Apparatus for noninvasive measurement of properties of a fluid flowing in a tubing having a smaller inner diameter passage

摘要

Apparatus for non-invasive measuring of the sound velocity of a fluid flowing in a tubing having a small internal diameter for the fluid passage as compared to the tubing wall thickness and having points of two different and known transverse length with a sensor mounted at each point and a delay line adjacent to the tubing at each point. Each sensor is connected to a circuit that provides ultrasonic energy signals that are transmitted through the tubing walls, the flowing fluid and the delay line to be reflected back to the sensor from which the round trip transit time of the signals is measured and the sound velocity calculated from the two measured round trip transit times and the differential between the known transverse lengths.

主权项

1. Apparatus for noninvasive measurement of the sound velocity of a fluid flowing in a tubing, comprising:
a measuring head having an open slot with a flat planar bottom wall and two flat planar opposing side walls in which the tubing is placed, the bottom and side walls are orthogonal to each other and are arranged such that both ends of the bottom wall are contacted by one end of each of the two side walls, which walls contact the tubing, said slot having first and second points of different transverse length being at different locations of the slot longitudinal length, each slot transverse length at said first and second points forming a respective acoustic path of a different length; a source of ultrasonic energy signals; a respective first and second transmit/receive sensor mounted in said measuring head adjacent said slot first and second points of different transverse length; a delay line of the same material and length opposing each said sensor on the opposite side of the tube, each said sensor for transmitting signals from said energy source along a respective path through the walls of the tubing and the fluid flowing therein into the respective opposing delay line element on the opposition side of the tube and receiving the signals reflected from the delay line element back to a said sensor; and a circuit for measuring for each said first and second sensor the round-trip transit time of the signals from time of transmission to the time of reception after reflection from the delay line element, and for calculating from the round-trip transit times measured for the signals of the first and second sensors the sound velocity of the fluid flowing in the tubing.