Vortex flowmeter providing extended flow rate measurement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12492925-B2
Application number	US-202318370233-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2023
Priority date	Mar 12, 2020
Publication date	Dec 9, 2025
Grant date	Dec 9, 2025

Abstract

A vortex flowmeter for measuring a flow rate of a fluid. The meter includes a flowtube, a bluff body, and a vortex sensor. The bluff body, which is positioned in the flowtube, sheds vortices in the fluid when the fluid flows through the flowtube and the vortex sensor detects the vortices and generates a vortex signal representing the detected vortices. A pressure sensor arrangement is configured to detect a differential pressure in the fluid between a first location upstream of at least a portion of the bluff body and a second location downstream of at least a portion of the bluff body and generate a differential pressure signal representing the pressure differential between the two locations. The flowmeter determines the fluid flow rate based on the pressure differential.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vortex flowmeter for measuring a flow rate of a fluid, the vortex flowmeter comprising:
a flowtube; a bluff body positioned in the flowtube; a plurality of sensors, each sensor being configured to generate a signal representing one or more characteristics of the fluid as it flows through the flowtube past the bluff body, wherein at least one of the sensors is located on a portion of the bluff body, and wherein at least another one of the sensors is located downstream of the portion of the bluff body on which the at least one of the sensors is located; and a measurement processor configured to generate a first flow rate output representing the flow rate of the fluid based on at least one of the signals from the plurality of sensors when the fluid has a Reynolds number of less than approximately 2300 and a second flow rate output representing the flow rate of the fluid based on at least one other of the signals from the plurality of sensors when the fluid has a Reynolds number of greater than approximately 2300; wherein the measurement processor is further configured to compare the first and second flow rate outputs.

2 . The vortex flowmeter of claim 1 , wherein the bluff body positioned in the flowtube is configured for shedding vortices in the fluid when the fluid flows through the flowtube, wherein the sensors comprise a vortex sensor configured to detect the vortices and generate a vortex signal representing the detected vortices, and wherein the measurement processor is configured to generate the second flow rate output using the vortex signal when the fluid has a Reynolds number of greater than approximately 2300.

3 . The vortex flowmeter of claim 2 , wherein the sensors comprises a pressure sensor arrangement configured to detect a differential pressure in the fluid between a first location upstream of at least a portion of the bluff body and a second location downstream of at least a portion of the bluff body and generate differential pressure signal representing the differential pressure in the fluid between the first location and the second location, and wherein the measurement processor is configured to generate the first flow rate output using the differential pressure signal when the fluid has a Reynolds number of less than approximately 2300.

4 . The vortex flowmeter of claim 3 , wherein measurement processor is connected to the vortex sensor and the pressure sensor arrangement to receive the vortex signal and the differential pressure signal, respectively, wherein the second flow rate output comprises a vortex signal-based measurement of the flow rate using the vortex signal and the first flow rate output comprises a pressure signal-based measurement of the flow rate using the differential pressure signal.

5 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the measurement processor is further configured to compare a characteristic of at least one of the vortex signal and the differential pressure signal to a threshold and selectively use the vortex signal to generate a flow rate signal when the determined characteristic is greater than the threshold and use the differential pressure signal to generate the flow rate signal when the determined characteristic is less than the threshold.

6 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the determined characteristic is a frequency of the vortex signal and the threshold is a cutoff frequency of the vortex flowmeter representing a lower bound at which the measurement processor generates the flow rate output using the vortex signal.

7 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the bluff body has an upstream end face, and wherein the flowtube has a longitudinal axis and defines a cross sectional flow area through which the fluid flows, the cross sectional flow area being substantially uniform along the longitudinal axis.

8 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the first location is on the upstream end face.

9 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the first location is spaced apart upstream of the upstream end face along the longitudinal axis by a distance in an inclusive range of from about 0.0 times the inner diameter to about 4.75 times the inner diameter.

10 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the second location is spaced apart downstream of the upstream end face along the longitudinal axis by a distance in an inclusive range of from about 0.333 times the inner diameter to about 5.0 times the inner diameter.

11 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the pressure sensor arrangement comprises a differential pressure sensor unit including a sensing diaphragm having a first side and an opposite second side.

12 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 11 , further comprising first passaging configured to convey pressure from the first location to the first side of the sensing diaphragm and second passaging configured to convey pressure from the second location to the second side of the sensing diaphragm.

13 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the first passaging comprises a hole formed in at least one of the flowtube and the bluff body and the second passaging comprises a hole formed in the flowtube.

14 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the flowtube comprises a single piece of material having a length, each of the first and second locations being located along the length.

15 . The vortex flowmeter as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the measurement processor is further configured to provide an alarm when the second flow rate output deviates from the first flow rate output by more than a predetermined amount.

16 . A method of determining a total quantity of fluid in a batch process, the method comprising:
detecting vortices shed by a bluff body positioned in a flowtube of a vortex flowmeter as the fluid flows across the bluff body during the batch process using at least one sensor located on a portion the bluff body; detecting a differential pressure across the bluff body during the batch process using at least another sensor located downstream of the portion of the bluff body on which the at least one sensor is located; determining a first amount of fluid that flows past the bluff body during an initial portion of the batch process based on the detected differential pressure; determining a second amount of fluid that flows past the bluff body during a middle portion of the batch process based on the detected vortices; determining a third amount of fluid that flows past the bluff body during a final portion of the batch process based on the detected differential pressure; and determining the total quantity of fluid by combining the first amount of fluid, the second amount of fluid, and the third amount of fluid.

17 . The method as set forth in claim 16 , wherein detecting the differential pressure comprises detecting the differential pressure in the fluid between a first location upstream of the bluff body and a second location downstream of the bluff body.

18 . The method as set forth in claim 16 , further comprising defining the middle portion of the batch process as occurring when the fluid has a Reynolds number greater than approximately 2000.

19 . The method as set forth in claim 16 , further comprising defining the initial portion of the batch process as occurring when the fluid has a Reynolds number less than approximately 2300.

20 . The method

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Systems Usa Inc

Inventors

• Mattar Jeffrey
• Desrosiers Harry

Classifications

• G01F1/38 Primary

  the pressure or differential pressure being measured by means of a movable element, e.g. diaphragm, piston, Bourdon tube or flexible capsule · CPC title

• G01F1/3259 Primary

  for detecting fluid pressure oscillations · CPC title