KR-102961657-B1 - FLOW METER STRUCTURE THAT CAN BE INSTALLED IN NON-STRAIGHT PIPES

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a structure of a fluid flow meter, and more specifically, to a structure of a flow meter that can be installed in a non-linear piping system, which can be installed without a straight pipe section or with only a very short straight pipe section, so that the space where the flow meter/piping is installed is not large, and can precisely measure the flow rate by combining an ultrasonic transceiver and a pressure sensor, and improve measurement accuracy through correction calculations based on a pump performance curve.

Inventors

• 이정섭

Assignees

• 주식회사 대영방재산업

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20250708

Claims (3)

1. A body part connected to one side of a pipe to measure the flow rate of the fluid flowing within the pipe; A front straight pipe section disposed at the front end of the above-mentioned body section and formed to have a length of five times or less the pipe diameter D; A rear straight pipe section disposed at the rear end of the above-mentioned body section and formed to have a length of three times or less the pipe diameter D; A first ultrasonic transceiver disposed at a first angle on one side of the interior of the body portion and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves into and out of the interior of the body portion; A second ultrasonic transceiver disposed on the other side of the interior of the body part at a first angle corresponding to the first ultrasonic transceiver, and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves into and out of the interior of the body part; A pressure sensor provided on one side of the above body part; A control unit connected to the first ultrasonic transceiver, the second ultrasonic transceiver, and the pressure sensor, which calculates a first flow rate based on ultrasonic measurement values and pressure measurement values; and A battery that supplies power to the above-mentioned control unit and is provided to be detachable; comprising, The first angle above is: any one angle within the range of 45 to 65 degrees, and The above pressure sensor is: Based on the intersection point where the ‘virtual first straight line connecting the first ultrasonic transceiver and the second ultrasonic transceiver’ and the ‘centerline of the body part’ intersect, A virtual second straight line perpendicular to the centerline of the body part and passing through the intersection point is positioned at the point where it meets the body part, and The above control unit is: A step of receiving reverse flow direction ultrasonic data from the first ultrasonic transceiver and receiving forward flow direction ultrasonic data from the second ultrasonic transceiver; A step of calculating the flow velocity based on the above forward flow direction ultrasonic data and reverse flow direction ultrasonic data; A step of calculating a 2-1 flow rate, which is the value obtained by multiplying the above flow velocity by the cross-sectional area of the above pipe; A step of receiving pressure data from the pressure sensor; A step of calculating a second-2 flow rate according to the pressure data based on a performance curve function representing the discharge pressure-discharge amount relationship of a pump connected to the above piping; The above 2-1 flow rate ( ) and 2-2 flow rate( ) first weight By applying , the third flow rate ( Step of producing ) ); and Controlled according to a control method including the step of designating the third flow rate as the first flow rate; The above control unit is: Controlled according to a control method further comprising the step of recalculating the above performance curve function, and The step of recalculating the above performance curve function is: A step of operating a pump with multiple different outputs and collecting ultrasonic data and pressure data for each output that are measured; For each of the above-mentioned ultrasonic data and pressure data by output, a step of calculating an initial corrected flow rate by output based on initial performance curve parameters; and The method includes the step of calculating corrected performance curve parameters by alternately updating corrected flow rate values and performance curve parameters for each output and repeating the process until a predetermined convergence condition is reached. The step of calculating the above-mentioned corrected performance curve parameters is: A step of calculating a corrected flow rate for each output based on the ultrasonic data and pressure data for each output, while keeping the current performance curve parameters fixed; A step of updating performance curve parameters based on output-specific corrected flow rate and output-specific pressure data while keeping the calculated output-specific corrected flow rate fixed; and The method includes the step of repeatedly performing the steps of 'calculating the correction flow rate for each output and updating the performance curve parameters' until a predetermined convergence condition is reached. The step of calculating the correction flow rate for each output above is: Formula 1: Based on, calculate the corrected flow rate for each output (i), and The step of updating the above performance curve parameters is: Formula 2 : Based on, the performance curve parameters (a, b, c) are calculated, and Ultrasonic reliability weighting ( )Is: It increases according to the cumulative operating period of the above pump, and Pressure reliability weighting ( )Is: The value read from the database according to the model name of the above pump, ( : Correction flow rate per output, : Ultrasonic reliability weighting, : Pressure reliability weight, : Flow rate calculated based on ultrasonic data by output, : Pressure data by output, a, b, c: Current performance curve parameters) Structure of a flow meter installable in non-linear piping
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Description

Flow meter structure that can be installed in non-straight pipes The following embodiments relate to the structure of a fluid flow meter, and more specifically, to a structure of a flow meter that can be installed in a non-linear piping system, which can be installed without a straight pipe section or with only a very short straight pipe section, so that the space where the flow meter/piping is installed is not large, and can precisely measure the flow rate by combining an ultrasonic transceiver and a pressure sensor, and improve measurement accuracy through correction calculations based on a pump performance curve. Accurately measuring the flow rate of a fluid as it passes through pipes is essential in various applications, such as firefighting systems, industrial plants, semiconductor manufacturing lines, water treatment facilities, and heating and cooling systems. Conventionally, various flow meters have been used, including ultrasonic, electromagnetic induction, and differential pressure types. Generally, ultrasonic flow meters measure the difference in ultrasound propagation time based on the Doppler or Time-of-Flight method, calculate the flow velocity based on this, and then calculate the volumetric flow rate by multiplying it by the cross-sectional area of the pipe. However, existing ultrasonic flowmeters have the following technical limitations. Reduced measurement accuracy: Ultrasonic signal quality may be degraded by air bubbles, solids, changes in viscosity, temperature changes, etc., within the fluid. Requirement for long straight sections: For accurate flow velocity distribution measurement, a straight pipe length of several times the length of the forward and backward sections is generally required. Calibration Unavailable: The initial calibration value of the flow meter may gradually become inaccurate due to system changes, such as pump performance degradation or pipe contamination, and there is no automatic calibration function for long-term operation. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a flow meter structure that can be installed in a non-linear pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a flow meter structure that can be installed in a non-linear pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a flow meter structure that can be installed in a non-linear pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a performance curve of a pump shown to explain a control method for a flow meter that can be installed in a non-linear piping according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing formulas used in a control method for a flow meter that can be installed in a non-linear pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, since various modifications may be made to the embodiments, the scope of the patent application is not limited or restricted by these embodiments. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions to the embodiments are included within the scope of the rights. Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments are disclosed for illustrative purposes only and may be modified and implemented in various forms. Accordingly, the embodiments are not limited to the specific disclosed forms, and the scope of this specification includes modifications, equivalents, or substitutions that fall within the technical concept. Terms such as "first" or "second" may be used to describe various components, but these terms should be interpreted solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component. When it is stated that a component is "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected to or joined to that other component, or that there may be other components in between. The terms used in the embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and should not be interpreted as intended to be limiting. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to indicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof. In particular, where a 'step' in this specification is described as 'comprising' one or more detailed steps or sub-steps, said 'step' may be interpreted as including its own basic processing step while simultaneously performing the descri