Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

Waveguide antennas for ultrasonic flowmeters are described in which at least one pair of antennas is used to interrogate a flowing fluid. The waveguides are parallel, each pair defining a plane of interrogation which is parallel or nearly parallel to the flow. Some preferred embodiments use elongated waveguides which effectively interrogate the flow simultaneously along a sufficiently large number of parallel paths so that non-axial components of flow tend to be cancelled. Non-axial components are thereby suppressed or eliminated as significant error sources. The large number of effective paths, over a distributed planar area, also contributes to reliable operation even when the fluid is not single phase, especially if interrogating wavelengths are used which are large compared to scatterer dimensions. Several configurations are disclosed wherein the waveguides or their shields may be maintained clean and free of deposits without interrupting their use in the measurement of flow. In some cases a pair of waveguides may be used to measure not only flow velocity but also other fluid parameters of interest such as liquid level, density, impedance or temperature.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim