DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING VOLUME FLOW AND QUALITY

Abstract

Device (1) for determining the volume flow and quality of a gaseous fluid, comprising a main channel (2), a bypass channel (3), a sensor area (4), and a primary anemometer (5), wherein the main channel (2) is configured to guide a main flow (8) of the fluid, wherein the bypass channel (3) and the sensor area (4) form a bypass (9) to the main flow (8), wherein the bypass (9) is configured in particular parallel to the main flow (8), wherein the bypass channel (3) is configured to direct a portion of the main flow (8) as a partial flow (10) into the sensor area (4), wherein the sensor area (4) comprises at least one fluid quality sensor (11), at least one speed sensor (12), and evaluation electronics (13), wherein the primary anemometer (5) is configured within the main channel (2) to detect the entire main flow (8) and is operatively connected to the speed sensor (12). stands, wherein the bypass channel (3) is designed in such a way,to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the partial flow (10) by a factor of 2 to 20.

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of measuring volume flows for evaluating fluid quality in piping systems. Such devices and methods are known, for example, from KR 20 0 453 850 Y1, which discloses a water meter with a built-in water quality sensor that enables data storage and transmission of data about water quality. Moreover, for example, document EP 3 106 671 B1 discloses a nozzle device for conveying air in a blower, comprising a nozzle housing with an outer wall surface, wherein a dust separator with at least one flow inlet opening and at least one flow outlet opening is provided on the outer wall surface, and the at least one flow inlet opening is connected to the interior of the nozzle device via at least one housing wall opening, so that a portion of the air conveyed by the nozzle device flows through the dust separator as a bypass flow, wherein a sensor for measuring parameters of the conveyed air is arranged at the at least one flow outlet opening of the dust separator in such a way that the bypass flow flowing from the at least one flow outlet opening of the dust separator directly impacts the sensor. The technical task can be seen as improving the state of the art, as well as developing alternatives to it. All features described in connection with individual embodiments of the invention can be provided in different combinations in the object according to the invention in order to simultaneously achieve their advantageous effect. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the patent claims and is not limited by the features explained in the description or shown in the figures. According to one aspect, the technical problem of the invention is solved by a device for determining the volume flow and quality of a gaseous fluid, comprising a main channel, a bypass channel, a sensor area, and a primary anemometer, wherein the main channel is configured to guide a main flow of the fluid, wherein the bypass channel and the sensor area form a bypass to the main flow, wherein the bypass is configured in particular parallel to the main flow, wherein the bypass channel is configured to direct a portion of the main flow as a partial flow into the sensor area, wherein the sensor area comprises at least one fluid quality sensor and at least one speed sensor, wherein the sensor area comprises evaluation electronics, wherein the primary anemometer is configured within the main channel to detect the entire main flow and is operatively connected with the speed sensor. In other words, the bypass channel is designed to reduce the partial flow diverted from the main flow to a level that allows for improved fluid quality measurement. Particularly with small flow rates, measurement accuracy can be improved and increased to a significant advantage. Furthermore, adverse interference between sensors can be reduced and avoided, which can have a further beneficial effect on measurement accuracy. In addition, contaminants that could negatively affect a measurement result can be detected, thus further improving measurement accuracy. In a technically advantageous embodiment, the sensor area includes a direction-of-rotation sensor, wherein the primary anemometer is designed within the main channel to detect the entire main flow and is operatively connected with the speed sensor and / or the direction-of-rotation sensor. In this way, a measurement unit can be formed that provides further relevant measured values ​​and where the aforementioned advantages come into play. Furthermore, in another technically advantageous embodiment, it is provided that the bypass is formed by means of a casing arranged on the main channel or by means of a casing arranged at least partially in the main channel or by means of a sensor box, wherein the casing or the sensor box comprises at least the bypass channel and / or the sensor area and / or the evaluation electronics and / or the at least one fluid quality sensor and / or the speed sensor and / or the direction of rotation sensor. This can advantageously allow for greater flexibility in the manufacture, installation, or use of the device, which can have a positive impact on both resource efficiency and cost savings. Furthermore, in a technically advantageous embodiment, it is provided that a uniform velocity of the partial current is generated by means of guiding elements, in particular by means of guiding elements arranged in the sensor area, wherein the guiding elements are preferably designed by means of a wall or as a bracing of the casing or the sensor box. Advantageously, the use of guide elements allows for the generation of a more uniform fluid velocity within the sensor area, which can further improve measurement accuracy. The guide elements can, for example, have a honeycomb structure and / or a grid structure, and / or be designed as a honeycomb structure and / or a grid structure. Furthermore, in a technically advantageous embodiment, it is provided that at least one gas sensor and / or one particle sensor and / or one temperature sensor and / or one humidity sensor is provided as a fluid quality sensor, wherein the particle sensor is in particular arranged within the bypass channel. This allows existing technologies to be used and applied cost-effectively. Additional sensors further improve measurement accuracy and can be used to make better assessments of fluid quality. Furthermore, in a technically advantageous embodiment, it is provided that the direction of rotation sensor and / or the speed sensor is / are designed as a Hall sensor, wherein the direction of rotation sensor and the speed sensor are in particular designed as a common sensor formed from at least two Hall sensors. Advantageously, the main current and its flow direction can be detected and used to further improve measurement accuracy. Furthermore, in a technically advantageous embodiment, the bypass channel is designed to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the partial flow by a factor of 2, in particular by a factor of 2 to 10, preferably by a factor of 2 to 20. This can advantageously reduce the fluid velocity in the sensor area, which further improves the measurement accuracy and can be particularly beneficial for sensors that are sensitive to fluid velocity. Furthermore, in a technically advantageous embodiment, the device further comprises a secondary anemometer, in particular a hot-film anemometer, wherein the secondary anemometer is arranged within the partial flow, in particular within the bypass or bypass channel or sensor area. This can advantageously improve the measurement accuracy, especially with regard to contamination in the bypass channel. Furthermore, in a technically advantageous embodiment, the primary anemometer is designed as a vane anemometer. This allows existing technologies to be used and applied cost-effectively. Furthermore, in a technically advantageous embodiment, the fluid quality sensors are arranged in a shading area of ​​the sensor box, wherein fluid exchange takes place between the partial flow and the shading area either by means of diffusion or by means of air inlets, wherein the air inlets are small in relation to the cross-section of the partial flow and are arranged in particular within a guide element and / or an inner wall and / or a partition of the sensor box. This allows very low fluid movements to be generated in the sensor area, which can have an additionally advantageous effect on the measurement accuracy, especially in the case of flow-sensitive sensors. Furthermore, in a technically advantageous embodiment, it is provided that the fluid quality sensors are arranged separately from each other by means of at least one inner wall, in particular a partition. This can further reduce and prevent any potential mutual interference, especially thermal interference, between the sensors. According to a further aspect, the technical problem of the invention is solved by a method for determining the volumetric flow rate and quality of a gaseous fluid using a device according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the following method steps: - Diverting a portion of the main fluid flow as a partial flow via the bypass channel to the sensor area within the bypass, and in particular reducing the velocity of the partial flow, preferably in the sensor area; - Detecting the fluid quality in the sensor area using the at least one fluid quality sensor; - Detecting the rotational speed and / or direction of rotation of the primary anemometer using the rotational speed sensor and the direction of rotation sensor; - Evaluating the sensor data using the evaluation electronics The aforementioned advantages can thus also be used to advantage in a process. In a technically advantageous embodiment, it is provided that contamination within the bypass, in particular the bypass channel, is detected, wherein in particular measured values ​​of the primary anemometer are compared with the measured values ​​of the secondary anemometer, wherein a warning message is issued if there is a deviation of these measured values, or this information is used to influence a maintenance interval, in particular a maintenance interval of the device. This can further promote the use of the process and enable better and, in particular, more reliable operation. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown schematically in the figures and are described in more detail below. Figure 1 shows an exploded view of the device, Figure 2 a perspective view of the sensor box, Figure 3 a sectional drawing of the inlet to a bypass channel, and Figure 4 a sectional drawing of the sensor area. In a combination of Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3 to Fig. 4, a device 1 for determining the volume flow and quality of a gaseous fluid is shown as follows. The device 1 comprises a main channel 2, a bypass channel 3, a sensor area 4, and a primary anemometer 5. The main channel 2 is configured to carry a main flow of the fluid 8, with the bypass channel 3 and the sensor area 4 forming a bypass 9 to the main flow 8. The bypass 9 is configured parallel to the main flow 8, with the bypass channel 3 being configured to direct a portion of the main flow 8 as a partial flow 10 into the sensor area 4. The sensor area 4 comprises several fluid quality sensors 11, at least one speed sensor 12, and evaluation electronics 13, with the primary anemometer 5 being configured within the main channel 2 to detect the entire main flow 8 and being operatively connected to the speed sensor 12. Furthermore, it is shown that the sensor area 4 comprises a rotation direction sensor 14, wherein the primary anemometer 5 is configured within the main channel 2 to detect the entire main flow 8 and is operatively connected to the speed sensor 12 and / or the rotation direction sensor 14. The bypass 9 is configured by means of a housing 7 arranged on and at least partially within the main channel 2 in the form of a sensor box 6, wherein the sensor box 6 comprises the bypass channel 3, the sensor area 4, the evaluation electronics 13, the fluid quality sensors 11, the speed sensor 12, and the rotation direction sensor 14. A uniform velocity of the partial flow 10 is generated by means of guide elements 15 arranged in the sensor area 4, wherein the guide elements 15 are formed by means of a strut 17 of the sensor box 8. A first gas sensor 16, a second gas sensor 17, a particle sensor 24, a temperature sensor 25 and a humidity sensor 26 are provided as fluid quality sensors 11, wherein the particle sensor 24 is arranged within the bypass channel 3. Advantageously, by using several sensors working together, a very precise statement about the fluid quality can be made with a very high degree of measurement accuracy. The direction-of-rotation sensor 14 and the speed sensor 12 are designed as Hall sensors 18, wherein the direction-of-rotation sensor 14 and the speed sensor 12 are configured as a single sensor formed from two Hall sensors 18. The device further comprises a secondary anemometer 19 in the form of a hot-film anemometer 20, wherein the secondary anemometer is arranged within the partial flow 10, within the bypass 9 of the bypass channel 3 and the sensor area 4. It is also shown that the primary anemometer 5 is configured as a vane anemometer 21, thereby enabling the cost-effective and advantageous use of existing technologies. The bypass channel 3 is designed such that the cross-sectional area of ​​the partial flow is increased by a factor of 2 to 20, which advantageously reduces the velocity of the fluid within the sensor box 6 and thus allows the sensors to operate more reliably and accurately. This is illustrated in particular in a combined view of Figs. 3 and 4. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 to 4, the fluid quality sensors 11 are arranged in a shading area 22 of the sensor box 6. Fluid exchange takes place between the partial flow 10 and the shading area 22, either by diffusion or via air inlets 23. The air inlets 23 are small in relation to the cross-section of the partial flow 10 and are located within an inner wall of the sensor box 6. The fluid quality sensors 11 are separated from each other by a partition 27, which advantageously reduces and eliminates mutual interference, particularly of a thermal nature. Furthermore, in a combined view of Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3 to Fig. 4, a wall or bracing of the casing 28, a common sensor 31, an inner wall and / or partition of the sensor box 32 and an inner wall or partition 33 are shown. Advantageously, a measuring unit can thus be created that preferentially provides relevant measured values ​​for quality determination, while avoiding mutual interference between the different sensors. Particularly when dealing with small volume flows, especially in the main flow, high measurement accuracy can be achieved, and, for example, contamination that could negatively affect measurement accuracy can be detected. Reference symbol list 1 Device 2 Main channel 3 Bypass channel 4 Sensor area 5 Primary anemometer 6 Sensor box 7 Casing 8 Main fluid flow 9 Bypass 10 Partial fluid flow 11 Fluid quality sensor 12 Speed ​​sensor 13 Evaluation electronics 14 Rotation direction sensor 15 Guide elements 16 First gas sensor 17 Second gas sensor 18 Hall sensor 19 Secondary anemometer 20 Hot-film anemometer 21 Vane anemometer 22 Shading area 23 Air inlets 24 Particle sensor 25 Temperature sensor 26 Humidity sensor 27 Partition 28 Wall or bracing or inner wall or partition Casing or of the sensor box 29 Common sensor

Claims

Device (1) for determining the volume flow and quality of a gaseous fluid, comprising a main channel (2), a bypass channel (3), a sensor area (4), and a primary anemometer (5), wherein the main channel (2) is configured to guide a main flow (8) of the fluid, wherein the bypass channel (3) and the sensor area (4) form a bypass (9) to the main flow (8), wherein the bypass (9) is configured in particular parallel to the main flow (8), wherein the bypass channel (3) is configured to direct a portion of the main flow (8) as a partial flow (10) into the sensor area (4), wherein the sensor area (4) comprises at least one fluid quality sensor (11), at least one speed sensor (12), and evaluation electronics (13), wherein the primary anemometer (5) is configured within the main channel (2) to detect the entire main flow (8) and is operatively connected to the speed sensor (12). stands, wherein the bypass channel (3) is designed in such a way,to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the partial flow (10) by a factor of 2 to 20. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor area (4) comprises a direction of rotation sensor (14), wherein the primary anemometer (5) is designed within the main channel (2) to detect the entire main flow (8) and is in an operative relationship with the speed sensor (12) and / or the direction of rotation sensor (14). Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bypass (9) is formed by means of a casing (7) arranged on the main channel (2), or by means of a casing (7) arranged at least partially in the main channel (2), or by means of a sensor box (6), wherein the casing (7) or the sensor box (6) comprises at least the bypass channel (3) and / or the sensor area (4) and / or the evaluation electronics (13) and / or the at least one fluid quality sensor (11) and / or the speed sensor (12) and / or the direction of rotation sensor (14). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a uniform velocity of the partial current (10) is generated by means of guiding elements (15), in particular by means of guiding elements (15) arranged in the sensor area (4), wherein the guiding elements (15) are preferably formed by means of a wall or strut (28) of the casing (7) or the sensor box (6). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one gas sensor (16, 17) and / or one particle sensor (24) and / or one temperature sensor (25) and / or one humidity sensor (26) is provided as fluid quality sensors (11), wherein the particle sensor (24) is arranged in particular within the bypass channel (3). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the direction of rotation sensor (14) and / or the speed sensor (12) is / are designed as a Hall sensor (18), wherein the direction of rotation sensor (14) and the speed sensor (12) are in particular designed as a common sensor (29) formed from at least two Hall sensors (18). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bypass channel (3) is designed to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the partial flow (10) by a factor of 2, in particular by a factor of 2 to 10. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (1) further comprises a secondary anemometer (19), in particular a hot-film anemometer (20), wherein the secondary anemometer (19) is arranged within the partial flow (10), in particular within the bypass (9) or the bypass channel (3) or the sensor area (4). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the primary anemometer (5) is designed as a vane anemometer (21). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid quality sensors (11) are arranged in a shading area (22) of the sensor box (6), wherein a fluid exchange takes place between the partial flow (10) and the shading area (22) either by means of diffusion or by means of air inlet openings (23), wherein the air inlet openings (23) are small in relation to the cross-section of the partial flow (10) and are arranged in particular within a guide element (15) and / or an inner wall (28) and / or a partition (28) of the sensor box (6). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid quality sensors (11) are arranged separately from each other by means of at least one inner wall (28), in particular a partition (28). Method for determining the volume flow and quality of a gaseous fluid using a device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the following method steps: - Diverting a portion of the main flow (8) of the fluid as a partial flow (10) via the bypass channel (3) to the sensor area (4) within the bypass (9) and, in particular, reducing the velocity of the partial flow (10), preferably in the sensor area (4); - Detecting the fluid quality in the sensor area (4) using the at least one fluid quality sensor (11); - Detecting the rotational speed and / or the direction of rotation of the primary anemometer (5) using the rotational speed sensor (12) and the direction of rotation sensor (14); - Evaluating the sensor data using the evaluation electronics (13). Method according to claim 12, characterized in that contamination within the bypass (9), in particular the bypass channel (3), is detected, wherein in particular measured values ​​of the primary anemometer (5) are compared with the measured values ​​of the secondary anemometer (19), wherein in the event of a deviation of these measured values ​​a warning message is issued, or this information is used to influence a maintenance interval, in particular a maintenance interval of the device (1).

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