Interchangeable Ultrasonic Water Meter Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water meter systems require the shutdown and replacement of the entire in-line segment when upgrading or replacing a meter, leading to inefficiencies and potential calibration issues during field installations.
Innovation Solution
A unitized measuring element (UME) with solid state ultrasonic components that can be removably installed within a main case, allowing for interchangeable UMEs without removing the main case from the piping system, utilizing transducer pairs and acoustic reflecting plates to measure fluid flow and maintain measurement integrity without additional calibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire in-line water meter segment is removed and replaced, then measurement integrity is maintained, but system complexity and installation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The water meter system is divided into two main segments: a permanent main case that remains installed in the piping system, and a removable measuring element containing the ultrasonic transducers and reflector plate. This segmentation allows the measuring element to be replaced independently without removing the entire water meter assembly, thereby maintaining measurement integrity while reducing installation complexity and downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The measuring element (transducers and reflector plate) is extracted as a separate removable component from the main case. This extraction enables the measuring element to be replaced without disturbing the permanently installed main case and piping system, reducing installation complexity while preserving measurement accuracy through factory calibration.
2Reliability
If the entire in-line water meter segment is removed and replaced, then measurement integrity is maintained, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the water meter into a permanent main case and a removable measuring element, the replacement process only requires removing and installing the measuring element rather than the entire water meter assembly. This significantly reduces installation time while maintaining measurement integrity through the use of pre-calibrated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The measuring elements are factory-calibrated with the main case before deployment. This preliminary calibration action ensures that when measuring elements are replaced in the field, no additional calibration is needed, thereby reducing installation time while maintaining measurement accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If additional calibration is performed during field installation, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The measuring elements and main case are calibrated together in the factory before deployment. This preliminary calibration ensures that when measuring elements are replaced in the field, the pre-established calibration relationships remain valid, eliminating the need for time-consuming field calibration while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The factory calibration process creates a standardized calibration relationship between the main case and measuring elements that can be replicated across multiple units. This allows pre-calibrated measuring elements to be interchangeably installed in different main cases without requiring additional calibration, saving time while maintaining accuracy.
4Ease of operation
If the main case is permanently situated in-line, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The water meter system is segmented into a permanently installed main case and a removable measuring element. This segmentation provides installation stability by keeping the main case fixed in the piping system while enabling flexibility by allowing different measuring elements to be replaced independently based on maintenance needs or technological upgrades.
Solution Approach 2:
The main case is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate different measuring elements through standardized interfaces. This universality allows the permanently installed main case to work with various measuring elements, providing both installation stability and adaptability for future upgrades or replacements.
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
Enables field installation and replacement of water meters without disconnecting the main case from the piping system, ensuring accurate measurements and minimizing calibration needs, while allowing for interchangeability and reducing downtime and costs.
Implementation Method 1
one or more pairs of ultrasonic transducers configured to transmit ultrasonic signals
Implementation Method 2
measure fluid flow through the measuring channel based on the transmitted ultrasonic signals
Implementation Method 3
The reflector plates include one or more reflective surfaces to improve amplitude and reduce signal loss of the received signal from each transducer by the other transducer of a transducer pair
Data Source
AI summary
A measuring element for a water meter assembly is provided. The measuring element may be interchangeably installed within a main case that is permanently situated in-line with a monitored piping system. The measuring element includes a measuring channel, an electronics module, and an acoustic reflector plate. The measuring element has a top wall with multiple ports and a bottom wall with a recess. The electronics module is mounted above the top wall. The electronics module includes one or more pairs of ultrasonic transducers configured to transmit ultrasonic signals through the multiple ports into the measuring channel, and a processor to calculate a flow value based on the transmitted ultrasonic signals from the one or more pairs of ultrasonic transducers. The acoustic reflector plate is mounted in the recess and includes at least one concave reflector that reflects the transmitted ultrasonic signals between the one or more pairs of ultrasonic transducers.