Estimation of hydrogen load-induced changes in vibrating meters.

Abstract

A method is provided for estimating hydrogen-loading induced changes in a vibrating meter that includes determining a pressure and temperature of hydrogen exposed to a vibrating element of the vibrating meter, calculating a concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element based on the hydrogen pressure and temperature, and adjusting a calibration factor of the vibrating meter based on the calculated concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The embodiments described below relate to estimating changes in a vibratory meter, and more particularly to estimating hydrogen-load-induced changes in a vibratory meter. [Background technology]

[0002] Vibratory meters, such as, for example, Coriolis mass flow meters, liquid density meters, gas density meters, liquid viscosity meters, gas / liquid specific gravity meters, gas / liquid relative density meters, and gas molecular weight meters, are commonly known and used to measure fluid parameters. Generally, vibratory meters include a sensor assembly and meter electronics. The sensor assembly is communicatively coupled to the meter electronics and may provide a sensor signal to the meter electronics. The sensor assembly may include a conduit configured to vibrate in response to a driving force imposed by an actuator that receives a drive signal from the meter electronics. The actuator may be referred to as a driver.

[0003] When a conduit is used in a sensor assembly, the conduit may be filled with a material having a property to be measured. The material in one or more conduits of the sensor assembly may be flowing or stationary. The sensor assembly may be used to measure one or more fluid parameters, such as mass flow rate, density, or other properties of the material in the sensor assembly. More specifically, there may be one or more transducers attached to one or more conduits configured to convert vibrational motion into a sensor signal. These transducers may be referred to as pickoff sensors. Pickoff sensors are typically located at the inlet and outlet portions of one or more conduits.

[0004] As mentioned above, the vibratory meter may be a Coriolis flow meter. A Coriolis flow meter includes one or more conduits connected in line in a pipeline or other transportation system to transport materials, such as fluids, slurries, and / or the like, within the system. Each conduit may be considered to have a set of natural vibration modes, including, for example, simple bending, torsional, radial, and coupled modes. In a Coriolis flow measurement application, the conduit is excited in one or more vibration modes as material flows through the conduit, and the motion of the conduit is measured at spaced points along the conduit. During flow, the vibrating tube and the flowing mass couple to each other due to the Coriolis force, which causes a vibration phase difference between the ends of the tube. The phase difference may be directly proportional to the mass flow rate and may be measured as the phase difference between two sensor signals provided by pickoff sensors.

[0005] For example, the mass flow rate of a material may be proportional to the phase difference or time delay between two sensor signals, where the time delay may include the phase difference divided by the frequency. Therefore, the mass flow rate may be determined, for example, by multiplying the time delay by a proportionality constant or calibration factor, sometimes referred to as a flow calibration factor (FCF). The FCF may reflect the material and mechanical properties of the flow tube. The FCF may be determined by a calibration process before incorporating the flow meter into a pipeline or other conduit. In the calibration process, material is flowed through the conduit at a known flow rate, and the proportionality constant between the phase difference or time delay and the flow rate is calculated and recorded as the FCF. A similar procedure may be used to calibrate a density meter when duration is the independent variable rather than time delay.

[0006] Vibratory meters may be used in processes where the process fluid contains hydrogen, such as a hydrogen-rich or pure fluid. It is known that hydrogen can diffuse into metal lattices, such as steel lattices, under certain conditions. The diffusion of hydrogen into metal lattices can have a significant effect on the material properties of the metal. Some of the changes can be an increase in the elastic modulus (e.g., stress-to-strain ratio). If the increase in elastic modulus becomes significant, the result can be hydrogen-assisted cracking of the metal. This problem may alternatively be referred to as hydrogen-induced cracking, embrittlement, etc.

[0007] Metals may be manufactured that are sufficiently resistant to hydrogen loading so that they do not undergo hydrogen-assisted cracking. However, such metals may still be subjected to sufficient hydrogen loading to change the material properties of the metal. The change in material properties may be significant enough to cause errors in the vibratory meter's measurements. More specifically, vibratory meters may use calibration coefficients that relate parameter values ​​(e.g., time delay, frequency, etc.) of the vibrating element to measurements of fluid properties of the fluid being measured, such as mass flow rate, density, viscosity, etc. If the material properties of the vibrating element change, the calibration coefficients may no longer accurately relate the parameter values ​​of the vibrating element to the measurements of the fluid properties.

[0008] While such changes may be accounted for by recalibrating the vibratory meter, calibration may be undesirable for a variety of reasons, such as the manual labor required in hazardous environments or the costs associated with taking the vibratory meter offline. Such risks and costs can be minimized, and therefore the return on investment maximized, by accurately assessing whether calibration is necessary. Furthermore, the calibration factor may be adjusted by quantifying changes to material properties that have a known relationship to the calibration factor. Therefore, there is a need to estimate hydrogen-loading-induced changes in the vibratory meter. Summary of the Invention

[0009] A method for estimating hydrogen-loading-induced changes in a vibrating meter is provided, according to one embodiment, the method includes determining a pressure and temperature of hydrogen exposed to a vibrating element of the vibrating meter, calculating a concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element based on the hydrogen pressure and temperature, and adjusting a calibration factor of the vibrating meter based on the calculated concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element.

[0010] A vibratory meter configured to estimate hydrogen-loading-induced changes in a vibratory meter is provided. According to one embodiment, the vibratory meter includes a sensor assembly having a vibrating element configured to be exposed to hydrogen in a process fluid, and meter electronics communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly. The meter electronics is configured to determine a pressure and a temperature of the hydrogen, calculate a concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element based on the hydrogen pressure and temperature, and adjust a calibration factor of the vibratory meter based on the calculated concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element.

[0011] [Aspect] According to one aspect, a method for estimating hydrogen loading-induced changes in a vibrating meter includes determining a pressure and temperature of hydrogen exposed to a vibrating element of the vibrating meter, calculating a concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element based on the hydrogen pressure and temperature, and adjusting a calibration factor of the vibrating meter based on the calculated concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element.

[0012] Preferably, the vibrating element is one of a conduit and a tine.

[0013] Preferably, the process fluid is one of a pure fluid of hydrogen and a mixture containing hydrogen.

[0014] Preferably, the step of determining the pressure of the hydrogen comprises determining one of the total pressure of the pure fluid of hydrogen and the partial pressure of the hydrogen in the mixture.

[0015] Preferably, the hydrogen is in at least one of a gas phase and a liquid phase, and / or in at least one of a molecular form and an atomic form.

[0016] Preferably, the step of calculating the concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element comprises calculating the average concentration as a percentage of the equilibrium concentration.

[0017] Preferably, the step of adjusting the calibration factor of the vibration meter includes the steps of calculating a change in the elastic modulus of the vibration element based on the concentration of hydrogen in the vibration element, and calculating a calibration factor converted to elastic modulus based on the change in elastic modulus.

[0018] Preferably, the step of calculating the change in elastic modulus of the vibrating element comprises calculating a change in elastic modulus of the vibrating element using the formula:

number

number

number

[0019] Preferably, the step of calculating a modulus-converted calibration factor based on the change in modulus of elasticity comprises calculating a calibration factor based on the formula:

number

[0020] Preferably, the step of calculating a modulus-converted calibration factor based on the change in modulus of elasticity comprises calculating a calibration factor based on the formula:

number

[0021] A vibratory meter configured to estimate hydrogen-loading-induced changes in a vibratory meter includes a sensor assembly having a vibrating element configured to be exposed to hydrogen in a process fluid, and meter electronics communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly, the meter electronics configured to determine a pressure and a temperature of the hydrogen, calculate a concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element based on the hydrogen pressure and temperature, and adjust a calibration factor of the vibratory meter based on the calculated concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element.

[0022] Preferably, the vibrating element is one of a conduit and a tine.

[0023] Preferably, the hydrogen-containing process fluid is one of a hydrogen pure fluid and a hydrogen-containing mixture.

[0024] Preferably, configuring the meter electronics to determine the pressure of the hydrogen includes configuring the meter electronics to determine one of a total pressure of a pure fluid of hydrogen and a partial pressure of hydrogen in a mixture.

[0025] Preferably, the hydrogen is in at least one of a gas phase and a liquid phase, and / or in at least one of a molecular form and an atomic form.

[0026] Preferably, configuring the meter electronics to calculate the concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element includes configuring the meter electronics to calculate a modulus of elasticity of the vibrating element based on the pressure and temperature of hydrogen in the process fluid.

[0027] Preferably, configuring the meter electronics to adjust the calibration factor of the vibratory meter includes configuring the meter electronics to calculate a change in elastic modulus of the vibrating element based on the concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element, and to calculate a modulus-converted calibration factor based on the change in elastic modulus.

[0028] Preferably, the meter electronics is configured to calculate the change in elastic modulus of the vibrating element using the formula:

number

number

number

[0029] Preferably, the meter electronics being configured to calculate a modulus-converted calibration factor based on the change in modulus of elasticity is calculated by the meter electronics by calculating a modulus-converted calibration factor based on the change in modulus of elasticity by the formula:

number

[0030] Preferably, the meter electronics being configured to calculate a modulus-converted calibration factor based on the change in modulus of elasticity is calculated by the meter electronics by calculating a modulus-converted calibration factor based on the change in modulus of elasticity by the formula:

number

[0031] Like reference numbers refer to like elements in all drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. [Figure 1] 1 shows a vibratory meter 5 configured to estimate hydrogen load-induced changes in the vibratory meter. [Figure 2] 1 shows a vibratory meter 5a with a Coriolis meter configured to estimate hydrogen-induced changes in the vibratory meter 5a. [Figure 3] 3 shows a block diagram of the vibratory meter 5a described in connection with FIG. 2, including a block diagram representation of meter electronics 20a configured to estimate hydrogen load-induced changes in the vibratory meter 5a. [Figure 4] 1 shows a vibratory meter 5b with a fork meter configured to estimate hydrogen load-induced changes in the fork meter. [Figure 5] 1 shows meter electronics 20 configured to estimate hydrogen load-induced changes in a vibrating meter 5. [Figure 6] 6 illustrates a method 600 for estimating hydrogen loading induced changes in a vibrating meter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] 1-6 and the following description depict specific examples to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode of embodiments for estimating hydrogen-load-induced changes in a vibratory meter. For the purpose of teaching the principles of the present invention, some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from these examples that fall within the scope of the present disclosure. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the features described below can be combined in various ways to form multiple variations for estimating hydrogen-induced changes in a vibratory meter. Consequently, the embodiments described below are not limited to the specific examples described below, but are limited only by the claims and their equivalents.

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates a vibratory meter 5 configured to estimate hydrogen-load-induced changes in a vibratory meter. As shown in FIG. 1, the vibratory sensor 5 comprises a sensor assembly 10 and meter electronics 20 communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly 10. The sensor assembly 10 may contain the fluid to be measured, may be immersed in the fluid to be measured, may be exposed to the fluid to be measured, etc. The sensor assembly 10 provides information regarding the sensed characteristic to the meter electronics 20. The information may be provided by an electrical signal, an optical signal, etc. The information may be provided by any suitable means, such as, for example, modulating a characteristic (e.g., voltage, current, power, etc.) of the electrical signal. The modulation may be digital, analog, mixed signal, etc. The meter electronics 20 can use the information to convert the information into a measurement. This conversion typically utilizes one or more calibration factors that may offset and / or scale the information into a measurement. A fluid measurement may be composed of one or more fluid measurements. Accordingly, the meter electronics 20 can provide the fluid measurements via a port 26 to a communications terminal, interface, etc. As will be explained in more detail below, if the characteristics of the sensor assembly 10 change relative to a baseline or reference calibration, the fluid measurements may be affected.

[0034] The sensor assembly 10 may be configured to sense a property of a fluid. More specifically, the vibrating element 130 may be configured to be exposed to a fluid to measure the property of the fluid. The vibrating element 130 may include a conduit containing a fluid, such as a conduit of a Coriolis meter or the tines of a fork meter that are immersed in the fluid, as described in more detail below. The property or properties of the fluid may include flow rate, e.g., mass or volumetric flow rate, density, viscosity, etc. The property or properties of the fluid may also include temperature, pressure, and / or the like of the fluid.

[0035] The sensor assembly 10 may also be configured to sense non-fluid properties, such as temperature, contained pressure of the housing, and / or vibration frequency of one or more vibrating elements. The sensor assembly 10 may provide information regarding the properties of the fluid via the communication channel 100. The sensor assembly 10 may also receive drive signals, etc., from the meter electronics 20 via the communication channel 100.

[0036] Additionally or alternatively, although not shown in FIGURE 1, transducers such as temperature and / or pressure transducers may be mechanically coupled to a vessel, pipeline, etc. coupled to sensor assembly 10 for sensing the fluid supplied to sensor assembly 10. Such transducers, which may be referred to as external transducers, may be communicatively coupled to meter electronics 20 in addition to sensor assembly 10. The external transducers may provide such information to meter electronics 20 via port 26 shown in FIGURE 1, for example, although additional ports, etc., may be used.

[0037] [Coriolis meter] FIG. 2 illustrates a vibratory meter 5a comprising a Coriolis meter configured to estimate hydrogen-induced changes in the vibratory meter 5a. As shown in FIG. 1, the vibratory meter 5a is a Coriolis meter comprising a sensor assembly 10a and meter electronics 20a. The sensor assembly 10a responds to the mass flow rate and density of a process material. The meter electronics 20a is connected to the sensor assembly 10a via a communication channel 100a, which may be comprised of leads, although any suitable channel may be used. As can be appreciated, the communication channel 100a includes the RTD signal, the drive signal, and the left and right sensor signals. The meter electronics 20a may be configured to calculate and provide density, mass flow rate, temperature information, and the like via port 26a using the communication channel 100a.

[0038] The sensor assembly 10a includes a pair of manifolds 150a and 150a', flanges 103a and 103a' having flange necks 110a and 110a', a pair of conduits 130a and 130a', a driver 180a, a resistance temperature detector (RTD) 190a, and a pair of pickoff sensors 170a1 and 170ar. The conduits 130a and 130a' have two inlet legs 131a, 131a' and outlet legs 134a, 134a' that converge toward each other at the conduit mounting blocks 120a and 120a'. The conduits 130a and 130a' bend at two symmetrical locations along their lengths and are essentially parallel throughout their lengths. Brace bars 140a and 140a' serve to define axes W and W' about which each conduit 130a, 130a' oscillates. Inlet and outlet legs 131a, 131a' and 134a, 134a' of conduits 130a, 130a' are fixedly attached to conduit mounting blocks 120a and 120a', which are fixedly attached to manifolds 150a and 150a'. This provides a continuous occlusion material path through sensor assembly 10a.

[0039] When flanges 103a and 103a', having holes 102a and 102a', are connected via inlet end 104a and outlet end 104a' to a process line (not shown) carrying the process material being metered, the material enters the meter at inlet end 104a through orifice 101a in flange 103a and is directed through manifold 150a to conduit mounting block 120a, having surface 121a. Within manifold 150a, the material is split and directed through conduits 130a and 130a'. Upon exiting conduits 130a and 130a', the process material is recombined into a single stream at block 120a', having surface 121a', and manifold 150a', before being directed to outlet end 104a', which is connected to the process line (not shown) by flange 103a', having hole 102a'.

[0040] Conduits 130a, 130a' are selected to have substantially the same mass distribution, moment of inertia, and Young's modulus about bending axes W--W and W'--W', respectively, and are appropriately mounted to conduit mounting blocks 120a, 120a'. These bending axes pass through brace bars 140a, 140a'. Insofar as the conduit's Young's modulus changes with temperature, affecting flow rate and density calculations, an RTD 190a is mounted to conduit 130a' to continuously measure the temperature of conduit 130a'. The temperature of conduit 130a', and therefore the voltage appearing across RTD 190a for a given current passing through the conduit, is governed by the temperature of the material passing through conduit 130'. The temperature-dependent voltage appearing across RTD 190a is used by meter electronics 20a in a well-known manner to compensate for changes in the modulus of elasticity of conduits 130a, 130a' due to any changes in conduit temperature. The RTD 190a is connected to the meter electronics 20a by a lead 195a.

[0041] Both conduits 130a, 130a' are driven in opposite directions about their respective bending axes W and W' in what is called the first out-of-phase bending mode of the vibratory meter by driver 180a. This driver 180a may comprise any one of a number of well-known configurations, such as a magnet attached to conduit 130a' and opposing coils attached to conduit 130a through which an alternating current flows to vibrate both conduits 130a, 130a'. An appropriate drive signal 185a is applied to driver 180a by meter electronics 20a via leads.

[0042] Meter electronics 20a receives the RTD temperature signal on lead 195a and sensor signal 165a, or more specifically left and right sensor signals 165a1, 165a1, appearing over communication channel 100a. Meter electronics 20a generates drive signal 185a, appearing on lead to driver 180a, causing conduits 130a, 130a' to vibrate. Meter electronics 20a processes left and right sensor signals 165a1, 165a1, and the RTD signal from lead 195a to calculate the mass flow rate and density of material passing through sensor assembly 10a. This information, along with other information, is applied by meter electronics 20a as a signal via port 26a.

[0043]

[0023] Figure 3 shows a block diagram of the vibratory meter 5a described in connection with Figure 2, including a block diagram representation of meter electronics 20a configured to estimate hydrogen-loading-induced changes to the vibratory meter 5a. As shown in Figure 3, meter electronics 20a is communicatively coupled to sensor assembly 10a. As described above in connection with Figure 2, sensor assembly 10a includes left and right pickoff sensors 170a1, 170a1, driver 180a, and RTD 190a, which are communicatively coupled to meter electronics 20a via a set of leads over communication channel 112a.

[0044] The meter electronics 20a provides the drive signal 185a via leads having the communication channel 100a. More specifically, the meter electronics 20a provides the drive signal 185a to a driver 180a within the sensor assembly 10a. Additionally, sensor signals 165a, including a left sensor signal 165a1 and a right sensor signal 165ar, are provided by the sensor assembly 10a. More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the sensor signals 165a are provided by left and right pickoff sensors 170a1, 170ar within the sensor assembly 10a. As can be appreciated, the sensor signals 165a are provided to the meter electronics 20a via the communication channel 112a.

[0045] Meter electronics 20a includes a processor 210a communicatively coupled to one or more signal processors 220a and one or more memories 230a. Processor 210a is also communicatively coupled to user interface 30a. Processor 210a is communicatively coupled to a host via a communications port over port 26a and receives power via power port 250a. Processor 210a may be a microprocessor, although any suitable processor may be used. For example, processor 210a may be comprised of sub-processors, such as a multi-core processor, a serial communications port, a peripheral interface (e.g., a serial peripheral interface), on-chip memory, an I / O port, or the like. In these and other embodiments, processor 210a is configured to perform operations on received and processed signals, such as digitized signals.

[0046] The processor 210a may receive digitized sensor signals from one or more signal processors 220a. The processor 210a may also be configured to provide information such as a phase difference, a property of the fluid in the sensor assembly 10a, etc. The processor 210a may provide the information to a host via a communication port. The processor 210a may also be configured to communicate with one or more memories 230a to receive information and / or store information in one or more memories 230a. For example, the processor 210a may receive a calibration factor and / or a sensor assembly zero (e.g., a phase difference when the flow is zero) from one or more memories 230a. Each of the calibration factor and / or the sensor assembly zero may be associated with the vibratory meter 5a and / or the sensor assembly 10a, respectively. The processor 210a may use the calibration factor to process the digitized sensor signals received from the one or more signal processors 220a.

[0047] The one or more signal processors 220a are shown as comprising an encoder / decoder (CODEC) 222a and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 226a. The one or more signal processors 220a can condition analog signals, digitize the conditioned analog signals, and / or provide digitized signals. The CODEC 222a is configured to receive the sensor signals 165a from the left and right pickoff sensors 170a, 170ar. The CODEC 222a is also configured to provide the drive signals 185a to the driver 180a. In alternative embodiments, more or fewer signal processors may be used.

[0048] As shown, the sensor signal 165a is provided to the CODEC 222a via a signal conditioner 240a. The drive signal 185 is provided to the driver 180a via the signal conditioner 240a. Although the signal conditioner 240a is shown as a single block, the signal conditioner 240a may be comprised of signal conditioner components such as two or more operational amplifiers, filters such as low-pass filters, and voltage-to-current amplifiers. For example, the sensor signal 165a may be amplified by a first amplifier, and the drive signal 185a may be amplified by a voltage-to-current amplifier. The amplification may be such that the magnitude of the sensor signal 165a approaches the full-scale range of the CODEC 222a.

[0049] In the illustrated embodiment, the one or more memories 230a are comprised of read-only memory (ROM) 232a, random access memory (RAM) 234a, and ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM®) 236a. However, in other embodiments, the one or more memories 230a may be comprised of more or less memory. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more memories 230a may be comprised of different types of memory (e.g., volatile, non-volatile, etc.). For example, a different type of non-volatile memory, such as an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), may be employed in place of the FRAM 236a. The one or more memories 230a may be storage devices configured to store process data, such as drive signals or sensor signals, mass flow or density measurements, etc.

[0050] The mass flow measurement is calculated using the formula:

number

number

[0051] The measured time delay Δt includes operationally derived (i.e., measured) time delay values, including the time delay that exists between pickoff sensor signals, for example, when the time delay is due to the Coriolis effect associated with the mass flow rate through the vibratory meter 5a. The measured time delay Δt is a direct measurement of the mass flow rate of the flowing material as it flows through the vibratory meter 5a. The zero-flow time delay Δt includes the time delay at zero flow rate. The zero-flow time delay Δt is a zero-flow value that may be determined at the factory and programmed into the vibratory meter 5a. The zero-flow time delay Δt is an exemplary zero-flow value. Other zero-flow values, such as a phase difference, a time difference, etc., determined at a zero-flow condition may also be used. The value of the zero-flow time delay Δt may not change even when flow conditions are changing. The mass flow rate value of the material flowing through the vibratory meter 5a is determined by multiplying the difference between the measured time delay Δt and a reference zero-flow value Δt by a flow calibration factor FCF. The flow calibration factor FCF is proportional to the physical stiffness of the vibratory meter.

[0052] With respect to density, the resonant frequency at which each conduit 130a, 130a' may vibrate may be a function of the square root of the spring constant of the conduit 130a, 130a' divided by the total mass of the conduit 130a, 130a' containing the material. The total mass of the conduit 130a, 130a' containing the material may be the mass of the conduit 130a, 130a' plus the mass of the material within the conduit 130a, 130a'. The mass of the material within the conduit 130a, 130a' is directly proportional to the density of the material. Therefore, the density of the material may be proportional to the square of the period at which the conduit 130a, 130a' containing the material vibrates multiplied by the spring constant of the conduit 130a, 130a'. Thus, by determining the period at which the conduits 130a, 130a' vibrate and scaling the result appropriately, an accurate measurement of the density of the material contained by the conduits 130a, 130a' can be obtained. The meter electronics 20a can determine the period or resonant frequency using the sensor signal 165a and / or the drive signal 185a. The conduits 130a, 130a' can vibrate in multiple vibration modes. As previously mentioned, the vibratory meter 5 can be a fork meter, an example of which is described below.

[0053] [Fork Meter] FIG. 4 illustrates a vibratory meter 5b that includes a fork meter configured to estimate hydrogen-load-induced changes in the fork meter. As shown in FIG. 4, the vibratory meter 5b includes meter electronics 20b communicatively coupled to a sensor assembly 10b. The meter electronics 20b is also mechanically coupled to the sensor assembly 10b by a shaft 115b. The shaft 115b may be of any desired length. The shaft 115b may be at least partially hollow. Wiring or other conductors may extend through the shaft 115b between the meter electronics 20b and the vibrating element 130b. The meter electronics 20b includes circuit components such as a receiver circuit 134b, an interface circuit 136b, and a driver circuit 138b. In the illustrated embodiment, the receiver circuit 134b and the driver circuit 138b are directly coupled to the leads of the vibrating element 130b. Alternatively, the meter electronics 20b may comprise a component or device separate from the vibrating element 130b, with the receiver circuit 134b and the driver circuit 138b coupled to the vibrating element 130b via the communication channel 100b.

[0054] In the illustrated embodiment, the vibrating element 130b of the vibrating meter 5b is a tuning fork structure, and the vibrating element 130b is at least partially immersed in the process fluid being measured. The vibrating element 130b includes a housing 105b that can be attached to another structure, such as a pipe, a conduit, a tank, a receptacle, a manifold, or any other fluid handling structure. The housing 105b holds the vibrating element 130b while the vibrating element 130b remains at least partially exposed to the process fluid. Thus, the vibrating element 130b is configured to be immersed in the fluid.

[0055] In the illustrated embodiment, the vibrating element 130b includes first and second tines 130bd and 130bs configured to extend at least partially into the fluid. The first and second tines 130bd and 130bs comprise elongated elements that may have any desired cross-sectional shape. The first and second tines 130bd and 130bs may be at least partially flexible or resilient in nature. The vibrating meter 5b further includes corresponding first and second piezoelectric elements 122b and 124b comprising piezoelectric crystal elements. The first and second piezoelectric elements 122b and 124b are positioned adjacent to the first and second tines 130bd and 130bs, respectively. The first and second piezoelectric elements 122b and 124b are configured to contact and mechanically interact with the first and second tines 130bd and 130bs.

[0056] The first piezoelectric element 122b is in contact with at least a portion of the first tine 130bd. The first piezoelectric element 122b is also electrically connected to a driver circuit 138b. The driver circuit 138b provides a generated drive signal to the first piezoelectric element 122b. The first piezoelectric element 122b expands and contracts when exposed to the generated drive signal. As a result, the first piezoelectric element 122b can alternately deform and displace the first tine 130bd from side to side in an oscillating motion (see dashed lines) and disturb the fluid in a cyclical, back-and-forth manner.

[0057] The second piezoelectric element 124b is shown coupled to a receiver circuit 134b that generates a vibration signal corresponding to deformation of the second tine 130bs in the fluid. Movement of the second tine 130bs causes a corresponding electrical vibration signal to be generated by the second piezoelectric element 124b. The second piezoelectric element 124b transmits the vibration signal to the meter electronics 20b. The meter electronics 20b includes an interface circuit 136b. The interface circuit 136b can be configured to communicate with external devices. The interface circuit 136b can communicate one or more vibration measurement signals and determined fluid properties to one or more external devices. The meter electronics 20b can transmit vibration signal characteristics, such as the vibration signal frequency and vibration signal amplitude, of the vibration signal via the interface circuit 136b. The meter electronics 20b can transmit fluid measurements, such as the density and / or viscosity of the fluid, among others, via the interface circuit 136b. Other fluid measurements are contemplated and within the scope of this specification and claims. Additionally, the interface circuit 136b may receive communications from external devices, including, for example, commands and data for generating measurements. In some embodiments, the receiver circuit 134b is coupled to a driver circuit 138b, which provides a vibration signal to the driver circuit 138b. The driver circuit 138b generates a drive signal for the vibrating element 130b. The driver circuit 138b can modify characteristics of the generated drive signal. The vibrating element 130b is generally maintained at a resonant frequency influenced by the surrounding fluid.

[0058] The vibratory meter 5b, which includes a fork meter, can measure fluid properties such as density, viscosity, etc. The density can be determined from the period of the vibrating element 130b, as expressed in Equation [2] below, similar to the density determined using the conduits 130a, 130a' described above. ρ fluid = Cτ 2 +C2[2] During the ceremony, ρ fluid is the fluid density, C1 and C2 are constants, and τ is the period of the fork vibration.

[0059] As shown, the fluid density ρ fluid is determined based on the period of the fork and two constants C1 and C2, which scale and offset the information received from vibrating element 130b to obtain density.

[0060] The sensor assembly 10 of the vibrating meter 5 may be adversely affected by hydrogen loading of the vibrating element. For example, the sensor assembly 10a described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3 includes conduits 130a, 130a' that may contain and transport a hydrogen-containing fluid. Thus, hydrogen in the fluid may dissociate and adsorb into the lattice of the conduits 130a, 130a'. Similarly, the vibrating element 130b of the vibrating meter 5b may be immersed in a process fluid that contains hydrogen. Thus, hydrogen in the process fluid may adsorb into the lattice of the vibrating element 130b.

[0061] Hydrogen loading of the vibrating element can change the material properties, such as the elastic modulus, of the vibrating element. As a result, the vibration characteristics of the vibrating element, such as the resonant frequency, period, and displacement of the vibrating element, can change correspondingly. Hydrogen loading can be estimated by determining one or more thermodynamic properties, such as the temperature and pressure of hydrogen in the process fluid, using the thermodynamic properties to determine the change in the material properties of the vibrating element. This change in material properties can be used to adjust the calibration factor of the vibrating meter, as described in more detail below.

[0062] [Effect of hydrogen loading on material properties] Hydrogen diffusion into the lattice of a metal can affect the material properties of the metal. Typically, metals can be selected to reduce or mitigate the effect and / or amount of hydrogen loading in the metal. While this can help prevent catastrophic failures such as hydrogen-induced cracking, some hydrogen may still diffuse into the lattice and affect the material properties of the metal. This effect on the material properties of the metal can correspondingly affect parameters such as frequency, relative displacement, and period of the vibrating element of a vibration sensor. Furthermore, hydrogen loading can increase the "internal friction" of the metal, thus increasing the damping coefficient of the vibrating element. This can increase the drive power required to drive the dynamic element.

[0063] The amount (e.g., concentration) of hydrogen in the metal and the correlation between the amount of hydrogen in the metal and the change in material properties can be used to estimate the change in material properties. This estimated change in material properties can be used to determine a modulus-adjusted calibration factor. The hydrogen-loading-adjusted calibration factor can be used to determine whether a measurement is invalid, a hydrogen-loading-corrected measurement, etc., as described in more detail below.

[0064] [Table 1]

[0065] The "Sample" column lists 316L-n and XM-19-n (where "n" represents the sample number) samples of 316L and XM-19 steel, respectively. These may be suitable for use in vibrating elements in vibratory meters measuring hydrogen process fluids, such as hydrogen gas, due to their resistance to hydrogen-assisted cracking mechanisms. As shown, there is a large overall shift in the modulus of the steel samples due to hydrogen diffusion into the lattice of the steel samples, which may be referred to herein as hydrogen loading. The XM-19 steel sample exhibits a significantly larger change in modulus than the 316L steel sample. As can be seen from the Concentration C' column, this difference in modulus change may be due to the greater diffusion of hydrogen into the lattice of the XM-19 steel sample. This greater diffusion may be due to the nitrogen-containing XM-19 steel, which may result in a larger lattice strain compared to 316L steel. As can be seen from Table 1, the change in modulus may range from 0.30% to 0.50%. In the context of mass flow measurements, this change in modulus can correspond to an error contribution that is at least the mass flow accuracy specification of the vibratory meter. For example, some vibratory meters that measure mass flow may have a liquid mass flow accuracy specification of 0.1% or less and a gas mass flow accuracy specification of 0.5% or less. Therefore, the measurement error caused by hydrogen loading alone may be large enough to invalidate the vibratory meter calibration.

[0066] The diffusion of gases such as hydrogen into metals such as steel can be understood by Fick's second law of diffusion. Assuming a one-dimensional problem, Fick's second law in cylindrical coordinates may be expressed as:

number

[0067] If a one-dimensional problem is oriented in linear coordinates, Fick's second law may be expressed as:

number

[0068] In the case of Sievert's law, which predicts the solubility of gases in metals, the equilibrium concentration of hydrogen may be related to the pressure of hydrogen gas by:

number

number

[0069] As can be seen, knowing the temperature and pressure of the hydrogen, the equilibrium concentration of hydrogen

number

[0070] The temperature may be the temperature of a process fluid, such as a mixture containing hydrogen, although any suitable temperature may be used. The temperature of the hydrogen may be obtained by any suitable means, such as measurement, calculation, estimation, user input, inference from process information, or acquisition from an external transducer. The temperature of the hydrogen may be considered to drive the kinetics of hydrogen diffusion and solubility. Thus, the higher the temperature, the faster hydrogen will diffuse through the lattice, resulting in a higher total hydrogen solubility.

[0071] The hydrogen pressure may be the pressure of a substantially pure fluid of hydrogen. Thus, the measured pressure or total pressure may be the hydrogen pressure. A fluid composed almost entirely of hydrogen may be considered substantially pure if the measured pressure or total pressure can be used as the hydrogen pressure in equation [5] above to accurately predict, for example, the change in elastic modulus. For example, a small amount of non-hydrogen components may be added if such components are present in a calculated equilibrium concentration of, for example, hydrogen.

number

[0072] The hydrogen pressure may be the partial pressure of the hydrogen component in the mixture. The partial pressure can be determined, for example, by Dalton's law of partial pressure, which multiplies the number of moles of a gas component by the pressure of the mixture to determine the partial pressure. Illustratively, a mixture in a sealed container measured by a fork meter may have a known mass ratio of components. This mass ratio may be converted to the number of moles of each gas component. Thus, the total pressure of the mixture in the sealed container can be multiplied by the number of moles of hydrogen to determine the partial pressure of hydrogen in the mixture. Alternative methods can be used to determine the partial pressure of hydrogen in a mixture.

[0073] A linear relationship that may be referred to as the elastic modulus versus concentration change ratio μ can be developed from the information in Table 1 relating hydrogen concentration to the change in elastic modulus, although any suitable data or relationship may be used. The elastic modulus versus concentration change ratio μ may have dimensions in parts per million elastic modulus (E / ppm). Furthermore, the average incremental shift in elastic modulus over a given time frame can be calculated by:

number

number

number

[0074] Since the effect of the change in the elastic modulus of the vibrating element is integrated over time, the cumulative effect may preferably be summed over time, which may be expressed as:

number

[0075] Here, the concentration is calculated over a period of time a. The cumulative change in the elastic modulus of the vibrating element, ΔE, is given by equation [6]: total is integrated over a number n of time increments a. Thus, although the above may apply to any suitable material, the change in elastic modulus of a vibrating element comprising the steels of Table 1 may be determined.

[0076] The modulus of elasticity may be related to one or more calibration factors of the vibratory meter. Thus, as described in more detail below, changes in the calibration factor of the vibratory meter may be estimated, thereby allowing for an adjusted calibration factor based on changes in the modulus of elasticity of the vibratory element.

[0077] [Vibration meter with conduit] For a conduit with a cylindrical tube with thin walls and long diffusion times, the solution to Fick's second law of diffusion can be expressed as:

number

number

[0078] The flow calibration factor of a conduit can be directly related to the elastic modulus. Thus, the elastic modulus-equivalent flow calibration factor FCF' can be expressed as:

number

[0079] Therefore, the hydrogen loading corrected mass flow rate may be determined by modifying equation [1] above as follows:

number

number

number

[0080] [Fork Meter] For the vibrating element 130b with the first and second tines 130bd, 130bs, the average concentration of hydrogen may be calculated using the following formula:

number

[0081] Referring to equation [2] above, the second calibration factor C2 is independent of the elastic modulus of the vibrating element 130b, while the first calibration factor C1 does. Similar to the flow calibration factor FCF described above, the relationship between the first calibration factor C1 and the elastic modulus is linear.

[0082] Therefore, the first calibration factor C1 may be adjusted as follows:

number

[0083] Therefore, the hydrogen loading corrected density can be determined by modifying equation [2] as follows: ρ HLcorr = C1'τ 2 +C2

[13] In the formula, ρ HLcorr is the hydrogen loading corrected density.

[0084] It will be appreciated that the above Table 1 and equations, as well as any other suitable data, equations, relationships, etc., may be used in routines executed in electronic circuitry such as the aforementioned meter electronics 20. An exemplary configuration of meter electronics 20 is described below.

[0085] FIG. 5 illustrates meter electronics 20 configured to estimate hydrogen-load-induced changes in a vibrating meter 5. As shown in FIG. 5, meter electronics 20 includes an interface 501 and a processing system 502. Meter electronics 20 receives a vibration response from a sensor assembly, such as the above-described sensor assembly 10. Meter electronics 20 may process the vibration response to obtain flow characteristics of the flowable material flowing through sensor assembly 10. Meter electronics 20 may perform checks, verifications, calibration routines, etc. to ensure that the flow characteristics of the flowable material are accurately measured.

[0086] With reference to the vibratory meter 5a described above in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3, the interface 501 may receive the sensor signal 165a from one of the pickoff sensors 170a, 170a shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The interface 501 may also be configured to receive the drive signal 185a, for example, from the signal conditioner 240a. While the drive signal 185a is shown as being provided by the signal conditioner 240a, back EMF may be provided from the sensor assembly 10a to the meter electronics 20 due to vibrations of the conduit 130a within the sensor assembly 10a. Thus, the interface 501 may be configured to receive the communication channel 100a shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. With respect to the vibratory meter 5b shown in FIG. 4, the interface 501 may provide a drive signal to the first piezoelectric element 122b and receive a sensor signal from the second piezoelectric element 124b.

[0087] The interface 501 may perform any necessary or desired signal conditioning, such as any manner of formatting, amplification, buffering, etc. Alternatively, some or all of the signal conditioning may be performed in the processing system 502. Additionally, the interface 501 may enable communication between the meter electronics 20 and an external device. The interface 501 may be capable of any manner of electronic, optical, or wireless communication. The interface 501 may provide information based on the vibration response. The interface 501 may be coupled to a digitizer, such as the CODEC 222a shown in FIG. 3, where the sensor signal includes an analog sensor signal. The digitizer samples and digitizes the analog sensor signal to generate a digitized sensor signal.

[0088] The processing system 502 performs the operations of the meter electronics 20 and processes the fluid measurements from the sensor assembly 10. The processing system 502 executes one or more processing routines, thereby processing the fluid measurements to generate one or more fluid properties. The processing system 502 is communicatively coupled to the interface 501 and configured to receive information from the interface 501.

[0089] Processing system 502 may comprise a general-purpose computer, a microprocessing system, a logic circuit, or some other general-purpose or customized processing device. Additionally or alternatively, processing system 502 may be distributed across multiple processing devices. Processing system 502 may also include any type of integrated or stand-alone electronic storage medium, such as storage system 504.

[0090] Storage system 504 can store vibratory meter parameters and data, software routines, constant values, and variable values. In one embodiment, storage system 504 includes routines executed by processing system 502, such as operating routines 510. Processing system 502 may be further configured to execute other routines, such as zero calibration and zero verification routines for vibratory meter 5. Storage system 504 can also store statistical values, such as mean, standard deviation, and confidence interval.

[0091] The operating routine 510 may determine mass flow rate 512, density 514, and drive gain 516 based on the sensor signals received by interface 501. Mass flow rate 512 may consist of directly measured mass flow rate values, as described above. Mass flow rate 512 may also be determined from sensor signals, such as the time delay between the left and right pickoff sensor signals. Density 514 may also be determined from the sensor signals, for example, by determining the frequency from one or both of the left and right pickoff sensor signals, as described above. A separate storage system, such as meter electronics 20b described in connection with FIG. 4, may not contain the mass flow rate.

[0092] The term drive gain may refer to a measure of the amount of power required to drive a vibrating element to a specified amplitude, although any suitable definition may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the term drive gain may refer to drive current, pickoff voltage, or any measured or derived signal that indicates the amount of power required to drive a vibrating element at a particular amplitude. Drive gain may be used to detect multiphase flow by utilizing characteristics of the drive gain, such as noise level, signal standard deviation, damping-related measurements, and any other means known in the art for detecting mixed-phase flow. In the vibratory meter 5a described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3, these metrics may be compared across pickoff sensors 170al and 170ar to detect mixed-phase flow.

[0093] The storage system 504 is also shown as storing process parameters 520. The process parameters 520 include pressure 522 and temperature 524, although more or fewer process parameters may be stored. As shown in FIG. 5, the pressure 522 may be the pressure of the process fluid in the conduit 130a, 130a'. The pressure may be provided, for example, by a pressure sensor that is part of the sensor assembly 10 or that is external to the sensor assembly 10. By way of example, with reference to FIG. 2, the pressure sensor may be mechanically coupled to a pipeline that is mechanically coupled to the inlet end 104a or the outlet end 104a'. With reference to FIG. 4, the pressure sensor may be mechanically coupled to a vessel containing the process fluid being sensed by the vibratory meter 5b. Regardless of location, the pressure sensor may be communicatively coupled to the meter electronics 20. Similarly, the temperature 524 may be provided by a temperature sensor internal or external to the vibration sensor 10. For example, with reference to the vibration sensor 10 described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3, the temperature 524 may be provided by an RTD 190a.

[0094] 5, storage system 504 also includes hydrogen loading estimation 530. Hydrogen loading estimation 530 may include a routine used to calculate a value for a hydrogen loading parameter. As shown, hydrogen loading estimation 530 includes a concentration routine 532 and a concentration parameter 534. Concentration routine 532 may be an algorithm that calculates one or more values ​​for concentration parameter 534. For example, concentration routine 532 may obtain the pressure 522 and temperature 524 of hydrogen in the process fluid and perform the calculations described above to determine the concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element. For example, the concentration of hydrogen may be determined using Table 1 and equation [5] above, although any suitable data and routines may be used.

[0095] Storage system 504 may also include material properties 540. Material properties 540 may include any suitable material properties of the vibrating element of sensor assembly 10. As shown, material properties 540 include elastic modulus 542 of vibration sensor 10, although other and / or additional material properties may be used. For example, it may be advantageous to store temperature versus strain data, stress versus strain data, etc. Elastic modulus 542 in FIG. 5 may be in units of gigapascals, although any suitable units may be used. Elastic modulus 542 may be a raw elastic modulus provided in any suitable manner, such as input from a data sheet associated with the vibrating element, inferred from meter verification, or the like. Material properties 540 also include elastic modulus change 544. Elastic modulus change 544 may be determined from concentration parameter 534, as described above. For example, processing system 502 may be configured to calculate elastic modulus change 544 by using equations [5]-[7] above, although any suitable equation may be used.

[0096] Storage system 504 also includes modulus-adjusted calibration factors 550. As shown in FIG. 5, modulus-adjusted calibration factors 550 include modulus-adjusted FCF 552 and modulus-adjusted first calibration factor 554. Modulus-adjusted FCF 552 may be a value determined using equation [9]. That is, modulus-adjusted FCF 552 may be a modulus-converted flow calibration factor. Similarly, modulus-adjusted first calibration factor 554 may be a value determined using equation

[12] above. That is, modulus-adjusted first calibration factor 554 may be the aforementioned modulus-converted first calibration factor of equation

[12] . While equations [9] and

[12] above use modulus-converted changes, any suitable adjusted flow rate or first calibration factor may be used. For example, routines other than scaling may be used to adjust the flow calibration factor determined prior to hydrogen loading of the vibrating element of vibratory meter 5. For example, a non-linear equation may be employed.

[0097] Thus, mass flow rate 512 and density 514 may include corrected mass flow rate and density values. For example, mass flow rate 512 may include an uncorrected or raw mass flow rate value and a hydrogen-loading-corrected mass flow rate value. The hydrogen-loading-corrected mass flow rate value may be determined using equation

[10] above. Similarly, density 514 may include an uncorrected or raw density value and a hydrogen-loading-corrected density value. The hydrogen-loading-corrected density value may be determined using equation

[13] above, although any suitable relationship, routine, etc. may be employed.

[0098] FIG. 6 illustrates a method 600 for estimating hydrogen-loading-induced changes in a vibrating meter. Method 600 may be performed by meter electronics 20, described above, although any suitable meter electronics may be used. As shown in FIG. 6, method 600 determines, in step 610, the pressure and temperature of hydrogen exposed to a vibrating element of the vibrating meter. In step 620, method 600 calculates the concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element based on the hydrogen pressure and temperature. In step 630, method 600 adjusts a calibration factor of the vibrating meter based on the calculated concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element.

[0099] Method 600 may be applied to any suitable vibratory meter, such as the vibratory meter 5 described above. For example, vibratory element 130 may be one of conduits 130a, 130a' containing a process fluid. Alternatively, vibratory element 130 may be a tine, such as first and second tines 130bd, 130bs described above, immersed in the process fluid. Furthermore, Fick's second law may have various solutions depending on the thickness of the conduit wall or tine and the period selected for integration. Accordingly, Fick's second law may have alternative forms depending on the geometry of vibratory element 130.

[0100] The process fluid exposed to the vibration element may be a substantially pure fluid of hydrogen. For example, the process fluid may be composed of 99.99% pure hydrogen, although any suitable purity may be used with the substantially pure hydrogen fluid. Alternatively, the process fluid may be a mixture containing hydrogen. By way of example, the mixture may be composed of an inert gas, such as helium, and hydrogen gas, although any suitable mixture may be used.

[0101] The step 610 of determining the hydrogen pressure may include determining the total pressure of a substantially pure hydrogen fluid or the partial pressure of hydrogen in a mixture. For example, if the process fluid is a substantially pure hydrogen fluid, the measured pressure of the process may be used. Alternatively, if the process fluid is a mixture containing hydrogen, the measured pressure may be used to determine the partial pressure of hydrogen, as described above. This partial pressure may be used as the hydrogen pressure when determining the concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element.

[0102] The hydrogen may be in any suitable phase or form. For example, the hydrogen may be in a gas phase or a liquid phase. By way of example, the process fluid may be a substantially pure fluid of gaseous hydrogen. The hydrogen may be in molecular or atomic form. The molecular form of hydrogen may be defined as two hydrogen atoms in diatomic form. Additionally or alternatively, the process fluid may include atomic hydrogen. Atomic hydrogen may be defined as an atom of hydrogen. The hydrogen that diffuses into the vibrating element may be in molecular or atomic form, and may be the same or a different form than that of the process fluid.

[0103] Calculating 620 the concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element may include calculating an average concentration of hydrogen as a percentage of the equilibrium concentration. For example, the average concentration of the percentage of equilibrium concentration in the conduits 130a, 130a' described in connection with Figure 2 may be calculated using Equation [8] above. Similarly, the average concentration of the equilibrium concentration of hydrogen in the first and second tines 130bd, 130bs described in connection with Figure 4 may be calculated using Equation

[11] above.

[0104] The step 630 of adjusting the calibration factor may include calculating a change in the elastic modulus of the vibrating element based on the concentration of hydrogen in the vibrating element, and calculating a modulus-equivalent calibration factor based on the change in elastic modulus. By way of example, values ​​obtained from equations [8] and

[11] may be used in equation [5] above to determine the change in elastic modulus. This change in elastic modulus may be accumulated according to equation [7]. Calculating the modulus-equivalent calibration factor based on the change in elastic modulus may include using equations [9] and

[12] above, although any suitable equation may be used.

[0105] The vibratory meter 5, meter electronics 20, and method 600 described above estimate hydrogen loading-induced changes in the vibratory meter 5. In particular, the vibratory meter 5, meter electronics 20, and method 600 may obtain the pressure and temperature of hydrogen in the process fluid to calculate the concentration of hydrogen within the lattice of the vibrating element. The change in elastic modulus is determined using data or a relationship relating the change in elastic modulus to the concentration of hydrogen within the lattice. Because the elastic modulus of the vibrating element is directly related to the calibration factor of the vibrating element, the change in the calibration factor may be determined from the change in elastic modulus.

[0106] Thus, changes in the calibration factor can be estimated without calibrating the vibratory meter 5. This can be used to determine whether a reference calibration factor still results in measurements within specification. Additionally or alternatively, hydrogen-loading corrected measurements may be obtained. For example, hydrogen-loading corrected mass flow values ​​and / or hydrogen-loading corrected density values ​​may be obtained.

[0107] The detailed descriptions of the above embodiments are not exhaustive descriptions of all embodiments contemplated by the inventors as being within the scope of the present specification. Indeed, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain elements of the above embodiments can be combined or excluded in various ways to produce further embodiments, and such further embodiments will fall within the scope and teachings of the present specification. Also, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above embodiments may be combined in whole or in part to produce additional embodiments within the scope and teachings of the present specification.

[0108] Thus, while specific embodiments are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure, as those skilled in the art will recognize. The teachings provided herein may be applied to other embodiments for estimating hydrogen-induced changes in a vibratory meter, as well as the embodiments described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The scope of the above embodiments should therefore be determined from the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for estimating hydrogen load-induced changes in a vibrating meter, comprising: determining the pressure and temperature of hydrogen exposed to a vibrating element of the vibratory meter; calculating a concentration of the hydrogen within the vibrating element based on the pressure and the temperature of the hydrogen; adjusting a calibration factor of the vibratory meter based on the calculated concentration of the hydrogen in the vibrating element; A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vibrating element is one of a conduit and a tine.

3. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the process fluid is one of a pure fluid of the hydrogen and a mixture containing the hydrogen.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the pressure of the hydrogen comprises determining one of a total pressure of the pure fluid of the hydrogen and a partial pressure of the hydrogen in the mixture.

5. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen is in at least one of a gas phase and a liquid phase and / or in at least one of a molecular form and an atomic form.

6. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the calibration factor of the vibratory meter comprises calculating a change in elastic modulus of the vibrating element based on the concentration of the hydrogen in the vibrating element, and calculating a calibration factor converted to elastic modulus based on the change in elastic modulus.

7. a vibratory meter (5) configured to estimate hydrogen load-induced changes in the vibratory meter (5); a sensor assembly (10) having a vibrating element (130) configured to be exposed to hydrogen in a process fluid; meter electronics (20) communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly (10); Equipped with The meter electronics (20) determining the hydrogen pressure and temperature; Calculating the concentration of the hydrogen in the vibrating element (130) based on the pressure and the temperature of the hydrogen; and adjusting a calibration factor of the vibratory meter based on the calculated concentration of the hydrogen in the vibrating element (130); A vibration meter (5) configured as follows.

8. The vibratory meter (5) of claim 7, wherein the vibrating element (130) is one of a conduit (130a, 130a') and a tine (130bd, 130bs).

9. 8. The vibratory meter (5) of claim 7, wherein the process fluid containing hydrogen is one of a pure fluid of hydrogen and a mixture containing hydrogen.

10. 10. The vibratory meter of claim 9, wherein the meter electronics configured to determine the pressure of the hydrogen includes the meter electronics configured to determine one of a total pressure of the pure fluid of the hydrogen and a partial pressure of the hydrogen in the mixture.

11. 8. The vibratory meter (5) of claim 7, wherein the hydrogen is in at least one of a gaseous and liquid phase and / or in at least one of a molecular and atomic form.

12. 8. The vibratory meter of claim 7, wherein the meter electronics configured to calculate the concentration of the hydrogen in the vibrating element includes the meter electronics configured to calculate an elastic modulus of the vibrating element based on the pressure and the temperature of the hydrogen in the process fluid.

13. 8. The vibratory meter of claim 7, wherein the meter electronics is configured to adjust the calibration factor of the vibratory meter, the meter electronics being configured to calculate a change in elastic modulus of the vibrating element based on the concentration of the hydrogen in the vibrating element, and to calculate a calibration factor converted to elastic modulus based on the change in elastic modulus.

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