Coriolis Flowmeter Housing Stiffening Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coriolis mass flowmeters with thick-walled housings for stability are heavy and costly, necessitating a solution that optimizes weight and size while maintaining measurement quality.
Innovation Solution
A Coriolis mass flowmeter design featuring a stiffening element with a hollow body that connects to the housing at multiple points, shifting the natural frequencies of the housing away from the working frequency of the measuring tube, allowing for reduced wall thickness and integrated heating/cooling capabilities within the stiffening element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the housing walls are made thick to ensure stability and prevent vibrations, then the stability and measurement quality are improved, but the weight and production costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure is segmented into the outer housing wall and an inner stiffening element. This segmentation allows the stiffening function to be separated from the containment function, enabling the housing walls to be thinner while maintaining stability through the additional stiffening element that prevents vibrations without requiring increased wall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening element is nested inside the housing, forming a compact integrated structure. This nesting allows the stiffening function to be incorporated within the existing housing volume without increasing external dimensions, providing vibration prevention while maintaining a compact design and avoiding the need for thicker walls.
2Measurement precision
If the housing walls are made thick to ensure stability, then the measurement quality is improved, but the production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into producing the standard housing and separately producing the stiffening element, which can then be assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and manufactured using appropriate processes, avoiding the need to manufacture expensive thick-walled housings while maintaining measurement quality through the integrated stiffening element.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening element is nested inside the housing, creating a compact integrated structure that combines vibration prevention with temperature control functionality. This nested design reduces the need for expensive thick-walled constructions while maintaining measurement precision, as the stiffening element provides the necessary structural support without requiring increased wall thickness.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a stiffening element is added to reduce housing vibrations, then the housing stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffening element is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural stiffening to prevent housing vibrations, and its hollow interior serves as a conduit for temperature control media. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity by combining what would otherwise be separate components (stiffening structure and temperature control system) into a single integrated element.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening element is nested inside the housing, creating a compact integrated structure that combines vibration prevention with temperature control functionality. This nested design reduces device complexity by integrating multiple functions into a single component rather than requiring separate systems for stiffening and temperature management.
4Productivity
If the measuring tube cross section is increased to measure higher mass flow rates, then the measurement range is improved, but the housing size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure is segmented into the outer housing and an inner stiffening element, allowing the housing walls to be optimized for containment rather than structural support. This segmentation enables thinner housing walls that reduce weight, while the stiffening element provides the necessary structural support to maintain stability even when the measuring tube cross section is increased for higher flow rates.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing wall thickness (one dimension) to provide structural support for larger housings, the solution adds an internal stiffening element that provides structural reinforcement in a different dimensional approach. This allows the housing to maintain stability with reduced wall thickness, thereby reducing weight while accommodating larger measuring tube cross sections for extended measurement ranges.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces the weight and production costs of Coriolis mass flowmeters by stabilizing the housing without compromising measurement accuracy, enabling efficient heat transfer and temperature control, particularly beneficial for large flowmeters with curved measuring tubes.
Implementation Method 1
the stiffening element is connected to the housing in such a way that the realized natural frequencies of the housing are shifted away from the working frequency of the measuring tube
Implementation Method 2
a medium for adjusting the temperature of the Coriolis mass flowmeter (1) and inside the stiffening element / or the temperature of the measuring medium within the measuring tubes (4) can be guided
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The device (1) has a sensor arrangement (2) comprising a measuring tube (4), oscillator (5) and a vibration detector (6), where the measuring tube is excited by the oscillator in an operating frequency. A reinforcement element (10) is arranged within a housing (3) and connected with the housing such that realized resonance frequency of the housing is displaced away from the operating frequency of the measuring tube. The measuring tube is curved in a U-or V-shape. The reinforcement element is designed as a welded hollow frame construction unit. An independent claim is also included for a method for operating a coriolis-mass flow rate measuring device.