Ultrasonic water meter

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of ultrasonic water meters, in particular to an ultrasonic water meter which comprises a pipe section, a transducer and a protruding part, a water inlet and a water outlet are formed in the two ends of the pipe section respectively, and a mounting hole is formed in the side wall of the pipe section; the transducer is arranged in the mounting hole and is used for transmitting or receiving ultrasonic waves; the protruding part is arranged on the inner wall of the pipe section and located on the upstream side of the energy converter, the protruding part is smoothly connected with the inner wall of the pipe section, and the surface of the protruding part is an arc-shaped surface. Pressure loss between the surfaces of the protruding parts and water flow can be reduced, excessive pressure loss is avoided in the process that the water flow passes through the protruding parts, after the flow speed is obviously increased at the protruding parts, the high speed can be kept till the tail end of the pipe section, and therefore the high flow speed of the water flow in the pipe section can be kept, and the service life of the water flow is prolonged. The water flow velocity in the pipeline velocity measurement interval is improved while pressure loss is reduced, the influence of non-uniform velocity distribution on a measurement result is reduced, and the measurement precision of the ultrasonic water meter is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ultrasonic water meters, and in particular to ultrasonic water meters. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic velocity measurement is a method suitable for measuring fluid flow velocity. The basic principle of ultrasonic velocity measurement is to transmit sound pulses through ultrasonic transducers placed upstream and downstream, obliquely toward the fluid. Knowing the difference in propagation time between the sound pulses transmitted from upstream to downstream and from downstream to upstream (i.e., the difference in propagation time with and against the flow), the average flow velocity in the acoustic channel can be determined, thereby calculating the average fluid velocity and the flow rate through the entire cross-section.

[0003] In the design process of large-diameter ultrasonic water meters, the acquisition accuracy of ultrasonic signals is a relatively complex issue. Usually, the ultrasonic velocity measurement system is arranged on the inner wall of a straight pipe. When the fluid flows through the straight pipe section, the resistance generated by overcoming the viscosity of the fluid and the friction between the fluid and the inner wall of the pipe will cause the water flow velocity in the center of the pipe to be the fastest. As the detection position moves away from the pipe axis, the water flow velocity at this position gradually decreases, resulting in the flow velocity obtained by the transducer cannot accurately reflect the flow velocity of the fluid in the pipe, which in turn affects the measurement accuracy of the water meter. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present application provides an ultrasonic water meter to solve the problem in the prior art that due to the difference in flow velocity of the fluid in the pipe, the fluid velocity on the inner wall of the pipe is lower than the fluid velocity in the center of the pipe, resulting in the flow velocity obtained by the ultrasonic transducer not being able to accurately reflect the flow velocity of the fluid in the pipe.

[0005] The present application provides an ultrasonic water meter, comprising:

[0006] The pipe section has a water inlet and a water outlet at both ends, and a mounting hole is opened on the side wall of the pipe section;

[0007] A transducer is disposed in the mounting hole and is used to transmit or receive ultrasonic waves;

[0008] The raised portion is arranged on the inner wall of the pipe section and is located on the water-facing side of the transducer. The raised portion is smoothly connected to the inner wall of the pipe section, and the surface of the raised portion is an arc-shaped surface.

[0009] In a possible design, the center of the protrusion protrudes toward the central axis of the pipe section, and the distance between the surface of the protrusion and the inner wall of the pipe section gradually decreases from the center of the protrusion to the edge of the protrusion.

[0010] In one possible design, the mounting holes are arranged in pairs, each pair of mounting holes includes a first mounting hole and a second mounting hole, the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole are coaxially arranged, and the central axis of the first mounting hole intersects the central axis of the pipe section;

[0011] The transducers are arranged in pairs, and each pair of transducers includes a first transducer and a second transducer. The first transducer is arranged in the first mounting hole, and the second transducer is arranged in the second mounting hole. The first transducer and the second transducer are respectively used to transmit / receive ultrasonic waves along the central axis of the first mounting hole.

[0012] In a possible design, at least one protrusion is provided on the water-facing side of each of the first transducer and the second transducer.

[0013] In a possible design, the first transducers are distributed in a circular array around the axis of the pipe section; and the second transducers are distributed in a circular array around the axis of the pipe section.

[0014] In a possible design, the first transducer and the second transducer respectively have a first end surface and a second end surface that are arranged opposite to each other, and the shape of the first end surface is consistent with the shape of the inner wall of the pipe section.

[0015] In one possible design, it also includes:

[0016] a limiting portion, arranged on the outer edge of the second end surface;

[0017] The connecting portion is arranged on the outer wall of the pipe section and is located at the mounting hole, and the connecting portion is clearance-matched with the limiting portion.

[0018] In a possible design, the limiting portion is an annular groove, the connecting portion is an annular protrusion, and the annular protrusion is clamped in the annular groove.

[0019] In a possible design, a sealing portion is provided between the limiting portion and the connecting portion.

[0020] In a possible design, end flanges are further included, and the end flanges are respectively arranged at both ends of the pipe section.

[0021] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows:

[0022] The ultrasonic water meter of the present application can reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe section on the water-facing side of the transducer by arranging a protrusion on the inner wall of the pipe section on the water-facing side of the transducer, thereby achieving the effect of shrinking the diameter of the pipe, thereby increasing the water flow velocity in the pipe section, and alleviating the problem of low flow velocity near the inner wall of the pipe section due to the viscosity of water, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the water meter; by making the surface of the protrusion an arc-shaped surface, and the arc-shaped surface smoothly connected to the inner wall of the pipe section, the pressure loss between the surface of the protrusion and the water flow can be reduced, so that the water flow can avoid excessive pressure loss in the process of passing through the protrusion, and after the flow velocity is significantly increased at the protrusion, it can still maintain a high speed until the end of the pipe section, so that the water flow can maintain a high flow velocity in the pipe section, while reducing the pressure loss. The water flow velocity in the pipeline speed measurement range is increased, the influence of uneven flow velocity distribution on the measurement results is reduced, the problem of low measurement accuracy of the water meter is solved, and the measurement accuracy of the ultrasonic water meter is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an ultrasonic water meter provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 A front view of an ultrasonic water meter provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 A top view of an ultrasonic water meter provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Cross-section of the middle AA;

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of the transducer of the ultrasonic water meter provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Reference numerals:

[0030] 100, pipe section; 110, water inlet; 120, water outlet; 131, first mounting hole; 132, second mounting hole; 210, first transducer; 220, second transducer; 211, first end face; 212, second end face; 300, raised portion; 410, limiting portion; 420, connecting portion; 500, end flange. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of this application in conjunction with the embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] As mentioned in the background technology, due to the resistance caused by overcoming the viscosity of the fluid and the friction between it and the inner wall of the pipe, the water flow velocity in the center of the pipe will be the fastest. As the detection position moves away from the axis of the pipe, the water flow velocity at this position gradually decreases, causing the measured flow velocity to be lower than the actual flow velocity of the fluid, resulting in the flow velocity collected by the transducer not being able to accurately reflect the flow velocity of the fluid in the pipe.

[0033] To solve the above problems, the following Figure 1-Figure 5 , describing the ultrasonic water meter provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0034] Reference Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasonic water meter, comprising a pipe section 100, a transducer, and a raised portion 300. The pipe section 100 has a water inlet 110 and a water outlet 120 at either end, respectively. A mounting hole is provided on the sidewall of the pipe section 100. The transducer is disposed in the mounting hole for transmitting or receiving ultrasonic waves. The raised portion 300 is disposed on the inner wall of the pipe section 100, on the water-facing side of the transducer. The raised portion 300 is smoothly connected to the inner wall of the pipe section 100, and the surface of the raised portion 300 is curved. In some specific embodiments, end flanges 500 are provided at each end of the pipe section 100. The end flanges 500 are respectively mounted on the ends of the pipe section 100. The pipe section 100 can be connected to the water pipe to be measured through the end flanges 500, thereby measuring the flow rate of water in the water pipe to be measured.

[0035] It should be noted that according to the Venturi effect, under ideal conditions, if the diameter of a pipe is reduced at a certain point, the fluid pressure will decrease and the flow rate will increase accordingly; conversely, if the diameter of a pipe is increased at a certain point, the fluid pressure will increase and the flow rate will decrease accordingly. The above phenomenon can be explained by the Bernoulli equation: Where P1 and P2 are the fluid pressures at both ends of the pipe section 100, ρ represents the density of the fluid, v1 and v2 are the flow velocities at both ends of the pipe section 100, h1 and h2 are the height differences between the two ends of the pipe section 100 (with the ground as the reference point), and g is the acceleration due to gravity, which is usually 9.81 m / s 2 .

[0036] However, in practical applications, fluid viscosity can lead to energy losses due to the increased velocity. These losses can manifest themselves in, for example, turbulent friction losses and local resistance losses. These losses can affect the amount of fluid pressure reduction, thereby affecting the amount of flow velocity increase. Sometimes, they can even lead to local pressure increases, especially during the process of re-expansion after contraction. Therefore, simply reducing the diameter of pipe section 100 will not effectively increase the flow velocity, nor can it effectively eliminate water meter measurement errors.

[0037] The ultrasonic water meter of the embodiment of the present application reduces the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe section 100 by providing a raised portion 300 on the inner wall of the pipe section 100. Compared with directly reducing the pipe diameter (for example, making the inner wall of the pipe section 100 into a trumpet-shaped tube with a gradually decreasing diameter), since the surface of the raised portion 300 is an arc-shaped surface and the raised portion 300 is smoothly connected to the inner wall of the pipe section 100, when water flows through the raised portion 300, the raised portion 300 can effectively improve the turbulence condition and reduce the pressure loss caused by turbulent friction and increased local resistance. Therefore, compared with making the inner wall of the pipe section 100 into a trumpet-shaped tube with a gradually decreasing diameter, the raised portion 300 has a more obvious effect on reducing turbulence and the boundary layer.

[0038] By utilizing the technical solution of the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, by providing a raised portion 300 on the inner wall of the pipe section 100 on the water-facing side of the transducer, the cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe section 100 can be reduced on the water-facing side of the transducer, thereby achieving the effect of shrinking the diameter of the pipe, thereby increasing the water flow velocity in the pipe section 100, and alleviating the problem of low flow velocity near the inner wall of the pipe section 100 due to the viscosity of water, thereby improving the measurement accuracy of the water meter; by making the surface of the raised portion 300 an arc-shaped surface, and the arc-shaped surface smoothly connected to the inner wall of the pipe section 100, the pressure loss between the surface of the raised portion 300 and the water flow can be reduced, so that the water flow can avoid excessive pressure loss in the process of passing through the raised portion 300, so that after the flow velocity is significantly increased at the raised portion 300, it can still maintain a high velocity until the end of the pipe section 100, so that the water flow can maintain a high flow velocity in the pipe section 100, reducing the influence of uneven flow velocity distribution on the measurement results, and achieving the purpose of improving the measurement accuracy of the ultrasonic water meter.

[0039] Reference Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the center of the raised portion 300 protrudes toward the central axis of the pipe segment 100, and the distance between the surface of the raised portion 300 and the inner wall of the pipe segment 100 gradually decreases from the center of the raised portion 300 to the edge of the raised portion 300. Specifically, the surface of the raised portion 300, except for the edge, is spherical. The edge of the raised portion 300 is an irregular arc surface, which can smoothly connect the spherical surface with the inner wall of the pipe segment 100. The use of a conical shape with a protruding center and gently descending edges can minimize the effects of turbulence and the boundary layer, thereby reducing energy loss and improving measurement accuracy, ensuring optimal compression and guidance of the water flow.

[0040] In some specific embodiments, the raised portion 300 has a curved structure, that is, a cavity is formed between the raised portion 300 and the inner wall of the pipe section 100. On the one hand, this saves manufacturing costs, and on the other hand, the cavity is conducive to reducing the elastic modulus of the raised portion 300 and absorbing fluctuations in the water flow process, thereby reducing turbulent friction and reducing water flow energy loss.

[0041] Specifically, since the raised portion 300 is located on the inner wall of the pipe section 100, if the raised portion 300 is attached after a partial cut through the inner wall, the weld may be susceptible to water corrosion. Therefore, the weld needs to be waterproofed, for example, by adding a curved waterproof surface. Furthermore, considering the difficulty of cutting the inner wall and attaching the raised portion 300, 3D printing can be used to create a specially shaped double-walled pipe. Specifically, the original inner wall of the pipe section 100 is retained, and the raised portion 300 is applied to the inner wall of the pipe section 100 using a laser cladding process. Simultaneously, the thickness of the edge of the raised portion 300 can be gradually reduced to achieve a smooth connection with the inner wall of the pipe section 100.

[0042] Reference Figure 3 、 Figure 4As shown, the mounting holes are arranged in pairs, each pair of mounting holes including a first mounting hole 131 and a second mounting hole 132. The first mounting hole 131 and the second mounting hole 132 are arranged coaxially, and the central axis of the first mounting hole 131 intersects the central axis of the pipe section 100. The transducers are arranged in pairs, with one transducer in a set being a transmitter and the other being a receiver. Each pair of transducers includes a first transducer 210 and a second transducer 220. The first transducer 210 is arranged in the first mounting hole 131, and the second transducer 220 is arranged in the second mounting hole 132. The first transducer 210 and the second transducer 220 are respectively used to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves along the central axis of the first mounting hole 131. Specifically, the cross-section of the mounting hole is circular, and the cross-sectional shapes of the first transducer 210 and the second transducer 220 are arc-shaped corresponding to the cross-sectional shapes of the mounting hole. In some specific embodiments, the first transducer 210 and the second transducer 220 respectively have a first end face 211 and a second end face 212 that are relatively arranged. The shape of the first end face 211 is consistent with the shape of the inner wall of the pipe section 100, so that the first end face 211 and the inner wall of the pipe section 100 together form a smooth and complete path, thereby ensuring that the flow field of the water flow at the position of the transducer will not be disturbed due to the protruding part of the transducer, and the flow field of the water flow will not change when passing through the ultrasonic water meter pipe section 100. The stability of the flow field in the pipe ensures the measurement repeatability of the ultrasonic water meter and improves the measurement accuracy.

[0043] Reference Figure 5 As shown, in some specific embodiments of the present application, a limiting portion 410 is provided on the outer edge of the second end face 212, and a connecting portion 420 is provided on the outer wall of the pipe section 100 at the mounting hole. The connecting portion 420 is clearance-matched with the limiting portion 410, and the transducer is fixed in the mounting hole. Specifically, the limiting portion 410 is an annular groove, and the connecting portion 420 is an annular protrusion. The annular protrusion is clamped in the annular groove. By tightly connecting the annular protrusion and the annular groove, a better fixing and sealing effect can be achieved. In some specific embodiments, a sealing portion is provided between the limiting portion 410 and the connecting portion 420. For example, the sealing portion is a rubber pad. In this way, the sealing effect between the transducer and the mounting hole can be improved to prevent fluid from overflowing.

[0044] Reference Figure 4As shown, at least one protrusion 300 is provided on the water-facing side of each of the first and second transducers 210 and 220. For example, in some specific embodiments, three protrusions 300 are provided at intervals along the axial direction of the pipe section 100 on the water-facing side of the first transducer 210, and three protrusions 300 are provided at intervals along the axial direction of the pipe section 100 on the water-facing side of the second transducer 220. This, on the one hand, facilitates superposition of the water flow increments of the three protrusions 300, thereby effectively increasing the water flow velocity within the pipe section 100. While maintaining the flow field within the pipe section 100 as stable as possible, the water flow can maintain a relatively high flow velocity within the pipe section 100. On the other hand, it creates turbulence, reduces the impact of uneven flow velocity distribution on the measurement results, and achieves the purpose of improving the measurement accuracy of the ultrasonic water meter.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present application, the first transducers 210 are distributed in a circular array around the axis of the pipe section 100; the second transducers 220 are distributed in a circular array around the axis of the pipe section 100. The number of first transducers 210 is equal to the number of second transducers 220. For example, the first transducers 210 include three first transducers 210 distributed in a circular array, and the second transducers 220 include three second transducers 220 distributed in a circular array. Each first transducer 210 is coaxially arranged with a second transducer 220 to form a group. In this way, by providing multiple groups of transducers, the measurement accuracy of the water meter is improved.

[0046] The ultrasonic water meter of this application has the following technical effects:

[0047] The ultrasonic water meter of the present application can effectively reduce the influence of turbulent friction and boundary layer, reduce the pressure loss caused by compressed pipes, and reduce energy consumption. Therefore, since the water flow does not lose too much pressure in the process of passing through the raised portion 300, the flow velocity is significantly increased at the raised portion 300 and can still maintain a high speed until the end of the pipe section 100, so that the water flow can maintain a high flow velocity in the pipe section 100, reducing the impact of uneven flow velocity distribution on the measurement results and improving the measurement accuracy of the ultrasonic water meter. Compared with the traditional ultrasonic pipe with an optimized bell-shaped design, it can avoid the phenomenon of fluid velocity rapidly increasing locally and then dropping sharply. The flow velocity distribution of the fluid in the ultrasonic water meter of the present application is more uniform, thereby improving the measurement accuracy and measurement stability of the water meter.

[0048] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0049] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. Throughout the description of this application, "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0050] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," "connect," "fixed," etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection, electrical connection, or communication; direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; internal communication between two elements or interaction between two elements, unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on specific circumstances.

[0051] In this application, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples without contradiction.

[0052] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and cannot be understood as limitations on the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic water meter, characterized in that: include: A pipe section, wherein the two ends of the pipe section are respectively a water inlet and a water outlet, and the side wall of the pipe section is provided with a mounting hole; a transducer, disposed in the mounting hole, for transmitting or receiving ultrasonic waves; The raised portion is arranged on the inner wall of the pipe section and is located on the water-facing side of the transducer. The raised portion is smoothly connected to the inner wall of the pipe section, and the surface of the raised portion is an arc-shaped surface.

2. The ultrasonic water meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center of the raised portion protrudes toward the central axis of the pipe section, and the distance between the surface of the raised portion and the inner wall of the pipe section gradually decreases from the center of the raised portion to the edge of the raised portion.

3. The ultrasonic water meter according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The mounting holes are arranged in pairs, each pair of the mounting holes comprises a first mounting hole and a second mounting hole, the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole are coaxially arranged, and the central axis of the first mounting hole intersects the central axis of the pipe section; The transducers are arranged in pairs, and each pair of transducers includes a first transducer and a second transducer. The first transducer is arranged in the first mounting hole, and the second transducer is arranged in the second mounting hole. The first transducer and the second transducer are respectively used to transmit / receive the ultrasonic wave along the central axis of the first mounting hole.

4. The ultrasonic water meter according to claim 3, characterized in that: At least one protrusion is provided on the water-facing side of each of the first transducer and the second transducer.

5. The ultrasonic water meter according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first transducers are distributed in a ring array around the axis of the pipe section; the second transducers are distributed in a ring array around the axis of the pipe section.

6. The ultrasonic water meter according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first transducer and the second transducer respectively have a first end surface and a second end surface that are opposite to each other, and the shape of the first end surface is consistent with the shape of the inner wall of the pipe section.

7. The ultrasonic water meter according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: a limiting portion, arranged on an outer edge of the second end surface; The connecting portion is arranged on the outer wall of the pipe section and is located at the mounting hole. The connecting portion is clearance-matched with the limiting portion.

8. The ultrasonic water meter according to claim 7, characterized in that: The limiting portion is an annular groove, the connecting portion is an annular protrusion, and the annular protrusion is clamped in the annular groove.

9. The ultrasonic water meter according to claim 7, characterized in that: A sealing portion is provided between the limiting portion and the connecting portion.

10. The ultrasonic water meter according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: It also includes end flanges, which are respectively arranged at both ends of the pipe section.

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