Apparatus and method for controlling, measuring, and sampling a fluid flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9708871-B2
Application number	US-201414190568-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2014
Priority date	Mar 7, 2013
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus includes a body having a central axis, a fluid inlet coupled to the body, the fluid inlet being adapted to receive a flow of a fluid, and a fluid outlet coupled to the body. The fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are substantially coaxially aligned so as to define a flow axis through the apparatus, and the flow axis is laterally offset from and perpendicular to the central axis of the body. A rotating blade assembly is disposed within said body and includes a plurality of blades, wherein the rotating blade assembly is adapted to be controllably rotated about the central axis so as to control a fluid level of the flow of fluid entering the fluid inlet.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a body having a central axis;
a fluid inlet coupled to said body, said fluid inlet being adapted to receive a flow of a fluid;
a fluid outlet coupled to said body, said fluid outlet being adapted to receive at least a portion of said flow of said fluid from said fluid inlet, wherein said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet are substantially coaxially aligned so as to define a flow axis through said apparatus, said flow axis being laterally offset from and substantially perpendicular to said central axis of said body; and
a rotating blade assembly disposed within said body and comprising a plurality of blades, wherein said rotating blade assembly is adapted to be continuously and controllably rotated about said central axis and to control a fluid level of said flow of said fluid entering said fluid inlet during said continuous and controlled rotation by variably adjusting an angular velocity of said rotating blade assembly.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said rotating blade assembly is adapted to be controllably rotated at an angular velocity that is proportional to a flow rate of a flow of a fluid flowing through said apparatus along said flow axis.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said rotating blade assembly is adapted to be continuously and controllably rotated so as to control a fluid level of a flow of a fluid entering said fluid inlet during said continuous and controlled rotation of said rotating blade assembly by at least one of increasing said fluid level and decreasing said fluid level.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said apparatus is adapted to receive a flow of a mixture of fluid and solids through said fluid inlet and said rotating blade assembly is adapted to sweep at least a portion of said fluid and at least a portion of said solids out of said apparatus through said fluid outlet.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least some of said plurality of blades are substantially radially oriented with respect to said central axis.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each one of said plurality of blades is adapted to periodically at least partially restrict fluid communication between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a drive motor coupled to said rotating blade assembly, said drive motor being adapted to continuously and controllably rotate said rotating blade assembly about said central axis.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a control system that is operatively coupled to said drive motor, wherein said control system is adapted to variably adjust said angular velocity of said rotating blade assembly.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising at least one sensor that is adapted to obtain data on at least a flow level of a flow of a fluid flowing through said apparatus along said flow axis, wherein said at least one sensor is operatively coupled to said control system, and said control system is adapted to control said flow level.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said at least one sensor is coupled to said fluid inlet.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a sample outlet disposed on said body, wherein said rotating blade assembly comprises at least one sample chamber that is adapted to receive a sample portion of a fluid flowing into said apparatus through said fluid inlet and discharge said received sample portion out of said apparatus through said sample outlet.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein lateral sides of said at least one sample chamber are at least partially defined by an adjacent pair of said plurality of blades.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein said at least one sample chamber comprises a chamber inlet that is adapted to be periodically in fluid communication with said fluid inlet so as to receive a sample portion of a fluid flowing into said apparatus therefrom and a chamber outlet that is adapted to be in fluid communication with said sample outlet so as to discharge said received sample portion therethrough.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein said rotating blade assembly comprises a bottom support disk that is coupled to said at least one sample chamber and to each one of said plurality of blades.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
a body having a central axis;
a fluid inlet coupled to said body, said fluid inlet being adapted to receive a flow of a fluid;
a fluid outlet coupled to said body, wherein said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet are substantially coaxially aligned so as to define a flow axis through said apparatus, said flow axis being laterally offset from and perpendicular to said central axis of said body;
a sample outlet disposed on said body, wherein a central axis of said sample outlet is substantially coaxially aligned with said central axis of said body;
a rotating blade assembly disposed within said body, wherein said rotating blade assembly comprises a plurality of blades and is adapted to receive a sample portion of said flow of said fluid entering said fluid inlet and to discharge said received sample portion out of said apparatus through said sample outlet.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said sample outlet is coupled to a bottom side of said body.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said rotating blade assembly is adapted to be continuously and controllably rotated about said central axis of said body so as to control a flow of a fluid flowing through said apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said rotating blade assembly is adapted to control a flow of a fluid flowing through said apparatus by periodically at least partially restricting fluid communication between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
a drive motor coupled to said rotating blade assembly, said drive motor being adapted to continuously and controllably rotate said rotating blade assembly;
at least one sensor that is operatively coupled to said apparatus, said at least one sensor being adapted to obtain data on at least a flow level of a flow of a fluid flowing through said apparatus; and
a control system that is operatively coupled to said drive motor and to said at least one sensor, said control system being adapted to receive said obtained data from said at least one sensor and control said drive motor so as to adjust an angular velocity of said rotating blade assembly based on said received data.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said rotating blade assembly comprises a sample chamber, said sample chamber comprising a chamber inlet that is adapted to receive a sample portion of a flow of a fluid flowing into said fluid inlet and a chamber outlet that is adapted to discharge said received sample portion to said sample outlet.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein lateral sides of said sample chamber are at least partially defined by an adjacent pair of said plurality of blades.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein said chamber inlet comprises an opening in one blade of said adjacent pair of said plurality of blades, said opening being positioned proximate an outside edge of said one blade.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein an outer side of said sample chamber is at least partially defined by at least one chamber cover plate coupled to each one of said adjacent pair of said plurality of blades, a shape of said at least one chamber cover plate being configured so as to su

Assignees

• Nat Oilwell Varco Lp

Inventors

• Larson Thomas Robert

Classifications

• G01F23/296

  Acoustic waves · CPC title

• G01N1/2035

  by deviating part of a fluid stream, e.g. by drawing-off or tapping · CPC title

• G01F1/002

  wherein the flow is in an open channel · CPC title

• G01F3/065

  sliding-vane meters · CPC title

• G01N2001/2057

  Sample chamber in a valve/piston · CPC title