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Abstract

An ultrasonic flowmeter for measuring the flow rate of fluid conducted through a pipe, the meter including a pair of alternately-excited transducers, one being placed at an upstream and the other at a downstream pipe position. An acoustic pulse transmitted by one transducer and propagated through the fluid at an angle to the longitudinal flow axis is received by the other transducer. The time delay difference between the upstream and downstream transit times which depends on flow velocity is determined to provide a flow rate reading. Since the geometry of the pipe is a major factor in flow rate measurement, to factor-in this geometry, a third transducer or one of the pair is arranged to produce an auxiliary acoustic pulse that is propagated in a direction normal to the flow axis to produce a first echo at the interface of the inner pipe surface and the fluid on the transducer side, and to produce a second echo at the diametrically opposed side of the pipe, these echoes being received by the same transducer. The internal diameter of the pipe is then determined by measuring the difference between the transit times of these echoes.

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First Claim