Flow Conditioner With Areal Webs Reducing Pressure Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow conditioning methods in pipes cause significant pressure loss and acoustic disturbances, failing to effectively reduce swirl and irregular axial speed profiles, which can interfere with fluid flow measurements.
Innovation Solution
A flow conditioner comprising a constriction and ring-shaped elements with areal webs, strategically arranged to minimize blockage and maximize mixing, effectively centering and accelerating the flow to reduce swirl and homogenize axial speed profiles with minimal pressure loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If perforated plates are used to break up pulse balance and homogenize axial speed profile, then flow homogeneity is improved, but pressure loss increases significantly and acoustic load on measurement section worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The flow conditioner segments the flow cross-section using multiple radially arranged baffle elements instead of a perforated plate. These baffles divide the flow into multiple streams that recombine downstream, achieving homogenization without the high blockage of perforated plates. The segmentation approach allows selective interaction with different flow regions while maintaining overall flow continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces axial positioning and radial arrangement dimensions to the flow conditioning elements. By positioning baffles at specific axial locations and arranging them radially around the pipe center, the solution controls flow in three dimensions rather than using a single two-dimensional perforated plate, reducing blockage while achieving homogenization.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If pipe elements or plates aligned in flow direction are installed to impede non-axial flow components, then swirl reduction is achieved, but compensation of asymmetrical axial speed profile is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The baffle elements are positioned at specific radial locations around the pipe circumference, creating local flow conditioning zones. Each baffle interacts with flow in its specific angular sector, allowing different parts of the flow to be conditioned differently. This local quality approach enables simultaneous swirl reduction and axial profile homogenization that uniform plates cannot achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses asymmetric radial positioning of baffle elements rather than symmetric alignment with the flow direction. The baffles are arranged at specific angular intervals around the pipe center, creating an asymmetric pattern that effectively disrupts both rotational swirl components and asymmetric axial velocity distributions, providing superior conditioning compared to symmetrically aligned plates.
3Measurement precision
If flow conditioning elements are installed to effectively condition disturbed flow, then measurement accuracy is improved, but pressure loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The baffle elements act as intermediaries between the disturbed upstream flow and the measurement section. Rather than directly blocking flow like perforated plates, the baffles gently redirect and condition the flow, serving as a mediating structure that prepares the flow for accurate measurement while minimizing energy loss. The intermediaries facilitate smooth flow transformation without abrupt blockages.
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
The flow conditioner achieves effective conditioning of fluid flow with reduced pressure loss and minimal interference with downstream measurements, ensuring accurate fluid speed determination by centering swirl and distributing tangential speed components, thus enhancing measurement precision.
Implementation Method 1
The flow conditioner (1) has a constriction (15) with a reduced pipe cross-section
Implementation Method 2
The tangential speed portions determining the swirl are maximally distributed over the side surfaces of the web or webs by the centration in the center of the conditioning
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a flow conditioner for conditioning a fluid flow comprising a pipe having a constriction with a reduced pipe cross-section, at least one ring-shaped element arranged inside the pipe which has an outer diameter which is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe in the axial region of the pipe in which the at least one ring-shaped element is arranged, and having an areal web whose surface normal is not in parallel with the pipe axis. The invention further relates to a throughflow measurement system for measuring a fluid throughflow through a pipe having a measurement device and a flow conditioner in accordance with the invention arranged upstream of the measurement device.