Ultrasonic Flowmeter Velocity Bins for Meter Failure Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ultrasonic flowmeters face challenges in maintaining accurate fluid flow measurement, especially when one of multiple co-located flowmeters fails, as existing systems lack effective methods for estimating average flow velocity in such scenarios, leading to potential measurement inaccuracies and faults.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a plurality of ultrasonic flowmeters with flow processors that maintain velocity bins for each flow range, allowing for the estimation of average fluid flow velocity through a non-failed meter based on historical values and adjacent bins, even when a given meter fails, ensuring continued accurate measurement by interpolating or using proportion values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple co-located ultrasonic flowmeters are used to improve measurement accuracy and fault immunity, then measurement reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple co-located ultrasonic flowmeters into a single integrated measurement system where the flow processors share data and coordinate their measurements. This merging approach maintains high reliability through redundancy while reducing overall system complexity by having the flowmeters work cooperatively rather than independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Each flow processor is designed to perform multiple functions: it can independently measure flow velocity, exchange data with other flow processors, detect failures in other flowmeters, and compute estimated average velocities when failures occur. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
2Measurement precision
If velocity bins are maintained for each flow range to enable accurate estimation during failures, then measurement precision is improved, but information storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the fluid flow velocity measurement range into multiple discrete velocity bins. Each bin stores historical average velocity data for a specific flow range. This segmentation allows the system to quickly retrieve appropriate historical data for estimation during failures while keeping storage requirements manageable through organized categorization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-computes and stores average velocity values in velocity bins during normal operation, preparing estimation data in advance. When a flowmeter failure occurs, the system can immediately use these pre-prepared bins for accurate estimation without requiring complex real-time calculations, thus improving measurement precision during failures.
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 approach enhances measurement accuracy and fault immunity by enabling the computation of reliable average flow velocities even when one flowmeter fails, improving overall system performance and custody transfer precision.
Implementation Method 1
Ultrasonic flowmeters include a passage for fluid flow, a pair of ultrasonic transducers, and a flow processor. The pair of ultrasonic transducers is configured to form a chordal path across the passage between the transducers. The flow processor is coupled to the ultrasonic transducers, and configured to measure the flow velocity of a fluid stream flowing through the passage based on outputs of the transducers.
Implementation Method 2
In an ultrasonic flowmeter, ultrasonic signals are sent back and forth across the fluid stream to be measured, and based on various characteristics of the ultrasonic signals a measure of fluid flow may be calculated.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for ultrasonic flow metering. In one embodiment, an ultrasonic flow metering system includes a plurality of ultrasonic flowmeters. Each of the ultrasonic flowmeters includes a flow processor. The flow processor is configured to maintain a plurality of velocity bins, each of the bins corresponding to a flow velocity range for the flowmeters. The flow processor is also configured to maintain, within each of the bins, a value indicative of past average velocity of fluid flow through a given one of the flowmeters associated with a given one of the bins. The flow processor is further configured to determine, responsive to one of the flowmeters having failed, an estimated average fluid flow velocity through the system based on the values maintained within the bins.