Measuring tube arrangement and carrier unit of a measuring device for detecting a parameter of a flowable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12098939-B2
Application number	US-202017757370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2020
Priority date	Dec 16, 2019
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A measuring tube arrangement of a measuring device for detecting a mass flow rate of a flowable medium includes: two measuring tubes for conducting the medium, wherein the measuring tubes each have an inlet and an outlet, wherein the measuring tubes are bent at least once between the inlet and outlet; a coupler arrangement for mechanically coupling the two measuring tubes, wherein the coupler arrangement has at least two coupler elements, wherein one coupler element is arranged at the inlet, and one coupler element is arranged at the outlet; two magnet arrangements, each having at least two magnets, arranged on the measuring tubes, wherein precisely one magnet arrangement is arranged on one measuring tube; and a connecting body configured to mechanically detachably connect the measuring tube arrangement to a carrier unit, wherein the connecting body is connected to the inlet and to the outlet of the respective measuring tubes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A measuring device for detecting a mass flow rate, a viscosity, a density, and/or a variable derived therefrom, of a flowable medium, the measuring device comprising:
a measuring tube arrangement, comprising:
two measuring tubes, which extend parallel to each other, configured to conduct the flowable medium therethrough, wherein each measuring tube includes an inlet having an inlet direction and an outlet having an outlet direction, and wherein each measuring tube is bent at least once between the inlet and the outlet;
a coupler arrangement configured to mechanically couple the two measuring tubes, the coupler arrangement including at least two coupler elements, wherein one coupler element of the at least two coupler elements is disposed at the inlet, and wherein another coupler element of the at least two coupler elements is disposed at the outlet;
two magnet arrangements arranged on the two measuring tubes, wherein precisely one magnet arrangement is arranged on one measuring tube of the two measuring tubes, and wherein each magnet arrangement includes at least two magnets; and
a connecting body connected to each inlet and each outlet of the respective measuring tubes;

a carrier unit, comprising:
a carrier unit body configured to enable mounting the measuring tube arrangement, wherein the carrier unit body includes a receptacle adapted to accept the measuring tube arrangement and includes at least two opposing side surfaces that bound the receptacle transversely to a longitudinal direction of the measuring tube arrangement or to a longitudinal direction of the carrier unit body;
at least one vibration exciter configured to excite the measuring tube arrangement to vibrate, wherein the at least one vibration exciter is disposed on one of the opposing side surfaces; and
at least two vibration sensors, each including at least one coil device, configured to detect deflections of vibrations of the measuring tube arrangement, wherein the at least two vibration sensors are;
disposed on the opposing side surfaces:
arranged at an offset from the at least one vibration exciter in the longitudinal direction; and
offset in a longitudinal direction of the receptacle,

wherein the measuring tube arrangement is disposed in the receptacle of the carrier unit, and wherein the connecting body is configured to enable mechanically detachably connecting the measuring tube arrangement to the carrier unit; and

a measuring and/or operating circuit configured to:
operate the at least two vibration sensors and the at least one vibration exciter, the measuring and/or operating circuit connected thereto;
determine at which coil device a detected magnetic field is greatest; and
use measurement values from the determined coil device to determine and provide at least one of mass flow rate measurement values, viscosity values, density measurement values, temperature measurement values, diagnostic measurement values, and values of a variable derived therefrom the preceding values of the flowable medium.

2. The measuring device of claim 1 , wherein the inlet direction and the outlet direction are oriented oppositely.

3. The measuring device of claim 1 , wherein each measuring tube includes two legs whose respective longitudinal axes extend parallel to each other.

4. The measuring device of claim 3 , wherein each measuring tube includes a longitudinal plane that divides the respective measuring tube into two sides,
wherein each longitudinal axis of the corresponding leg of the corresponding measuring tube extends in the respective longitudinal plane, and
wherein each magnet arrangement is disposed on a side of the two sides of its respective measuring tube which faces away from the other measuring tube.

5. The measuring device of claim 3 , wherein the at least two magnets of each magnet arrangement are disposed exclusively in a partial volume delimited by two parallel reference planes and an outer surface of one of the two measuring tubes,
wherein the reference planes extend parallel to a longitudinal plane extending through the two longitudinal axes of the legs of the respective measuring tube, and
wherein the reference planes contact the outer surface.

6. The measuring device of claim 1 , wherein each measuring tube comprises a measuring tube body having a wall thickness of less than 1 millimeter.

7. The measuring device of claim 1 , wherein each measuring tube includes at least one at least partially planar attachment surface,
wherein at least one magnet of the at least two magnets of the magnet arrangement is disposed on the at least one attachment surface.

8. The measuring device of claim 1 , wherein the connecting body includes planar mounting surfaces configured to enable mechanically detachable installation of the measuring tube arrangement into the carrier unit in a position defined by the mounting surfaces.

9. The measuring device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a hose system and/or plastic tube system configured to enable flow measurement in automated industrial or laboratory installations,
wherein the measuring tube arrangement is connected to the hose system and/or plastic tube system and is configured to measure at least one of a flow rate, a volumetric flow rate, and the mass flow rate of the flowable medium.

10. The measuring device of claim 9 , wherein the measuring tube arrangement and the hose system and/or plastic tube system are disposed in a container configured to maintain a sterility of the measuring tube arrangement and of the hose system and/or plastic tube system until the container is opened,
wherein the measuring tube system is sterilized by at least one of radiation sterilization, hot steam sterilization, and gas sterilization, wherein the radiation sterilization includes gamma radiation sterilization or electron beam sterilization.

11. The measuring device of claim 9 , wherein at least one process monitoring unit is connected to the hose system and/or plastic tube system,
wherein the at least one process monitoring unit comprises at least one of: a pressure measuring transducer; a temperature sensor; a scale; a pH sensor; a density sensor; a flow meter for determining a mass flow rate, a volumetric flow and/or a flow rate; a flow switch; a fill-level sensor; a conductivity sensor; a concentration sensor; an oxygen sensor; and a turbidity sensor.

12. The measuring device of claim 1 , wherein each vibration sensor comprises precisely two coil devices that are disposed at an offset from each other in the longitudinal direction of the carrier unit body.

13. The measuring device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one vibration exciter comprises at least one coil device, wherein the coil devices of the at least one vibration exciter and the at least two vibration sensors are respectively disposed in corresponding recess in the carrier unit body.

14. The measuring device of claim 13 , wherein each coil device comprises at least one printed circuit board coil.

15. The measuring device of claim 1 , wherein the carrier unit body includes an end face in which the receptacle is disposed, wherein the end face is configured as a bearing surface for the connecting body of the measuring tube arrangement.

16. The measuring device of claim 15 , wherein, at the end face, a fixing device is disposed, which is configured to effect a non-positive connection between the connecting body of the measuring tube arrangement and the carrier unit body, wherein the non-positive connection is effected via a force action of the fixing device on the connecting body in a lo

Assignees

• Flowtec Ag

Inventors

• Bitto Ennio
• Zhu Hao
• Anklin Martin Josef
• Drahm Wolfgang

Classifications

• G01F1/8477

  with multiple measuring conduits · CPC title

• G01F1/8413 Primary

  means for influencing the flowmeter's motional or vibrational behaviour, e.g., conduit support or fixing means, or conduit attachments · CPC title