Coriolis Flowmeter Housing with Segmented Ballast Compartment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flowmeters, particularly Coriolis flowmeters, face challenges with high-pressure containment, leading to potential conduit rupture and the need for heavy, expensive housing structures to manage modal frequencies, which complicates transportation and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A flowmeter housing with a fluid-tight first compartment and a sealable second compartment that allows for the addition of ballast material, featuring walls that define voids and a cover plate for sealing, providing a pressure rating equal to or greater than the conduits and allowing for customizable mass, stiffness, and damping to separate modal frequencies from the drive mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a heavy, expensive housing structure is used to contain high pressure, then pressure containment is improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a pressure-containing portion (first compartment) and a non-pressure-containing portion (second compartment). The pressure-containing portion is designed with sufficient thickness to contain high pressure, while the non-pressure-containing portion can be thinner and lighter. This segmentation allows the housing to achieve necessary pressure containment without requiring the entire structure to be heavy and expensive.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the housing have different thicknesses and material properties optimized for their specific functions. The pressure-containing portion has greater thickness and stronger material to withstand high pressure, while the non-pressure-containing portion has reduced thickness and weight. This local differentiation of properties allows weight reduction while maintaining pressure containment capability where needed.
2Strength
If a thick, heavy housing is used to contain high pressure, then pressure containment is improved, but transportation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the housing into pressure-containing and non-pressure-containing portions, the overall weight is reduced while maintaining necessary pressure containment. The lighter housing improves transportation efficiency without compromising the ability to contain high pressure in the wetted portions.
3Ease of manufacture
If the housing provides only 20% of the pressure rating, then housing cost is reduced, but the risk of housing breach by high pressure process fluids increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into a pressure-containing portion designed to contain high pressure (first compartment) and a non-pressure-containing portion (second compartment). The pressure-containing portion maintains adequate pressure rating to prevent breach, while the non-pressure-containing portion can be lighter and less expensive. This segmentation allows cost reduction in non-critical areas while maintaining safety in critical pressure-containing areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing design anticipates potential conduit rupture by providing a pressure-containing portion specifically designed to contain escaped process fluid. The first compartment is configured to contain high pressure process fluids that may escape from wetted portions, preventing housing breach and protecting surrounding equipment and personnel.
4Strength
If a fluid-tight first compartment is used to enclose conduits, then pressure containment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a fluid-tight first compartment for pressure containment and a second compartment for other functions. This segmentation achieves pressure containment through a dedicated sealed portion rather than requiring the entire housing to be complex and heavily sealed, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining pressure containment capability.
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 solution enhances pressure containment, reduces the risk of conduit rupture, and allows for lighter, less expensive flowmeters with customizable properties, improving transportation efficiency and reducing operational costs while maintaining accurate measurements.
Implementation Method 1
a driver coupled to a conduit of the one or more conduits and configured to vibrate at least a portion of the conduit at one or more drive frequencies
Implementation Method 2
As material begins to flow through the flowmeter, Coriolis forces cause each point along the conduit(s) to have a different phase
Implementation Method 3
the pickoffs can use the motion provided by the driver to induce a voltage
Implementation Method 4
A sealable fill port is configured to allow the addition of a ballast material to the second compartment
Data Source
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AI summary
A flowmeter having one or more conduits (103, 103') and a driver (104) coupled to one or more conduits (103, 103') being configured to vibrate at least a portion of the conduit at one or more drive frequencies. One or more pickoffs (105, 105') are coupled to the one or more conduits (103, 103') and are configured to detect a motion of the conduit. A housing (200) has a first compartment (400) and a second compartment (402). The first compartment (400) is fluid-tight and encloses at least a portion of the one or more conduits (103, 103'), the driver (104), and the one or more pickoffs (105, 105'). A sealable fill port (418) is configured to allow the addition of a ballast material to the second compartment (402).