Method and high-pressure system for determining a flow control variable of a fluid flow flowing through a high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet of a high-pressure pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12467776-B2
Application number	US-202118027771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2021
Priority date	Sep 23, 2020
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

A method and a high-pressure system for determining a flow control variable of a fluid flow flowing through a high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet of a high-pressure pump are provided. An externally arranged ultrasonic measuring device measures a flow speed of a fluid flow flowing through a pipe of the high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet. A use of an ultrasonic measuring device is provided for determining a flow value to be achieved of a fluid flow flowing through a thick-walled pipe. The ultrasonic measuring device is arranged on the outside on the thick-walled pipe of the high-pressure pump outlet. The pipe has a ratio of the internal diameter to the external diameter of 1:1.5 to 1:5. The ultrasonic measuring device dynamically measures the flow speed of the fluid flow and transmits this measured flow speed to an evaluation unit to compute a current flow value and the flow control variable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for determining a flow control variable of a fluid flow flowing through a high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet of a high-pressure pump, the high pressure pump designed to generate a pressure between 1000 and 6000 bar, the method comprising:
measuring a flow speed of the fluid flow flowing through a pipe of the high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet by means of at least one ultrasonic measuring device including an externally arranged ultrasonic measuring device, to obtain a measurement result of the flow speed, wherein the high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet is a thick-walled pipe having a ratio of the pipe internal diameter to the pipe external diameter of 1:1.5 to 1:5 and the ultrasonic measuring device is arranged on the outside on this thick-walled pipe; transmitting the measurement result of the flow speed to an evaluation unit; and computing a present flow value and the flow control variable from the measurement result of the flow speed by means of the evaluation unit.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the measurement of the flow speed and the transmission of the measurement result and the computation of the present flow value and the flow control variable to be achieved take place dynamically.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the evaluation unit computes at least one of the present flow value by means of an equation method and the flow control variable by means of a comparison method.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the flow speed measured by means of the ultrasonic measuring device is corrected in consideration of further provided or determined information data, including at least one of a temperature of the fluid flow and a pressure of the fluid flow, wherein the mathematical relationships required for this purpose are determined theoretically or empirically.

5 . A high-pressure system, comprising:
a high-pressure pump having a high-pressure pump inlet and a high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet, the high pressure pump designed to generate a pressure between 1000 and 6000 bar, wherein the high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet is a thick-walled pipe having a ratio of the pipe internal diameter to the pipe external diameter of 1:1.5 to 1:5; and at least one ultrasonic measuring device including an externally arranged ultrasonic measuring device that is externally arranged on the high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet and on the thick-walled pipe to measure a flow speed of a fluid flow flowing through the thick-walled pipe of the high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet.

6 . The high-pressure system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the high-pressure system has a reactor chamber for carrying out a chemical, thermal, thermodynamic, or mechanical reaction and the thick-walled pipe that is arranged directly or indirectly between the reactor chamber and the high-pressure pump.

7 . The high-pressure system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the high-pressure system is a system for polymerizing monomers, in particular ethene (ethylene) and propene (propylene).

8 . The high-pressure system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the thick-walled pipe comprises a material from the group of metal alloys, such as high-alloyed or low-alloyed steels, titanium alloys, copper alloys, nickel alloys, tantalum alloys, chromium alloys, or cobalt alloys.

9 . The high-pressure system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the thick-walled pipe is fixed by means of a flange on the high-pressure pump, which flange has a flow channel having a continuously conically enlarging section, wherein this conical section extends at least over a third, in particular over half of the total length of the flow channel.

10 . The high-pressure system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the internal diameter of the thick-walled pipe has a section continuously enlarging, a cylindrical section, and a section continuously tapering.

11 . The high-pressure system as claimed in claim 10 wherein in the flow direction before the ultrasonic measuring device, a straight, curve-free calming section having a length which corresponds to at least five times the internal diameter of the thick-walled pipe is formed, and, in the flow direction after the ultrasonic measuring device, a straight, curve-free calming section having a length which corresponds to at least three times the internal diameter (Di) of the thick-walled pipe are formed.

12 . The high-pressure system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the ultrasonic measuring device is connected to an evaluation unit to transmit signals, in order to transmit the measurement result of the flow speed of the fluid flow to the evaluation unit.

13 . A use of an ultrasonic measuring device for determining a flow value of a fluid flow flowing through a thick-walled pipe of a high-pressure-side high-pressure pump outlet of a high-pressure pump designed to generate a pressure between 1000 and 6000 bar, comprising:
attaching the ultrasonic measuring device to an exterior of the thick-walled pipe; passing a fluid stream through the thick-walled pipe; measuring a flow velocity of the fluid stream through the thick-walled pipe; and transmitting the measured flow velocity to an evaluation unit; wherein the ultrasonic measuring device is arranged externally on the thick-walled pipe of the high-pressure pump outlet, which pipe has a ratio of the internal diameter to the external diameter of 1:1.5 to 1:5, in such a way that this ultrasonic measuring device dynamically measures the flow speed of the fluid flow and transmits this measured flow speed as a measurement result to an evaluation unit to compute a present flow value and a flow control variable to be achieved from the measurement result.

Assignees

• Uhde High Pressure Tech Gmbh
• Thyssenkrupp Ag

Inventors

• Hiller Waldemar
• Werth Holger
• Nuennerich Peter
• Karpinski Andrzej

Classifications

• G01F1/66 Primary

  by measuring frequency, phase shift or propagation time of electromagnetic or other waves, e.g. using ultrasonic flowmeters · CPC title

• G01F15/022

  using electrical means · CPC title

• F04B2205/09

  Flow through the pump · CPC title

• F04B49/065

  and making use of computers · CPC title

• F04B23/04

  Combinations of two or more pumps · CPC title