上游弯管对超声波流量计精度影响及整流设计

针对上游弯管流场变化对超声波流量计测量精度的影响,利用CFD对测量管道内部流场进行数值仿真模拟,并设计整流器改善由弯管导致的明显的二次流和涡流等情况,以减小超声波流量计测量误差。研究对象为基于时差法的DN15超声波液体流量计,流量范围在0.1～1.5 m~3/h内,上游弯管与流量计之间测试直管段距离为2～20D。对比超声波流量计加装整流器前后测量误差,通过实验结果验证,未整流时流量计随着直管段越短测量误差越大,安装的整流器可以改善管道内流场的速度分布,将直管段长度缩短为10D,提升超声波流量计测量误差满足在±1.5%以内,验证了数值模拟的正确性,对工程实际应用具有一定指导意义。     

Effects of flow disturbance on an ultrasonic gas flowmeter

A series of tests are carried out to assess the effects of flow disturbance on a small dimension ultrasonic gas flowmeter. Flow disturbances generated by cone couplings, and single and double elbows are investigated. Measurements with a 100 D straight pipe upstream with a smooth connection to the meter body are used as a reference. Our measurements show that the symmetrical disturbance produced by a cone coupling at a 12 D distance from the transducer path does not impair the performance of the flowmeter. An asymmetrical disturbance, such as a single or a double elbow at the same distance, seems generally to give an underestimation of the flow velocity, resulting in reading errors of −1% or worse. Measurements with straight pipes of 10 D, 20 D, 40 D and 80 D between the disturbance and the flowmeter have also been made showing that 10 D can cause an overestimation of flow velocity. Increasing the length of the straight pipe generally decreases the error. More than 80 D straight pipe between the disturbance and the flowmeter is required to give a result within ±1% of reference conditions. The angle between the elbow plane and the transducer plane is changed from 0 to 315° in 45° steps. The meter error is plotted as a function of inlet angle, showing a clear relationship between these values.     

超声波气体流量计检测精度影响因素分析

在天然气的管道运输过程中,提高气体流量测量的精度是提高运输效率、避免安全事故发生的关键技术。利用流体力学仿真（CFD）方法建立组合双弯管及变径管道模型,定量计算修正系数,对双声道超声波流量计结构和安装位置对于管道内气体速度场的影响进行研究。通过仿真得出超声波流量计的最优声道位置,并结合实验验证了仿真结果的可信性。模拟结果表明,双弯管和变径管与超声波流量计的安装位置至少为10D才能保证流体充分流动;通过修正系数随雷诺数的变化情况得出双声道超声波流量计的最优声道位置为距管道截面中心0.25D处。研究结论对于不同性质气体的流量检测同样适用,为工业中气体运输检测精度的提高以及超声波流量计的优化提供了依据。     

Improved numerical integration method for flowrate of ultrasonic flowmeter based on Gauss quadrature for non-ideal flow fields

Multipath ultrasonic flowmeters with large diameter are widely used in industry. And their measurement performances are sensitive to velocity profiles in conduits. Gauss–Jacobi and Optimized Weighted Integration for Circular Sections (OWICS) method are commonly applied in flow measurement of multipath ultrasonic flowmeters, both of which assume ideal flow in pipes. They are not proper for non-ideal flow measurement. Therefore, an improved numerical integration method for flowrate based on Gauss quadrature is proposed. With this method, optimum relative path heights and corresponding weights are determined according to specific disturbed flows. By comparison Gauss–Jacobi, OWICS with the improved method, the validity of the proposed method is verified for typical disturbed flows based on both theoretical analysis and experiments, and measurement performances of ultrasonic flowmeters are improved significantly.     

Response of a dual triangulate bluff body vortex flowmeter to oscillatory flow

In this paper, on an experimental facility, the measurement characteristics of a diameter 50 mm dual triangulate bluff body vortex flowmeter in steady flow and oscillatory flow were investigated. Then, the Hilbert Huang Transformation (HHT) method was used to assess the anti-interference performances and the vortex street stability in oscillatory flow for the dual triangulate bluff body vortex flowmeter and a single bluff body vortex flowmeter. Offline simulation was carried out on the anti-interference performances of the dual triangulate bluff body vortex flowmeter signal noise in oscillatory flow by the method of the EMD-scales filter. The major findings are: (a) in most case, the EMD-scales filter may be as good at de-noising effect for the dual bluff body vortex flowmeter in oscillatory flow than that for the single bluff body vortex flowmeter in oscillatory flow. The vortex street stability in oscillatory flow for the dual bluff body is similar to that for the single bluff body. (b) In some special case, the EMD-scales filter is unable to play a better de-nosing role for the dual bluff body vortex flowmeter in oscillatory flow. The invalid condition of the EMD-scales filter for the dual bluff body vortex flowmeter in oscillatory flow is different to that of the single bluff body vortex flowmeter and it was advanced in this paper. (C) The vortex street stability for the dual bluff body vortex flowmeter is better than that for the single bluff body vortex flowmeter.     

Numerical investigation on the installation effects of electromagnetic flowmeter downstream of a 90° elbow–laminar flow case

An electromagnetic flowmeter installed downstream of a 90° elbow to measure the flowrate of laminar flow is numerically simulated to investigate installation effects by varying the location of the electromagnetic flowmeter at a distance up to 22D from the elbow, and the angle between the electrodes plane and the symmetry plane of the elbow at ϕ=0, 45 and 90°. Effects of the curvature radius (R_c) and the Reynolds number (Re) based on a diameter D are also scrutinized in the range of 400≤Re≤1500 and R_c=1.5D and 3.0D.For the simulation of an electromagnetic flowmeter, a commercial code FLUENT(ver. 4.4) is applied for flow field analyses and a three-dimensional numerical code is developed for analyzing the magnetic field. The developed code adopts a finite volume method to solve a Poisson-type voltage equation for the magnetic field.It is found that the deviations of the flow signal due to the disturbance from the elbow is strongly dependent on the pattern of axial velocity contours. Cases for ϕ=45° are found to permit significantly better measurement accuracy in comparison with ϕ=0° and ϕ=90°, and the effect of the curvature on the optimum installation distance depends on the Reynolds number. The present numerical simulation method is found to be a useful tool for the performance analysis of the electromagnetic flowmeter.     

多声道超声流量计在弯管段安装的适应性研究

针对在不具备直管段安装条件时,如何合理地选取多声道超声流量计的声道数量、测量断面及安装角度,本文从数学建模、误差分析、数值计算仿真与试验分析等方面,对DN400多声道超声流量计在弯管中的适应性进行了综合研究.利用高斯-雅克比数值积分法,给出了试验数据处理与数值仿真的数学模型,并分析了模型误差及横流的影响,提出利用双断面测量可减小横流的影响,并在数值仿真和试验中得到了验证.通过对声道数量、测量断面、安装角度进行数值仿真和试验表明,安装角度对低流速测量影响显著,最佳安装角应为0°;高流速测量应选用双断面,可根据测量精度的要求选用8声道或18声道.仿真结果与试验结果得到了很好的吻合,为进一步指导试验奠定了理论基础.     

Study of acoustic transducer protrusion and recess effects on ultrasonic flowmeter measurement by numerical simulation

In order to improve the measurement performance of dry calibration on ultrasonic flowmeter, the Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modeling approach of the effect on transducer protrusion and recess are mainly discussed in the paper while its effects on ultrasonic flowmeter accuracy are also presented. Through comparing simulation results to experimental data, the CFD modeling is firstly determined. Then, detail analysis on flow field for two typical transducer installations are obtained based on the CFD method. Besides, the mechanism of both flow effects on measurement accuracy are explained and compared respectively, which indicates that negative velocities generated at protrusion and recess locations are the indispensable factors for negative measurement errors. Finally, comparison results show that smaller measurement error can be achieved with protruding transducers, which is a better arrangement type of transducer for ultrasonic flowmeters.     

基于LabVIEW的超声波相关法流速流量测量仪

讨论和分析了相关法超声波流量计的测量原理和数学模型，据此完成了相关法超声波流速流量测量虚拟仪器系统的结构设计和基于Lab-VIEW的软件设计，通过对该系统进行软件模块测试和系统信号仿真实验，论证了将虚拟仪器技术应用于超声波相关法流量测量领域的可行性，在相关法超声波流量计的理论研究和实验开发上具有一定的应用价值。     

Installation effects on ultrasonic and electromagnetic flowmeters: a model-based approach

The paper describes the basic ideas of a model-based installation-effects analysis method and presents results from a collaborative research programme being conducted at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD, USA, and at Tampere University of Technology in Finland. The analysis method is based on a combination of flow modelling and flowmeter modelling. In this paper, installation effects on electromagnetic and travel-time-difference ultrasonic flowmeters are discussed. The installation cases are single elbow and double elbow out-of-plane piping configurations. The results show that significant shifts from ‘ideal’ meter performance can occur in such disturbed flow conditions. The flowmeter modelling results also show that these significant shifts can be reduced by altering the operational arrangements and performance characteristics of the meters. It is concluded that such flowmeter modelling can be very useful in: (1) redesigning flowmeters to make them less susceptible to installation effects, (2) constructing new meters, or (3) arranging special meter configurations to deal with specific disturbed flows.     

Correction of flow metering coefficients by using multi-dimensional non-linear curve fitting

Flow disturbances can significantly affect flow metering because the downstream flow of flow disturbances can become unstable and asymmetric, thus resulting in measurement errors in the flow meter. A clamp-on type ultrasonic flow meter is an example of a flow meter that is susceptible to flow disturbances given its diametrical configuration of ultrasonic paths. Several flow rate correction formulas have been suggested to mitigate the effect of flow disturbance for improved flow metering. As a novel method, a multi-dimensional non-linear correction formula is suggested to overcome limitations in flow metering that are attributed to the non-linearity of flow disturbances. The non-linear correction formula comprises n-th order polynomials with multiple variables. To validate the usefulness of the non-linear correction formula, the standard error of estimate (SEE) is introduced. Four types of flow configurations, namely, downstream of a contraction pipe, an expansion pipe, a single elbow joint, and a tee joint, are used to show the effect of the non-linear correction formula. The expanded uncertainty based on the SEE indicates estimated values of 1.29%, 11.14%, 1.07%, and 6.31% for the four upstream flow configurations, respectively. Thus, the effect of the non-linear correction formula is limited according to the upstream flow conditions. In the downstream flow of the contraction pipe and of the single elbow joint, the non-linear correction formula not only harmonizes the distribution of the flow rate deviations but also removes the biases of flow rate deviations with respect to the flow velocity, the installation location, and the diameter ratio.     

基于DSP的新型超声多普勒流量计设计与实现

文中针对当前工业管道用超声多普勒流量计的性能普遍不高的现状,改进了测量工业管道流量方法,并且采用高速DSP器件TMS320VC5410实现一种新型超声多普勒流量测量系统.实现的新型超声多普勒管道流量测量系统可以动态显示流速和方向、瞬时流量、累积流量、信号强度等测量结果,较高的流速测量动态响应能力以及稳定性,具有较好的推广和应用前景.     

温压补偿型超声气体质量流量计

对超声时差法进行算法改进后，结合气体密度公式推导出超声质量流量方程，据此设计出温压补偿型超声气体质量流量计，给出了流量计核心系统及温压补偿部分的硬件设计。将只用于流体体积流量测量的超声流量计推广到气体质量流量测量领域，使超声流量计趋向理想化。经实验证明此流量计在测量常压空气时精度可达1．42％。     

Ultrasonic tomographic velocimeter for visualization of axial flow fields in pipes

An ultrasonic tomographic velocimeter to provide quantitative images of axial flow fields in pipes is developed and presented in this work. To detect the flow in various directions and positions, a novel transducer configuration strategy is proposed. All-in-one transducers are mounted in two sectional planes of the pipe. In each plane, N transducers are equally spaced along the circumference. Overlapped propagation paths are introduced by the configuration strategy, and the influence of the vortex flow can be eliminated theoretically by averaging the line velocities of the overlapped paths. To achieve a fast detection speed, the projection data is collected via an electrical scan in a fan-beam mode. After rearrangement and interpolation of the projection data, the parallel beam filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm is implemented to reconstruct the axial flow field. Numerical simulations with the theoretical velocity profiles were performed. The compensation method for the vortex flow is proved to be effective and necessary, and the number of transducers required for reconstruction of common flow profiles was estimated. Accordingly, an ultrasonic tomographic velocimeter consisting of 2×12 transducers was fabricated. Experiments were conducted in the straight pipe and downstream of a single bend pipe and compared with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation results. As demonstrated, the ultrasonic tomographic velocimeter was capable of visualizing both symmetric and asymmetric axial flow fields with high reliability.     

Particle image velocimetry flowmeter for natural gas applications

Ultrasonic flowmeters are currently used in the measurement of large natural gas flow. However, their high sensitivity to noise signals can cause measurement errors and direct economic losses. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurement technology has several advantages, including convenient installation and maintenance, and strong anti-interference ability, thereby presenting an innovative idea for its application in the field of flow measurement. In this paper, a cyclic integration method is proposed for the application of PIV technology in flow measurement of natural gas. The results show that PIV flowmeter and ultrasonic flowmeter are basically consistent, and the maximum deviation is about 2%. confirming the feasibility of the PIV flowmeter. Therefore, this study provides a theoretical and technical reference for the development of a PIV flowmeter for natural gas.     

Numerical modeling and experimental verification of a low fluid flow inductive flowmeter

The article discusses modeling procedures to capture the physical and chemical processes present in operational measurement with a high-precision inductive flowmeter. In this context, a theoretical model and a numerical solution are proposed. Exploiting the combined finite element method (FEM) and the finite volume method (FVM), we prepared numerical models of multiple variants of the flowmeter and computed the output voltage on the device's electrodes. The model joins together the magnetic, electric, and current fields; a flow field; and a physical-chemical nonlinear ion model. The results were obtained by means of the FEM/FVM in ANSYS software and verified via experimental testing.     

Performance tests of flowmeters for fuel consumption measurements in fishing vessels

In the study, we developed a flowmeter to be mounted on fishing vessels to measure their fuel consumption in the sea, and evaluated the performance of the flowmeter under the dynamic conditions of a fishing vessel. In order to analyze the dynamic behavior of the fishing vessel in the sea, dynamic motions (pitch and heave) based on the speed of the fishing vessel were obtained through simulation and field test. In the presence of vibration, the uncertainty of the ultrasonic flowmeter increased from 0.12% to 0.5%. The measurement error of the ultrasonic flowmeter also increased from 0.5% up to 2% when dynamic behavior motions (pitch and heave) increased with the speed of the fishing vessel. The results confirmed that the measurement errors of ultrasonic flowmeter were consistent at the same flow rate and speed of the fishing vessel in the dynamic test bed and sea field test. Additionally, to confirm the long-term stability of the developed flowmeter, a long-term test of the flowmeter was performed for three days in actual fishing conditions. The results indicated that the ultrasonic flowmeter developed in the study can measure the fuel consumption of an actual fishing vessel. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to measure the fuel consumption in the sea via mounting a flowmeter on an actual fishing vessel.     

Experimental study to establish an evaluating method for the responsiveness of liquid flowmeters to transient flow rates

An aim of this research work is to establish an evaluation method concerning a responsiveness of flowmeters for a transient flow rate. To this end, reference flow metering systems for the transient flow are proposed in this paper. Because a behavior of the responsiveness depends on the type of flowmeter, evaluations using different parameters, such as response time to sudden rise and sudden fall in flow rate, response to the frequency and amplitude of flow pulsation, mean characteristic and so on are needed. To achieve a precise evaluation, two reference flow metering methods for transient flow rates are proposed in this paper. One is a high-response weighing method and the other is a velocity profile measurement method using the ultrasonic pulsed Doppler method (UPDM). Since the behaviors of the transient flow rate measured by both methods show good agreement, we conclude them to be useable as a reference flow metering system.     

Experimental and numerical study on a novel thermal mass flowmeter that is insensitive to radial flow velocity distribution

A novel thermal mass flowmeter (TMF) is proposed by improving the composition and structure of the probe in this study. An experimental setup was developed to compare the effects of installation angles on the measurement characteristics of the novel and traditional TMF (flow velocity range of 1.0–8.0 m/s), and three-dimensional numerical models were established to compare the effects of axial positions and insertion depths on the measurement characteristics of novel and traditional TMF (flow velocity range of 0.05–8.0 m/s). The experimental results show that when the installation angle changes from 0° to 90°, the maximum power variation of traditional TMF is 16.5%, while that of the novel TMF is only 0.6%. The simulation results show that when the axial position changes from 9 to 1 m, the maximum power variation of traditional TMF is 11.5%, while that of the novel TMF is only 3.8%. When the insertion depth of the velocity sensor translates from the pipe center to 0.10 m upward, the maximum power variation of traditional TMF is 91.6%. The novel TMF is installed by thread or flange compression, with a fixed and unique insertion depth of D/2, there is no change in the insertion depth during measurement. In conclusion, the effect of the flow velocity distribution on the measurement characteristics is significantly reduced in the novel TMF compared to the traditional TMF, the measurement results are more accurate.     

Theoretical study of vertical slug flow measurement by data fusion from electromagnetic flowmeter and electrical resistance tomography

Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) can be used to obtain the conductivity distribution or the phase distribution of gas/liquid flows (e.g. slug flow). Using proper parameter models and flow regime identification models, the measurement of phase size, void fraction, and pattern recognition can be realized. Electromagnetic flowmeters have been used to measure conductive single-phase liquid flows. However, neither ERT nor electromagnetic flowmeters (EMF) can provide accurate measurement of gas/liquid two-phase flows. This paper presents an approach to fuse the information from ERT and an electromagnetic flowmeter. A model for the measurement signal from the electromagnetic flowmeter has been developed based on the flow pattern and the phase distributions, which are obtained from the reconstructed images of ERT, aiming to reduce the measurement error of the electromagnetic flowmeter and enhance the measurement accuracy. Through the simulation research of virtual current density distribution, the feasibility of fusion of electromagnetic flowmeter and ERT to measure gas/liquid two-phase vertical slug flow is verified. By theoretical analysis, the relationship between the output of electromagnetic flowmeter and flow parameters is established. The electrical potential difference of the electromagnetic flowmeter, average velocity, volume flow rate and gas void fraction between the bubble size and location are also investigated. The fusion approach can be used to measure vertical slug flows.