Wet Gas Flow Meter Centrifugal Droplet Separator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thermal anemometer type flow meters are sensitive to liquid in the gas stream, leading to erroneous readings in wet gas flows, and existing solutions like reducing pipe diameter or heating the entire gas stream are either impractical or energy-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A flow body flow meter with a heater that evaporates liquid droplets within the flow body, using a swirler to impart angular momentum and separate liquid droplets from the gas stream, allowing a thermal anemometer sensor to measure the flow rate accurately without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a thermal anemometer flow meter is used to measure wet gas flow, then the flow rate can be measured with good accuracy and repeatability, but liquid droplets in the gas stream cause high erroneous readings
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes liquid droplets from the gas stream using a centrifugal separator before the gas reaches the thermal anemometer sensor. The separator uses centrifugal force generated by a rotating impeller to throw liquid droplets outward, allowing only dry gas to reach the measurement sensor, thus eliminating the harmful effect of liquid interference while preserving accurate flow measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The centrifugal separator acts as an intermediary device between the wet gas source and the thermal anemometer sensor. It mediates the interaction by separating the two-phase flow into dry gas (which passes to the sensor) and liquid (which is removed), allowing the sensor to function accurately without direct exposure to liquid droplets.
2Measurement precision
If the entire gas stream is heated to evaporate liquid droplets, then accurate measurement can be achieved, but energy consumption becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of heating the entire gas stream, the invention extracts liquid droplets mechanically through centrifugal separation. This removes the need for energy-intensive heating while achieving the same goal of eliminating liquid interference, thus dramatically reducing energy consumption while maintaining measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal field (heating) with a mechanical field (centrifugal separation). By using mechanical forces to separate liquid from gas, the system avoids the high energy costs associated with thermal processing while achieving effective liquid removal for accurate measurement.
3Measurement precision
If the pipe diameter is reduced to improve measurement accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but pressure drop increases and the solution becomes impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the flow measurement system into two functional zones: a separation zone (centrifugal separator) and a measurement zone (thermal anemometer in dry gas). This allows the measurement to occur in a controlled environment with removed liquid interference, achieving high precision without requiring restrictive pipe diameter reductions that would cause excessive pressure drop.
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 accurate measurement of wet gas flow rates by vaporizing liquid droplets, reducing errors and energy consumption, while maintaining process stability and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a heater evaporating at least some liquid droplets present in the stream
Implementation Method 2
using a swirler to impart angular momentum and separate liquid droplets from the gas stream
Data Source
AI summary
A flow body flow meter includes a flow body, a heater, and a sensor. The flow body includes an inlet, an outlet, and an internal passage coupling the inlet and the outlet. The heater evaporates at least some liquid droplets in a stream received by the flow body. The sensor has one or more sensor probes in the flow body to measure a fluid property of the stream.