed in this specification, the SoS derivation module 202 can be a component of either the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 or the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, either of which is contemplated to derive the derived sound velocity. In an alternative embodiment, the SoS derivation module 202 can be stored in a separate computer system that receives relevant measurement results and / or derivation results to derive the sound velocity on the separate computer system 200. All capabilities of the different embodiments of the SoS derivation module 202 disclosed in this specification are contemplated to accomplish this step.

[0117] In the implementation, Figure 3 Each step of the method shown is a different step. In another embodiment, although in Figure 3 The steps described are distinct, but steps 302 through 306 may not be distinct steps. In other embodiments, Figure 3 The method shown may not have all the steps described above and / or may have other steps besides those listed above or that replace those listed above. Figure 3 The steps of the method shown can be performed in a different order. The steps listed above are as follows: Figure 3 A subset of the methods shown can be used to form their own methods. The steps of method 300 can be repeated any number of times in any combination and order, for example, continuously looping, to provide a continuous and / or continuous derivation of the velocity of sound in flowing fluid.

[0118] Figure 4A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 400 for deriving the velocity of sound of a flowing fluid is shown. The vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, optional pressure sensor 20, computer system 200, vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and calibration module 208 mentioned in method 400 can be as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 The disclosed components include a vibration flow sensor 5, a density sensor 10, an optional pressure sensor 20, a computer system 200, a vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, a density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, a SoS derivation module 202, a pressure derivation module 204, a measurement module 206, and a calibration module 208. However, any suitable vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, optional pressure sensor 20, computer system 200, vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and calibration module 208 may be used in alternative embodiments. All methods are contemplated for performing the steps disclosed herein. Furthermore, all vibration flow sensors 5, density sensors 10, and optional pressure sensors 20 (if relevant) are in fluid communication with each other and receive flowing fluid, the derived sound velocity being the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0119] Step 402 derives the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid through the SoS derivation module 202 based on the derivation relationship between the measured density of the flowing fluid and the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid. The SoS derivation module can receive and determine the derived sound velocity based on one or more of the measured input parameters and the derived pressure. The SoS derivation module 202 can use any of its capabilities and can use any of the stated relationships, such as the relationship between the derived sound velocity and the measured input parameters (and the derived pressure, if in the relevant embodiments) and the relationship expressed by equations (1) to (9). As disclosed in this specification, the SoS derivation module 202 can be a component of either the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 or the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, either of which is intended to derive the derived sound velocity. In an alternative embodiment, the SoS derivation module 202 can be stored in a standalone computer system 200, which is a standalone computer system that receives relevant measurement results and / or derivation results to derive the sound velocity on that standalone computer system. All capabilities of the different embodiments of the SoS derivation module 202 disclosed in this specification are envisioned to accomplish this step. Step 402 may be an embodiment of step 306.

[0120] In this implementation, the steps listed above can be used as... Figure 4 A subset of the methods shown can be used to form their own methods. The steps of method 400 can be repeated any number of times, for example, continuously looped, to provide a continuous and / or continuous derivation of the velocity of sound in flowing fluid.

[0121] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 500 for deriving the velocity of sound of the flowing fluid in density sensor 10 is shown. The vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, optional pressure sensor 20, computer system 200, vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and calibration module 208 mentioned in method 500 can be as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 The disclosed components include a vibration flow sensor 5, a density sensor 10, an optional pressure sensor 20, a computer system 200, a vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, a density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, a SoS derivation module 202, a pressure derivation module 204, a measurement module 206, and a calibration module 208. However, any suitable vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, optional pressure sensor 20, computer system 200, vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and calibration module 208 may be used in alternative embodiments. All methods are contemplated for performing the steps disclosed herein. Furthermore, all vibration flow sensors 5, density sensors 10, and optional pressure sensors 20 (if relevant) are in fluid communication with each other and receive flowing fluid, the derived sound velocity being the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0122] Step 502 measures the input parameters of the density sensor 10 via measurement module 206. The input parameters of the density sensor 10 may include, for example, one or more of density, temperature, and stiffness of the density sensor 10. In some embodiments, the measurement need not include all of the stated input parameters. For example, in an embodiment where the pressure used in the sound velocity derivation is the measured pressure, the stiffness of the density sensor 10 may be redundant and not measured at all. In an embodiment where the pressure is derived, the stiffness of the density sensor 10 may be measured to derive the pressure. Furthermore, temperature measurement can be performed by measurement module 206 of any vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, and optionally pressure sensor 20. If the measured temperature used in the sound velocity derivation is measured in a sensor other than the density sensor 10, the density sensor 10 may receive the measured temperature from the sensor other than the density sensor. All capabilities of different embodiments of measurement module 206 associated with the density sensor 10 disclosed herein are contemplated to complete this step. Step 502 may be an implementation of step 302.

[0123] Step 504 may optionally derive the derived pressure via pressure derivation module 204. As described above, the derived velocity of the flowing fluid can be derived using the derived pressure instead of the measured pressure. Density sensor 10 can measure the stiffness of density sensor 10. The derived pressure can be derived from the measured stiffness of density sensor 10. All capabilities of different embodiments of the pressure derivation module 204 associated with the density sensor 10 disclosed herein are envisioned to accomplish this step. Step 504 may be an embodiment of step 304.

[0124] Step 506 optionally receives a measured pressure from an optional pressure sensor 20 via density sensor instrumentation electronics 120. In this embodiment, the measured pressure is used instead of the derived pressure. In another embodiment, steps 504 and 506 may be alternative steps, such that one of the measured pressure and the derived pressure is used to derive the sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0125] Step 508 derives the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid via the SoS derivation module 202. The SoS derivation module 202 may be stored in the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120. The SoS derivation module can derive the derived sound velocity based on one or more of the measured input parameters, the derived pressure, and any received parameters. The SoS derivation module 202 may use any of its capabilities and may use any of the stated relationships, such as the relationship between the derived sound velocity and the measured input parameters (and / or the derived pressure, if in the relevant embodiment) and the relationships expressed by equations (1) through (9). All capabilities of different embodiments of the SoS derivation module 202 associated with the density sensor 10 disclosed herein are contemplated to accomplish this step. Step 508 may be an implementation of step 306.

[0126] In the implementation, Figure 5 Each step of the method shown is a different step. In another embodiment, although in Figure 5 The steps described are distinct, but steps 502 through 508 may not be distinct steps. In other embodiments, Figure 5 The method shown may not have all the steps described above and / or may have other steps besides those listed above or that replace those listed above. Figure 5 The steps of the method shown can be performed in a different order. The above can be used as... Figure 5 A subset of the steps listed in the method shown are used to form their own methods. The steps of method 500 can be repeated any number of times in any combination and order, for example, continuously looped, to provide a continuous and / or continuous derivation of the velocity of sound of the flowing fluid.

[0127] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 600 for deriving the velocity of sound of the flowing fluid in a vibrating flow sensor 5 is shown. The vibrating flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, optional pressure sensor 20, computer system 200, vibrating flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and calibration module 208 mentioned in method 600 can be as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2The disclosed components include a vibration flow sensor 5, a density sensor 10, an optional pressure sensor 20, a computer system 200, a vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, a density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, a SoS derivation module 202, a pressure derivation module 204, a measurement module 206, and a calibration module 208. However, any suitable vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, optional pressure sensor 20, computer system 200, vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, SoS derivation module 202, pressure derivation module 204, measurement module 206, and calibration module 208 may be used in alternative embodiments. All methods are contemplated for performing the steps disclosed herein. Furthermore, all vibration flow sensors 5, density sensors 10, and optional pressure sensors 20 (if relevant) are in fluid communication with each other and receive flowing fluid, the derived sound velocity being the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

[0128] Step 602 measures the input parameters of the vibration flow sensor 5 via measurement module 206. The input parameters of the vibration flow sensor 5 may include, for example, one or more of density and temperature. The density of the vibration flow sensor 5 may be too susceptible to sound velocity effects to be used in the derivation of the sound velocity of the flowing fluid; therefore, another density measurement may be required, possibly performed by density sensor 10. All capabilities of the different embodiments of the measurement module 206 for the vibration flow sensor 5 disclosed in this specification are contemplated to accomplish this step. Step 602 may be an implementation of step 302.

[0129] Step 604 may optionally derive the derived pressure via pressure derivation module 204. As described above, the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid can be derived using the derived pressure instead of the measured pressure. Density sensor 10 can measure the stiffness of density sensor 10. In one embodiment, density sensor 10 can use the measured stiffness to derive the derived pressure in density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, where pressure derivation module 204 is stored. In an alternative embodiment, density sensor 10 can measure its stiffness and transmit that stiffness to vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, such that pressure derivation module 204 stored in vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110 derives the pressure used in sound velocity derivation. All capabilities of different embodiments of pressure derivation module 204 disclosed herein are contemplated to accomplish this step. Step 604 may be an embodiment of step 304.

[0130] Step 606 may optionally receive a measured pressure from an optional pressure sensor 20 via the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110. In this embodiment, pressure is measured rather than derived. In this embodiment, steps 604 and 606 may be alternative steps.

[0131] Step 608 may optionally receive the density measured by the density sensor 10 via the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110. The density sensor 10 may be less susceptible to the sound velocity effect compared to the vibration flow sensor 5. If the density sensor 10 is less susceptible to the sound velocity effect compared to the vibration flow sensor 5, it may be more preferable to use the density measurement of the flowing fluid provided by the measurement module 206 of the density sensor 10.

[0132] Step 610 derives the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid using the SoS derivation module 202. The SoS derivation module 202 may be stored in the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110. The SoS derivation module can derive the derived sound velocity based on one or more of the measured input parameters, the derived pressure, and any received measurement results. The SoS derivation module 202 may use any of its capabilities and may use any of the stated relationships, such as the relationship between the derived sound velocity and the measured input parameters (and / or the derived pressure, if in the relevant embodiment) and the relationships expressed by equations (1) to (9). All capabilities of the different embodiments of the SoS derivation module 202 disclosed in this specification are contemplated to accomplish this step. Step 610 may be an embodiment of step 306.

[0133] In the implementation, Figure 6 Each step of the method shown is a different step. In another embodiment, although in Figure 6 The steps described are distinct, but steps 602 through 610 may not be distinct steps. In other embodiments, Figure 6 The method shown may not have all the steps described above and / or may have other steps besides those listed above or that replace those listed above. Figure 6 The steps of the method shown can be performed in a different order. The above can be used as... Figure 6 A subset of the steps listed in the method shown can be used to form their own methods. The steps of method 600 can be repeated any number of times in any combination and order, for example, continuously looped to provide a continuous and / or continuous derivation of the velocity of sound of the flowing fluid.

[0134] Figure 7A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 700 for correcting flow measurement results using derived sound velocity is shown. The vibrating flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, vibrating flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, and correction module 208 mentioned in method 700 can be, for example... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, and calibration module 208 disclosed herein are used, but any suitable vibration flow sensor 5, density sensor 10, vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, and calibration module 208 may be used in alternative embodiments. All methods are contemplated for performing the steps disclosed herein. Furthermore, all vibration flow sensors 5, density sensors 10, and optional pressure sensors 20 (if relevant) are in fluid communication with each other and receive flowing fluid, the derived sound velocity is the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid, and the flow measurement is the flow rate measurement of the flowing fluid.

[0135] Step 702 receives the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid via the correction module 208. In an embodiment where the sound velocity derivation is performed by the SoS derivation module 202 stored in the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110, the derived sound velocity can be received from the SoS derivation module 202 stored in the vibration flow sensor instrumentation electronics 110. In an embodiment where the sound velocity derivation is performed by the SoS derivation module 202 stored in the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120, the derived sound velocity can be received from the SoS derivation module 202 stored in the density sensor instrumentation electronics 120.

[0136] Step 704 measures the phase difference or time delay via measurement module 206. The phase difference or time delay can represent the Coriolis force acting on the flowing fluid, and thus the phase difference or time delay between the oscillations of the upstream and downstream sensors can represent flow parameters such as mass flow rate. The methods for measuring time delay and / or phase difference in vibratory flow sensors are well-established in the art, and their discussion is omitted for brevity.

[0137] Step 706 determines the corrected mass flow rate parameter based on the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid using the correction module 208. The mass flow rate parameter can be the mass flow rate. Any deterministic and corrective relation can be used, such as the relation expressed by equations (10) to (12), to determine and correct the mass flow rate.

[0138] In the implementation, Figure 7 Each step of the method shown is a different step. In another embodiment, although in Figure 7 The steps described are distinct, but steps 702 through 706 may not be distinct steps. In other embodiments, Figure 7The method shown may not have all the steps described above and / or may have other steps besides those listed above or that replace those listed above. Figure 7 The steps of the method shown can be performed in a different order. The steps listed above are as follows: Figure 7 A subset of the methods shown can be used to form their own methods. The steps of method 700 can be repeated any number of times in any combination and order, for example, continuously looping, to provide a continuous and / or continuous mass flow rate corrected for the speed of sound effect.

[0139] chart

[0140] Figure 8 and Figure 9 A graph is shown representing the elements of the sound velocity derivation described in this specification and the subsequent corrections to the derived mass flow rate.

[0141] Figure 8 A graph 800 illustrates an embodiment showing the relationship between the heat capacity ratio of ethylene and both pressure and temperature. Graph 800 has a first data series 802 representing ethylene at 20°C, a second data series 804 representing ethylene at 40°C, a vertical axis 810 representing the magnitude of the heat capacity ratio, and a horizontal axis 820 representing pressure in bar. It can be seen that the data shows significant differences in heat capacity with temperature and / or pressure. This is why using temperature and / or pressure-related heat capacity to derive the velocity of sound of flowing fluids in the derived relationship can significantly improve the accuracy of the derivation.

[0142] Figure 9 A graph 900 illustrates an embodiment showing the relationship between the percentage error in mass flow rate due to the sound velocity effect and the pressure and temperature of ethylene flowing through a CMF400 mass flow meter. It should be understood that the CMF400 is merely an exemplary vibrating flow sensor 5 used for a specific demonstration of the inventive concept, and the features described in this invention can be applied to any vibrating flow sensor 5. Graph 900 has a first data series 902 representing ethylene at 60°F, a second data series 904 representing ethylene at 80°F, a third data series 906 representing ethylene at 90°F, a vertical axis 910 representing the magnitude of the percentage error in mass flow rate due to the sound velocity effect, and a horizontal axis 920 representing pressure in pounds per square inch (absolute pressure). It can be seen that the percentage error in mass flow rate due to the sound velocity effect varies significantly with temperature and pressure. This problem can be solved by using the heat capacity ratio related to temperature and / or pressure and the derived sound velocity related to pressure, and the mass flow rate error due to the sound velocity effect can be significantly reduced.

[0143] The detailed description of the embodiments above is not an exhaustive description of all embodiments conceived by the inventors that fall within the scope of this specification. In fact, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain elements of the above embodiments can be combined or eliminated differently to create other embodiments, and these other embodiments fall within the scope and teachings of this specification. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above embodiments can be combined, in whole or in part, to produce other embodiments within the scope and teachings of this specification. When specific numbers representing parameter values ​​are specified, the ranges between all such numbers, as well as the ranges above and below these numbers, are conceived and disclosed.

[0144] Therefore, although specific embodiments have been described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications can be made within the scope of this specification, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art. The teachings provided herein can be applied to other methods and apparatuses for deriving the velocity of sound and for using the velocity of sound to correct flow measurement results, and not only to the embodiments described above and shown in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the scope of the above embodiments should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for deriving the velocity of sound of a supercritical fluid in a vibrating flow sensor, the method being executed by a computer system (200) having a processor (210) and a memory (220), the processor (210) being configured to execute instructions from the memory (220) and store data in the memory (220), the memory (220) having a SoS derivation module (202), the method comprising: The density of the flowing fluid is measured by an external density sensor (10), wherein the external density sensor is not affected by the SoS effect of the flowing fluid and has at least one of the following: 1) a smaller diameter compared to the vibrating flow sensor, 2) a lower vibration frequency compared to the vibrating flow sensor, and 3) a predetermined distance threshold relative to the vibrating flow sensor, wherein the SoS effect includes undesirable changes in the measured SoS due to pressure and / or temperature; The SoS derivation module (202) derives the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid in real time based on the derivation relationship between the measured density and heat capacity ratio of the flowing fluid and the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The derived relationship between the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the density of the flowing fluid is an inverse relationship between the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the square root of the measured density of the flowing fluid.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The derived relationship between the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the density of the flowing fluid also takes into account the pressure of the flowing fluid, wherein the pressure of the flowing fluid is one or more of a measured pressure measured by a pressure sensor (20) and a pressure derived from the stiffness of a density sensor (10).

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The derivation relationship is based on the relationship between the derivation sound velocity and the square root term of the flowing fluid, wherein the square root term is the square root of the product of the heat capacity ratio and the pressure divided by the square root of the measured density.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The heat capacity ratio is associated with the flowing fluid and one or more of a group of flowing fluids in which the flowing fluid is a component, and wherein the heat capacity ratio is one or more of a temperature-dependent and a pressure-dependent relationship, such that the heat capacity ratio is determined based on a predetermined correspondence between the heat capacity ratio and one or more of the measured temperature and pressure.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The computer system (200) is a density sensor instrument electronic device (120) of the density sensor (10), and the method further includes: transmitting the derived sound velocity of the fluid by the density sensor (10) to the vibration sensor (5).

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: If the derivation relationship between the measured density of the flowing fluid and the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid takes into account the pressure of the flowing fluid, then the derivation of the flowing fluid pressure is derived by the density sensor instrumentation (120) based on the measured stiffness of the elements of the density sensor (10) determined by the density sensor (10).

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein, The computer system (200) is a vibration flow sensor instrument electronic device (110) of the vibration flow sensor (5), and the method further includes: The computer system (200) receives the measured density from the density sensor (10); The computer system (200) receives the pressure of the flowing fluid; and The computer system (200) determines the corrected mass flow rate based on the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The vibration sensor (5) has one or more of the following characteristics: The vibration sensor (5) vibrates at a frequency greater than or equal to 300 Hz; and Having an inner diameter greater than or equal to two inches, and wherein the density sensor (10) has one or more of the following characteristics: The density sensor (10) vibrating element vibrates at a frequency less than 300 Hz; and It has an inner diameter of less than two inches.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The flowing fluid includes one or more of ethylene, ethane, carbon dioxide, and argon.

11. An apparatus for deriving the velocity of sound (SoS) of a supercritical fluid in a vibrating flow sensor, the apparatus having a computer system (200) having a processor (210) and a memory (220), the processor (210) being configured to execute instructions from the memory (220) and store data in the memory (220), the memory (220) having an SoS derivation module (202), the computer system (200) being configured to: The density of the flowing fluid is measured by an external density sensor (10), wherein, The external density sensor is not affected by the SoS effect of the flowing fluid and has at least one of the following: 1) a smaller diameter compared to the vibrating flow sensor, 2) a lower vibration frequency compared to the vibrating flow sensor, and 3) a predetermined distance threshold relative to the vibrating flow sensor, wherein the SoS effect includes undesirable changes in the measured SoS due to pressure and / or temperature. The SoS derivation module (202) derives the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid in real time based on the derivation relationship between the measured density and heat capacity ratio of the flowing fluid and the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein, The derived relationship between the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the density of the flowing fluid is an inverse relationship between the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the square root of the measured density of the flowing fluid.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein, The derived relationship between the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid and the density of the flowing fluid also takes into account the pressure of the flowing fluid, wherein the pressure of the flowing fluid is one or more of a measured pressure measured by a pressure sensor (20) and a pressure derived from the stiffness of a density sensor (10).

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein, The derivation relationship is based on the relationship between the derivation sound velocity and the square root term of the flowing fluid, wherein the square root term is the square root of the product of the heat capacity ratio and the pressure divided by the square root of the measured density.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein, The heat capacity ratio is associated with the flowing fluid and one or more of a group of flowing fluids in which the flowing fluid is a component, and wherein the heat capacity ratio is one or more of a temperature-dependent and a pressure-dependent relationship, such that the heat capacity ratio is determined based on a predetermined correspondence between the heat capacity ratio and one or more of the measured temperature and pressure.

16. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein, The computer system (200) is a density sensor instrumentation (120) of the density sensor (10), which is configured to transmit the derived sound velocity of the fluid to the vibration sensor (5).

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein, If the derivation relationship between the measured density of the flowing fluid and the derivation velocity of the flowing fluid takes into account the pressure of the flowing fluid, then the density sensor instrumentation (120) is configured to derive the derivation pressure of the flowing fluid based on the measured stiffness of the elements of the density sensor (10) determined by the density sensor (10).

18. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein, The device is a vibration flow sensor (5), and the computer system (200) is the vibration flow sensor instrumentation (110) of the vibration flow sensor (5). The computer system (200) is also configured to: Receive the measured density from the density sensor (10); Receive the pressure of the flowing fluid; and The corrected mass flow rate is determined based on the derived sound velocity of the flowing fluid.

19. The device according to claim 16, wherein, The vibration sensor (5) has one or more of the following characteristics: The vibration sensor (5) vibrates at a frequency greater than or equal to 300 Hz; and Having an inner diameter greater than or equal to two inches, and wherein the density sensor (10) has one or more of the following characteristics: The density sensor (10) vibrating element vibrates at a frequency less than 300 Hz; and It has an inner diameter of less than two inches.

20. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein, The flowing fluid includes one or more of ethylene, ethane, carbon dioxide, and argon.

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