Modular Fluid Meter Test Bench for Confined Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid meter test systems face challenges in achieving modular design for easier installation, upgrading, and accurate measurement, particularly in confined spaces, while maintaining structural integrity and alignment for high-pressure testing.
Innovation Solution
A modular test bench system with interlocking modules that can be easily assembled and disassembled, featuring adapter apparatuses for secure meter attachment and dual measurement tanks, ensuring accurate fluid flow measurement and easy expansion of testing capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a modular design is used for the test bench, then ease of installation and upgrading is improved, but structural integrity and alignment for high-pressure testing may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The test bench is divided into multiple modular sections (input section, measurement section, output section) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. Each module contains specific components like tanks, pipes, and meters, allowing flexible installation while maintaining overall structural integrity through standardized connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional components are integrated into unified modular sections. For example, the measurement section combines the measurement tank, flow meters, and piping into a single integrated module that maintains structural coherence while being easily installable as one unit.
2Ease of manufacture
If a modular design is used for the test bench, then ease of installation and upgrading is improved, but alignment precision for accurate measurement may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The modular sections are designed with universal connection interfaces that ensure proper alignment when assembled. The standardized mounting points and connection flanges on each module guarantee precise positioning of components like flow meters and tanks, maintaining measurement accuracy while simplifying installation.
3Measurement precision
If the test system uses a gravimetric method to determine actual volume, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the weight of water as a self-contained reference standard. By measuring the weight of water in the measurement tank using a scale, the system determines actual volume without requiring external calibration equipment or complex reference systems. The gravimetric method is self-sufficient and simplifies the overall system architecture.
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 modular design allows for accurate and efficient testing of fluid meters, enabling easier installation and upgrading, while maintaining measurement accuracy and structural integrity, and accommodating various flow rates and pressures.
Implementation Method 1
The gravimetric test system further measures the weight of the fluid in the calibrated fluid tank. The increase of the weight of the calibrated fluid tank holding the fluid pumped through the meters under test is proportional to the amount of fluid pumped into the tank.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed invention is a modular fluid meter test system configured for testing the accuracy of fluid flow meters. The modular test system is configured with an input module, an output module and zero or more center modules. The system is configured to be shipped disassembled so that it can be installed inside a test facility without the need to modify the entrances of the structure to house the test system.