Automatic pulse tracer velocimeter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10612952-B2
Application number	US-201514829178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2015
Priority date	Aug 18, 2014
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

An Automatic Pulse Tracer Velocimeter (APTV) including arc-type APTVs and cross-type APTVs along with a field station and a master station capable of wireless communication with a remote computing devices. The APTV measures flow velocity in a flowable medium by injecting a small amount of a conductive tracer solution into a water column. Following injection, a plurality of wire detector pairs positioned downstream of the injection point are programmed to continuously make conductivity measurements at pre-determined time intervals. A tracer curve of the conductivity measurements over time is created and used to obtain velocity measurements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An arc-type automatic pulse tracer velocimeter (APTV) comprising:
a detector frame having a bottom portion, a top portion and a side portion connecting the bottom portion and the top portion, wherein said side portion comprises a plurality of arcuate shaped side panels arranged so as to form a portion of a sphere having an axis, and wherein the arcuate shaped side panels are each defined by an arc disposed in a plane passing through said sphere axis;
a plurality of detector wire pairs connected to the detector frame top portion and the detector frame bottom portion, wherein each of the plurality of detector wire pairs are distributed at approximately equal distances from each other along the detector frame top portion and the detector frame bottom portion, said detector wire pairs arranged along a portion of a cylindrical plane, said cylindrical plane having an axis that is collinear with said sphere axis;
a support frame connected to the detector frame; and
an injection port connected to the support frame and positioned along said cylinder axis such that said injection port is approximately equidistant from each of the plurality of detector wire pairs;
wherein said side portion allows passage of fluid therethrough, allowing a fluid to pass through said side portion and across said plurality of detector pairs; and
wherein said top portion comprises a surface for attaching a first end of each wire of said plurality of detector wire pairs, each said first end of each of said plurality of detector wire pairs attached to said surface of said top portion at an attachment point, forming a series of upper portion attachment points arranged along a curvilinear line defined as a circular arc having a center point disposed on said cylindrical plane axis, said arc having a radius equal to that of said cylinder; and said bottom portion comprises a surface for attaching a second end of each wire of each of said plurality of detector wire pairs, each said second end of each of said plurality of detector wire pairs attached to said surface of said bottom portion at an attachment point forming a series of bottom portion attachment points arranged along a curvilinear line defined as a circular arc having a center point disposed on said cylindrical plane axis, said arc having a radius equal to that of said cylindrical plane; such that each detector wire pairs of said plurality of detector wire pairs extends between said top portion surface and said bottom portion surface, each wire of said plurality of detector wire pairs being disposed parallel to said cylinder axis.

2. The arc-type APTV of claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion, top portion and side portion of the detector frame are arcuate, the side portion of the detector frame has a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the first end of the side portion of the detector frame is connected to the top portion of the detector frame and the second end of the side portion of the detector frame is connected to the bottom portion of the detector frame and the bottom portion of the detector frame is parallel to the top portion of the detector frame.

3. The arc-type APTV of claim 1 , wherein the side portion of the detector frame comprises a plurality of arcuate side panels each having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein each of the first ends of the side panels is connected to the top portion of the detector frame and each of the second ends of the side panels is connected to the bottom portion of the detector frame.

4. The arc-type APTV of claim 1 , wherein a portion of each of the wires of the plurality of detector wire pairs is stripped of insulation.

5. The arc-type of claim 1 , further comprising:
a hydrofoil positioned on the injection port.

6. A cross-type APTV comprising:
a detector frame having a vertical portion having a top portion and a bottom portion, a horizontal portion having a left portion and a right portion and a central portion, wherein the vertical portion and the horizontal portion are connected at the central portion to form a cross shape, the top portion of the vertical portion has a first opening there through, the bottom portion of the vertical portion has a second opening there through, the left portion of the horizontal portion has a third opening there through and the right portion of the horizontal portion has a fourth opening there through;
a first detector wire pair connected to the top portion of the vertical portion of the detector frame and to the central portion, wherein the first detector wire pair is at least partially suspended over the first opening;
a second detector wire pair connected to the bottom portion of the vertical portion of the detector frame and to the central portion, wherein the second detector wire pair is at least partially suspended over the second opening;
a third detector wire pair connected to the left portion of the horizontal portion of the detector frame and to the central portion, wherein the third detector wire pair is at least partially suspended over the third opening;
a fourth detector wire pair connected to the right portion of the horizontal portion of the detector frame and to the central portion, wherein the fourth detector wire pair is at least partially suspended over the fourth opening;
a support frame connected to the detector frame at an end of the top portion of the vertical portion; and
an injection port connected to the support frame and positioned about parallel to the vertical portion of the detector frame and at a predetermined distance from the third detector wire pair and the fourth detector wire pair.

7. The cross-type APTV of claim 6 , wherein a portion of each of the wires of the first, second, third and fourth detector wire pairs is stripped of insulation.

8. The cross-type APTV of claim 6 , further comprising:
a hydrofoil positioned on the injection port.

Assignees

• Univ Central Florida Res Found Inc

Inventors

• Crawford A James
• Chang Ni-Bin

Classifications

• G01F1/7046

  using electrical loaded particles as tracer, e.g. ions or electrons · CPC title

• G01F25/0023

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01F1/7088 Primary

  using electrically charged particles as tracers · CPC title

• G01F25/12

  using tracer · CPC title