Measuring and testing – Volume or rate of flow – By measuring thrust or drag forces
Patent
1997-02-20
2000-01-04
Noori, Max
Measuring and testing
Volume or rate of flow
By measuring thrust or drag forces
7386171, 7386177, G01F 128
Patent
active
060097620
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a detector for detecting movement of closures, and particularly the detector comprising part of a system and method for determining a volume flow rate of a liquid.
It is often necessary to monitor volume flow rate of a fluid, particularly of liquid such as sewage. This is because flow of the sewage is or can be sensitive, particularly if it is discharging into a holding well or water way. A small change in the flow can alter the whole manner of operation of a sewage works for example, which could then lead to expensive waste of time and chemicals used in fluid treatment, and also the balance of sewage to the water way can be upset. Prior methods of detecting changes in fluid flow are usually manual, and thus expensive, or include complicated arrangements such as bubblers to detect depth. This is also expensive and prone to error.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to seek to mitigate these disadvantages.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a system for determining a volume flow rate of a fluid, comprising a conduit which is freely movable by the fluid to allow passage thereof, sensor means adapted to sense the position of the valve and provide an electronic output which is representative of fluid volume flow through the conduit.
The valve may comprise a pivotably mounted flap valve on the conduit, particularly being pivoted in an outlet of the conduit. This provides a relatively simple yet efficient construction.
The sensor means may be carried by the flap valve, on an external major surface thereof, or being set into a body of the flap valve. These constructions provide a simple yet accurate mounting of the flap valve for monitoring the angle of the flap valve particularly where the sensor means may comprise a gravity actuable electronic sensor means. This provides a positive response to angular movement of the flap valve.
The sensor means may comprise an actuator element which is adjustable in position depending on angular movement of the flap valve, particularly in a preferred embodiment, an electrically conductive rollable element mounted for rolling along a resistive track between two electrically conductive strips.
The rollable element may comprise a sphere of mercury and the strips may comprise two carbon strips spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the sphere of mercury. This arrangement provides a relatively simple yet positive and efficient way of monitoring the state of the flap valve.
There may be electronic means to convert the output from the sensor means into data concerning the fluid flow.
The data may comprise fluid volume flow through the conduit.
There may be means for electronically triggering a sampler device for providing analysis data relating to the fluid in the conduit.
Further the apparatus may include electronic means to provide data relating to physical and/or chemical parameters of the fluid.
The electronic means may be adapted to store said data in real time.
The fluid may be a liquid and the electronic means may comprise an additional sensor means for sensing a depth of liquid downstream of the flap valve.
There may be a further sensor means for sensing a depth of liquid in the conduit upstream of the flap valve. This provides for a theoretical determination of a desired volume flow, and means for monitoring a departure therefrom.
The electronic means may comprise an electronic monitoring system in a housing remote from the flap valve.
The electronic monitoring system may comprise a logging system.
The may be means providing for manual or automatic access to data stored in the logging system.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for determining the volume flow rate of a fluid, comprising the steps of providing a conduit for passage of the fluid, providing a valve across the conduit freely movable by the fluid to allow passage thereof, sensing the position of the valve when fluid flows therepast, and providing an electronic output commensurate with the po
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