Tomographic and sonar-based processing using electrical probing of a flowing fluid to determine flow rate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9909910-B2
Application number	US-201314436391-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2013
Priority date	Oct 23, 2012
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

Apparatus is provided featuring a signal processor or processing module configured at least to: receive signaling containing information about electrical responses to a transiting flow perturbation in at least three planes of a fluid flowing in a pipe, tank, cell or vessel sensed using a tomographic processing technique; and determine a flow rate of the fluid flowing in the pipe, tank, cell or vessel using a combined tomography and SONAR-based algorithm and signal processing technique, based at least partly on the signaling received.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a SONAR processing unit having a signal processor configured to:
receive signaling sensed by a tomographic array of electrodes placed along a pipe, tank, cell or vessel using a tomographic processing technique, and containing information about electrical responses to a transiting flow perturbation in at least three planes of a fluid flowing in the pipe, tank, cell or vessel; and
determine corresponding signaling containing information about a flow rate of the fluid flowing in the pipe, tank, cell or vessel using a combined tomographic and SONAR-based algorithm and signal processing technique, based at least partly on the signaling received.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the SONAR processing unit is configured to provide the corresponding signaling containing information about the flow rate determined.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the SONAR processing unit comprises a tomographic signal processing unit configured to receive the signaling and provide tomographic signaling containing information about the same subset of pixels in each of the at least three planes using a tomographic algorithm and signal processing technique, based at least partly on the signaling received.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the SONAR processing unit comprises a SONAR-based signal processing unit configured to receive the tomographic signaling and determine the flow rate using a SONAR-based algorithm and signal processing technique, based at least partly on the tomographic signaling received.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the signaling received is electrical signaling sensed from the same limited subset of multiple electrodes in the tomographic array spaced at predetermined intervals and configured in each of the at least three planes around the circumference of the pipe, tank, cell or vessel.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the multiple electrodes are equally spaced at the predetermined intervals.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the multiple electrodes are multiple conductivity-based or permittivity-based electrical sensors or electrodes.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the apparatus comprises the multiple electrodes.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tomographic processing technique includes using Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT), including using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) for conducting fluids based on conductivity, using Electrical Capacitive Tomography (ECT) for non-conducting fluids based on permittivity, or using a combination thereof.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises, is configured as, or form part of, a SONAR-based processing unit arranged in a hybrid electrical tomography system having the tomographic array of electrodes.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the SONAR processing unit is configured with at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to receive the signaling and determine the corresponding signaling containing information about the flow rate, based at least partly on the signaling received.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises, or takes the form of, a hybrid electrical tomography system having the SONAR processing unit in combination with the tomographic array of electrodes.

13. A method comprising:
receiving in a SONAR processing unit having a signal processor signaling sensed by a tomographic array of electrodes placed along a pipe, tank, cell or vessel using a tomographic processing technique, and containing information about electrical responses to a transiting flow perturbation in at least three planes of the fluid flowing in a pipe, tank, cell or vessel; and
determining in the SONAR processing unit having the signal processor corresponding signaling containing information about a flow rate of the fluid flowing in the pipe, tank, cell or vessel using a combined tomographic and SONAR-based algorithm and signal processing technique, based at least partly on the signaling received.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the method comprises providing from the SONAR processing unit the corresponding signaling containing information about the flow rate determined.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the method comprises configuring the SONAR processing unit with a tomographic signal processing unit to receive the signaling and provide tomographic signaling containing information about the same subset of pixels in each of the at least three planes using a tomographic algorithm and signal processing technique, based at least partly on the signaling received.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the method comprises configuring the SONAR processing unit with a SONAR-based signal processing unit to receive the tomographic signaling and determine the flow rate using a SONAR-based algorithm and signal processing technique, based at least partly on the tomographic signaling received.

17. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the signaling is electrical signaling received from the same limited subset of multiple electrodes spaced at predetermined intervals and configured in the at least three planes around the circumference of the pipe, tank, cell or vessel.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the method comprises receiving the signaling from the multiple electrodes that are equally spaced at the predetermined intervals.

19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the method comprises receiving the signaling from multiple conductivity-based or permittivity-based electrical sensors or electrodes.

20. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the tomographic processing technique includes using Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT), including using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) for conducting fluids, using Electrical Capacitive Tomography (ECT) for non-conducting fluids, or using a combination thereof.

21. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the method comprises configuring the SONAR processing unit in a hybrid electrical tomography system having the tomographic array of electrodes to determine the flow rate using the combined tomographic and SONAR-based algorithm and signal processing technique.

22. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the method comprises configuring a hybrid electrical tomography system with a SONAR-based signal processing unit and the tomographic array of electrodes.

23. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the at least three planes are substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis on the pipe, tank, cell or vessel and spaced at a predetermined distance along the longitudinal axis.

Assignees

• Cidra Corporate Services Inc

Inventors

• Kersey Alan D

Classifications

• G01F1/74

  Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid · CPC title

• G01F1/712

  using auto-correlation or cross-correlation detection means · CPC title

• G01F1/666

  by detecting noise and sounds generated by the flowing fluid · CPC title

• G01F1/64 Primary

  by measuring electrical currents passing through the fluid flow; measuring electrical potential generated by the fluid flow, e.g. by electrochemical, contact or friction effects (G01F1/58 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01F1/704

  using marked regions or existing inhomogeneities within the fluid stream, e.g. statistically occurring variations in a fluid parameter (G01F1/76, G01F25/00 take precedence) · CPC title