Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus to measure flow rate

US7278325B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by
8References
40Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 24, 2001
Grant dateOct 9, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 3, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N27/18
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring the flow rate of a single phase fluid, particularly a gas, through a conduit. A pulse of tracer fluid is discharged or injected into a first fluid flowing through a conduit, the concentration of the tracer fluid is measured as a function of time at a downstream from where it is injected, and the flow rate of the first fluid is determined based on the concentration measurements. The concentration of tracer fluid is preferably sampled substantially continuously from when the tracer gas first passes the measuring point until substantially all of the tracer fluid has passed the measuring point and the sampled concentrations integrated. The concentration of tracer fluid is preferably determined by measuring the thermal conductivity of the mixture of the first fluid and tracer fluid which is dependent upon the concentration of the tracer fluid.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.