Numerical Measurement System of Fluid Flows in Pipelines Without Affecting the Integrity of the Pipeline

The basic principle for measuring flow without interfering with the integrity of the pipe through which a fluid flows is the ultrasonic propagation in fluids. The central device of the system is a transducer and consists of an ultrasound transmitter, a receiver made of piezoceramic material and an electronic circuit with a microcontroller for signal processing. Such a device consists of an ultrasonic signal generator with variable frequency, which excites a piezo-ceramic actuator fixed on the outside of the pipe. The actuator emits mechanical oscillations that propagate in the fluid flowing through the pipe. Similarly, a piezoelectric element is placed on the pipe as a sensor that receives the ultrasonic oscillations propagated through the fluid and transforms them into an electrical signal. The processing of the received signal is analyzed and compared with the emitted signal from the point of view of time delays in relation to the excitation signal, the variations of some parameters that depend on the fluid flow rate, respectively on its flow rate through the closed pipe, can be highlighted