Thermal flowmeter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11480456-B2
Application number	US-201816632486-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2018
Priority date	Jul 20, 2017
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for determining and/or monitoring the mass flow and/or flow velocity of a flowable medium through a pipeline, comprising at least one heating element, which is at least partially and/or at times in thermal contact with the medium and is operable at least at times by means of a heating signal. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to a method for producing an apparatus of the disclosure. According to the disclosure, the heating element is at least partially surrounded in a region facing the medium by a unit comprising a material with an anisotropic thermal conductivity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring mass flow and/or flow velocity of a flowable medium through a pipeline, the apparatus comprising:
at least one heating element, which is at least partially and/or at times in thermal contact with the medium and which is operable at least at times via a heating signal; and
a unit having a longitudinal axis and comprising a material with an anisotropic thermal conductivity disposed in at least a subregion between the medium and the heating element,
wherein the unit comprises a layer or a coating, which layer or coating is composed at least partially of the material with an anisotropic thermal conductivity, or a thin film composed at least partially of the material with an anisotropic thermal conductivity, and
wherein the unit is configured as to have a higher thermal conductivity along the longitudinal axis than perpendicular thereto.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the material with an anisotropic thermal conductivity is a material at least partially containing carbon.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the material with an anisotropic thermal conductivity is a material at least partially containing hexagonal boron nitride.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heating element and/or the unit are at least partially disposed in a sensor head.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a filler, which is disposed at least partially within the sensor head and which at least partially fills an inner space of the sensor head.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the unit is configured and/or arranged such that a thermal conductivity of the unit is greater in a circumferential direction of the sensor head than in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the unit is configured and/or arranged such that a thermal conductivity of the unit is at least 10 times greater in a circumferential direction of the sensor head than in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the unit is secured to a wall of the pipeline or is integrated into the pipeline.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the heating element is disposed, at least sectionally, on the unit such that the heating element is disposed in a medium far region of the unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the unit is configured and/or arranged such that a thermal conductivity of the unit is greater in parallel with a circumferential direction of the sensor head than in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the unit is configured and/or arranged such that a thermal conductivity of the unit is at least 10 times greater in parallel with a circumferential direction of the sensor head than in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the unit is dimensioned and/or arranged as a function of the heating signal such that a predeterminable amount of heat is transmitted from the heating element to the medium.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein at least one surface area of a surface subregion of the unit is dimensioned as a function of the heating signal such that a predeterminable amount of heat is transmitted from the heating element to the medium.

14. A method for producing an apparatus for determining and/or monitoring mass flow and/or flow velocity of a flowable medium through a pipeline, the method comprising:
providing at least one heating element, which is at least partially and/or at times in thermal contact with the medium and which is operable at least at times via a heating signal; and
providing a unit having a longitudinal axis and comprising a material with an anisotropic thermal conductivity, wherein the unit is disposed in at least a subregion between the medium and the heating element, and
wherein the unit comprises a layer or a coating, which layer or coating is composed at least partially of the material with an anisotropic thermal conductivity, or a thin film composed at least partially of the material with an anisotropic thermal conductivity, and
wherein the unit is configured as to have a higher thermal conductivity along the longitudinal axis than perpendicular thereto.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the heating element and/or the unit are disposed at least partially in a sensor head.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the unit is attached on a wall of the pipeline, and wherein the heating element is disposed at least sectionally on the unit such that the heating element is disposed in the medium far region of the unit.

Assignees

• Endress Hauser Wetzer Gmbh Co Kg
• Innovative Sensor Tech Ist Ag

Inventors

• Umkehrer Alfred
• Krogmann Florian

Classifications

• G01F1/69 Primary

  of resistive type · CPC title

• G01P5/12

  using variation of resistance of a heated conductor · CPC title

• G01F15/006

  characterised by the use of a particular material, e.g. anti-corrosive material (G01F15/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01F1/692 Primary

  Thin-film arrangements · CPC title

• G01F1/684

  Structural arrangements; Mounting of elements, e.g. in relation to fluid flow · CPC title