ELECTROMAGNETIC FLOWMETER CAPABLE OF SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF FLOW RATE AND CONDUCTIVITY OF FLUID

Abstract: An electromagnetic flowmeter is disclosed in which one of two electrodes (2a, 2b) mounted on a measuring pipe (1) is impressed with an electrical pulse synchronous with the switching of an excitation current, thereby detecting the voltage drop across the electrical resistance of a fluid, so that both the conductivity and the flow rate of the fluid are measureable at the same time.

Description: The present invention relates to an electromagnetic flowmeter capable of measuring the flow rate and conductivity of a fluid at the same time. A flowmeter such as electromagnetic flowmeter is used to measure a conductive fluid. In recent years, demand has also increased for information on the characteristics of a fluid such as conductivity in addition to the flow rate thereof. Conventional electromagnetic flowmeters as shown in JP-A-63-6420, which have only the function to measure the flow rate as shown in Fig. 1, require a separate measuring instrument if the conductivity of a fluid is to be measured, thereby complicating the construction of the system as a whole. Specifically, take a fluid flowing in a measuring pipe 1 as an example. An excitation coil 5 is excited by a pulse excitation current generated in an excitation circuit under the control of a timing circuit 6, and the resulting magnetic fluxes are applied in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flow of the fluid. A voltage induced within the fluid by the magnetic fluxes is detected by a pair of electrodes 2a, 2b, and after being amplified at an amplifier 3 and sampled at a sampling circuit 7, is produced as a signal representing a flow rate through an output circuit 8. In this electromagnetic flowmeter, detection of the conductivity of a fluid (such as the degree of turbidity of water) requires separate exclusive measuring means, thereby giving rise to the problems of a complicated configuration of the whole system and an increased product cost. JP-A-59-174718, on which the preamble to claim 1 is based, discloses an electromagnetic flowmeter for use with an uninsulated measuring pipe. In order to compensate for the effect of measuring current flow through the wall of the pipe, measurements of electrical conductivity between the two measuring electrodes and from one electrode to ground are made, and a correcting factor is derived which is applied to subsequent flow rate measurements. SU-A-805 069 discloses a contactless inductive flowmeter wherein fluid flow across a radial magnetic field induces a circulating current in the fluid which induces a current in a measurement winding. A current not dependent upon the flow rate is similarly induced in a compensating winding in a region of axial magnetic field and from the two currents a flow rate signal compensated for, inter alia, the conductivity of the fluid, is produced. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electromagnetic flowmeter slightly changed in configuration to measure both the flow rate and conductivity of a fluid at the same time. Another object of the invention is to provide an electromagnetic flowmeter which is capable of detecting that the fluid does not fill up a measuring pipe. Still another object of the invention is to provide an electromagnetic flowmeter which consumes less power. The invention provides an electromagnetic flowmeter comprising: a grounded measuring pipe; means for generating magnetic flux in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of flow of a fluid in said measuring pipe; a pair of electrodes mounted on the inner wall of said measuring pipe insuch a manner as to contact said fluid in order to detect an induced voltage generated in said fluid; means for injecting into one of said electrodes an electrical pulse; means for producing a flow rate signal representing the flow rate of said fluid from an output signal produced from said pair of electrodes; and means for producing a conductivity signal representing the conductivity of said fluid from an output signal generated from said pair of electrodes; characterised in that the means for generating magnetic flux comprises means for providing an excitation signal of alternating square wave form; and in that the means for injecting an electrical pulse is arranged to inject electrical pulses at the beginning of each half cycle of said excitation signal The voltage drop across the electrical resistance of the fluid may be amplified and compared with a reference voltage to detect that the fluid is not full in the measuring tube if the voltage drop exceeds the reference voltage level. In order to reduce power consumption, the excitation magnetic field may be increased with any decrease in conductivity. In view of the fact that an electrical impulse synchronous with an excitation current is supplied between one or a pair of electrodes and the earth for detecting an induced voltage corresponding to the velocity of a fluid, the voltage drop caused across the electrical resistance of the fluid between the particular electrode and the earth corresponds to the conductivity of the fluid. As a result, it is possible to produce a flow rate signal associated with the velocity of the fluid and a conductivity signal associated with the conductivity of the fluid at the same time. In the case where the fluid comes to be less than filled up in the measuring pipe and the electrodes supplying the electrical impulse is exposed, the voltage drop remarkably increases. If this voltage drop is compared with a reference voltage, therefore, it is possible to detect that the fluid is not filled up in the measuring tube. Further, the excitation magnetic field is normally kept low in intensity and is increased with the decrease in conductivity. If the conductivity of a fluid is small, the fluctuation of the flow rate signal i.e. the induced voltage associated with the flow velocity is increased with the reduction of S/N. If a reduced conductivity of the fluid is detected from the change in the conductivity signal and the excitation magnetic field is intensified, the flow rate signal is increased thereby reducing the influence of the fluctuation of the flow rate signal. The magnitude of flow rate signal is proportional to the magnetic field, and the fluctuation is inversely proportional to the conductivity. An electromagnetic flowmeter with a small average power consumption is realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing a conventional electromagnetic flowmeter. Fig. 2 is a block circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a graph for explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a graph indicating the relationship between the conductivity of a fluid and an output signal. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a circuit of an electromagnetic flowmeter capable of detecting that the fluid in a measuring tube is not filled up according to a second embodiment of the invention. Fig. 6 is a block circuit diagram showing a third embodiment of the invention in which the false operation of the comparator is prevented under an excessive flow rate. Fig. 7 is a block circuit diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the invention in which the flow rate signal is prevented from fluctuating when the fluid conductivity is decreased. Fig. 8 is a block circuit diagram showing a fifth embodiment comprising an electromagnetic flowmeter section of residual magnetism type. Figs. 9A to 9C are circuit diagrams showing other embodiments with different pulse injection circuits. Figs. 10A to 10C are diagrams showing waveforms of operation corresponding to A to C of Fig. 9 respectively. An embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 2. Reference numeral 1 designates a measuring pipe through which a fluid passes and which has therein a couple of electrodes 2a and 2b in opposed relations to each other. Numeral 5 designates an excitation coil excited by an excitation circuit 4 to form magnetic fluxes in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flow of the fluid. A pulse injection circuit 9 including a power supply Es with and an end thereof grounded, an electronic switch S1 and a resistor Rs. An end of the resistor Rs is connected to one of the two electrodes, say, the electrode 2a. When the switch S1 is turned on for a short length of time in synchronism with the excitation current, an electrical pulse is applied only in one direction (say, positive direction) through the resistor Rs to the electrode 2a. The impulse voltage thus applied is divided the electrical resistance Rf of the fluid between the electrode 2a and the earth and the resistor Rs (causing what is hereinafter called "the voltage drop due to the electrical resistance Rf"). This voltage is detected together with the induced voltage associated with the flow velocity at the electrodes 2a, 2b. The output voltage of differential amplifier 3 is applied two sampling circuits 7 and 10. The output of the sampling circuit 7 provides a flow rate signal, which is converted to a digital code or an analog signal of 4 to 20 mA and produced outside by an output circuit 8. The output of the sampling circuit 10, on the other hand, is converted to a digital quantity by an A/D converter 11 and further into a conductivity signal by a microcomputer 12 as desired in the invention, and then produced outside as a digital code or an analog signal of 4 to 20 mA like the flow rate signal by the output circuit 13. In the meantime, the pulse injection circuit 9, the excitation circuit 4, the sampling circuits 7 and 10 and the A/D converter circuit 11 are controlled by a timing circuit 6. The timings of a series of operation are shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3A shows an excitation current flowing in the excitation coil. Fig. 3B shows the timings at which the electronic switch S1 of the pulse injection circuit 9 is turned on. The current that flows into the electrode 2a from an impulse application circuit 9 takes the form of a pulse of a predetermined duration shorter than a half cycle of the excitation current obtained upon turning on of the electronic switch S1 with the time point of excitation current change as a starting point. When it is said that a pulse duration is shorter than a half cycle, it means that the pulse duration is short to such a degree as not to affect the sampling region of the flow rate signal considerably or that it is short to such a degree that the electrochemical reaction between the electrodes and the fluid can be dampened sufficiently. Fig. 3C shows a voltage drop caused by voltage division through the resistor Rs and the electrical resistance Rf of the fluid in the pipe. This voltage is proportional to the electrical resistance Rf between the electrodes and the earth, and as long as the fluid is flowing, a waveform as shown in Fig. 3D appears between the electrodes. More specifically, the waveform appears as a combination of the voltage drop due to the electrical resistance Rf and the induced voltage proportional to the flow velocity. A great proportion of the rise portions (a1 and a2) of the waveform is represented by the voltage drop due to the electrical resistance Rf, while the central portions (b1 and b2) are mostly associated with the flow rate signal. Since the portion a2 represents a negative flow rate signal, the waveform on which the pulse C is superimposed takes a form different from a1. Spike-like thin noises, which are developed in an output waveform due to the switching of the excitation electrodes or a pulse inflow, are not shown in Figs. 3C and 3D. Now, the waveform D is sampled separately from the portions a1, a2 and b1, b2. The result of sampling the portions a1, a2 alone is shown in Fig. 3E, which extracts only the portions a1 and a2 comparatively large in the voltage drop due to the electrical resistance Rf. Fig. 3F shows only the portions b1 and b2 picked up as representing the flow rate signal mainly. These portions a1, a2 and b1, b2 are sampled separately as output signals. In Fig. 2, the sampling circuit 7 performs synchronous rectification which is a common method of sampling for an electromagnetic flowmeter, so that the area is of the portion b1 is sampled positive while the area of the portion b2 is sampled in reverse polarity, and the results of the two samplings are added to each other. Thus the flow rate signals at the portions b1 and b2 are increased by addition, while the minute residual voltage of the voltage drop due to the resistance Rf contained in the portions b1, b2 are in opposite electrodes and therefore are eliminated by being offset, with the result that only the flow rate signal is converted into an output signal at the output circuit 8. The sampling circuit 10, on the other hand, merely the sum of the areas of the portion a1 and the portion a2 to the A/D converter 11. By so doing, the voltage drops due to the resistance Rf are added to each other, while the flow signal portions contained in a1 and a2 are opposite in polarity and are offset with each other. As a result, only the voltage drop due to the resistance Rf is supplied to the A/D converter circuit 11. Fig. 4 shows a rough relationship between an output signal with a voltage drop due to the resistance Rf and the conductivity of the fluid. With the increase in conductivity, the output signal is decreased, while with the decrease in conductivity, the output signal increases, thereby maintaining a fixed relationship between the voltage drop and the conductivity. From the relationship shown in Fig. 4, the conductivity can be easily calculated by use of the microcomputer 12 shown in Fig. 2. As a consequence, both the flow rate signal and the conductivity can be measured at the same time by a single electromagnetic flowmeter. Although a configuration comprising the A/D converter 11 and the microcomputer 12 is shown in Fig. 2 as an example for the ability thereof to calculate the conductivity and issue an alarm easily, the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a configuration. Figs. 5 to 8 show other four embodiments all of which are configured of the same excitation circuit, electrodes and differential amplifier as in Fig. 2. According to a second embodiment shown in Fig. 5, an output of the differential amplifier 3 is connected to one of the inputs of a comparator 14, and the other input of the comparator is connected to a reference voltage Ec. This configuration makes it possible to detect that the electrical resistance Rf of the fluid exceeds a predetermined value from the fact that the output of the comparator 14 is reversed. Upon depletion of the water in the measuring pipe 1, for instance, the electrical resistance Rf of the fluid substantially increases to an infinitely large value, and therefore the voltage drop due to the resistance Rf increases. As a result, the fact that the measuring pipe 1 is not filled up with water is detected by appropriately selecting the relationship between the differential amplifier and the reference voltage Ec. More specifically, when the resistance Rf becomes infinitely large (water not filled up), the output of the comparator 14 is reversed in polarity, and upon detection of this operation by the microcomputer 12, a procedure necessary when water is not filled up can be taken such as by producing a water-not-full signal or reducing the flow rate signal to zero. Means for detecting that water is not filled up can be configured by adding only a pulse injection circuit 9, a comparator 14 and a reference voltage Ec to an ordinary electromagnetic flowmeter, thereby making it possible to monitor that water is not filled up normally without interfering with the flow rate measurement. Unlike in Fig. 5 where the output of the comparator 14 is connected directly to the microcomputer 12, a monostable multivibrator 23 may be inserted at the output of the comparator 14 for shaping the waveform. A third embodiment shown in Fig. 6 provides an example comprising a differentiation circuit 25 including a capacitor C1 and a resistor R1 and an amplifier 20 inserted at the input of the comparator 14. Since the differentiation circuit 25 is used for amplification by an amount equal to the voltage drop due to Rf, the comparator 14 is prevented from being falsely operated by a flow rate signal even when the flow rate becomes excessive. In this case, the signal amplifier is preferably divided into a differential amplifier 21 and an amplifier 22 so that the output of the differential amplifier 21 may be connected to the input terminal of the differentiation circuit 25. The fourth embodiment shown in Fig. 7 is intended to reduce the fluctuation of the flow rate signal by increasing the excitation voltage or the excitation frequency on the basis of a conductivity signal when the conductivity of the fluid becomes low. The circuit of Fig. 7, which is basically identical to that of Fig. 1, is different partly in the method of processing the flow rate signal and the excitation circuit. The excitation circuit 4 in Fig. 2 is divided into an electronic switch circuit 28 and an excitation power supply 26 with the excitation voltage signal changeable according to the value of the resistor Rv from outside. The value of the resistor may be changed by an analog switch with switching the microcomputer 12. The sampling circuit 7 shown in Fig. 7, like in Fig. 2, rectifies the flow rate signal synchronously and after converting the resulting signal into a digital quantity by an A/D converter 24, applies it to the microcomputer 12. The conductivity signal, on the other hand, is detected in exactly the same manner as in Fig. 2 and is applied to the microcomputer 12. When the conductivity decreases below a predetermined value, the microcomputer 12 changes a voltage-setting resistor Rv of the excitation power supply 26 thereby to increase the excitation voltage, that is, the excitation power. As a result, the output signal is increased in proportion to the excitation voltage and the ratio S/N is improved, thus reducing the output fluctuation caused by a reduced conductivity. When the excitation voltage is changed, the magnitude of the flow rate signal is also changed, and therefore it is easy to divide the flow rate signal within the microcomputer 12 by a multiple equivalent to the change in excitation voltage. It is also possible to reduce the fluctuation of the flow rate signal by increasing the excitation frequency. For this purpose, the excitation frequency may be controlled by changing the clock frequency of the timing circuit 6 through the microcomputer 12. The fifth embodiment shown in Fig. 8 represents a case employing a residual magnetism method for generating a magnetic field. In the residual magnetism method, an excitation current in impulse form is supplied to a residual magnetism circuit 27 for a short length of time to generate a rectangular waveform magnetic field. By inserting a resistor R2 between a switch and the negative terminal of a power supply as shown in the excitation circuit 28 of Fig. 8, therefore, it is possible to secure the function equivalent to that of the pulse injection circuit 9 in Fig. 2. The voltage drop across the resistor R2 is injected as an impulse into the electrode 2a through the resistor Rs. Other operations are exactly the same as those of the other embodiments. In the aforementioned embodiments, the sampling period for the voltage drop due to Rf is equal to the period during which the switch S1 is turned on as shown by Fig. 3B and Fig. 3E. This is only an example, and the sampling period indicated by Fig. 3E may be either longer or shorter than the time length of the switch S1 being turned on. Further, the whole waveform of Fig. 3D may be applied to an integration circuit to determine the whole area. In such a case, the flow rate signals are offset with each other as they are opposite in polarity at every half cycle, so that only the voltage drop due to Rf is produced in a manner similar to the embodiment in which the sampling time lasts only while the switch S1 remains on. Considering the offset voltage of the differential amplifier 3, however, the sampling period shown in Fig. 3 is more preferable. Other embodiments relating to the method of pulse injection are shown in Figs. 9A to 9C. Fig. 9A shows a case in which a capacitor C5 is inserted between the pulse injection circuit 9 and one electrode 2a. By insertion of the capacitor C5, even when the pulse injection circuit 9 has a DC offset, only an impulse may be injected and therefore the effect of offset on the differential amplifier 3 is eliminated. Fig. 9B shows another embodiment in which the differential amplifier 3 is connected to the electrodes through a capacitor C3, a resistor R3, a capacitor C4 and a resistor R4. In this case, a pulse injection circuit 9 is interposed between the capacitor C3 and the electrode 2a to produce the same effect as in other embodiments on the one hand, and the differential amplifier 3 is not affected by the fact that the pulse injection circuit 9 has a DC offset, if any, on the other. Fig. 9C shows still another embodiment in which the resistor Rs is replaced by the capacitor Cs in the pulse injection circuit 9. Waveforms produced at various parts of this embodiment are shown in Fig. 10. Figs. 10A, 10B and 10C correspond to Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C respectively, and Figs. 10D, 10E and 10F are similar to those shown in Fig. 3. These waveforms, therefore, will not be explained any more. When the switch S1 is turned on at a timing specified by Fig. 10B, a differentiation waveform as shown in Fig. 10C is produced in the electrode 2a. This waveform is an ideal differentiation waveform formed only of the electrical resistance Rf and the capacitor Cs but with the rise portion thereof made dull under the effect of a very small stray capacity Rf between the electrodes and the earth which is added to the fluid resistance Rf parallely thereto. The configuration of Fig. 9C is also exactly identical to those of the other embodiments as far as separation and detection of a flow rate signal and a conductivity signal is concerned after signal amplification. The sampling period of the conductivity signal, however, is preferably equal to or shorter than the turn-on time of the switch S1. The value of the voltage drop due to Rf is desirably from a value almost equal to the flow rate signal to about one hundred times as large. The voltage drop due to Rf is determined by the ratio between the resistances Rs and Rf, and therefore the resistance Rs is required to be sufficient large as compared with the electrical resistance Rf of the fluid or in the range from at least several MΩ to as large as several thousand MΩ in some cases. A resistor as large as several thousand MΩ is expensive and bulky. If it can be replaced with a small capacitor Cs (several PF to several thousand PF), therefore, the instrument cost and size are greatly reduced. It will thus be understood from the foregoing description that the following advantages are obtained from the present invention: (1) Without sacrificing the function of flow rate measurement of a flowmeter, and making use of almost all circuits thereof, a pulse injection circuit, a sampling circuit 10 and an A/D converter 11 are provided with a small number of parts to separate a flow rate signal and a conductivity signal, so that the two signals can be produced at the same time without increasing the cost of the electromagnetic flowmeter. Simply by installing the electromagnetic flowmeter, the operator can determine both the flow rate and the conductivity (water quality) of the water flowing at a particular position, thus making it possible to monitor the water quality. This function is very effective in watching inducement of waste water or chemicals that might occur due to a connection error of an end pipe of tap water. Also in an application to sewage, useful information is obtained as to the required treatment capacity depending on the degree of water pollution. (2) It is possible to detect that the conductivity is infinitely large or has exceeded a predetermined level. Upon detection that water is filled up, the output signal of the electromagnetic flowmeter is forcibly reduced to zero or below zero, thereby preventing the integrating meter at the receiver side to take an abnormal count or otherwise operate falsely. (When water is not filled up, an ordinary electromagnetic flowmeter produces an inaccurate output from below zero to more than a maximum flow rate and also operates variably with time.) When water is not filled up, the electromagnetic flowmeter is not required to operate for measurement, and therefore the power consumption of an electromagnetic flowmeter operating on battery can be reduced remarkably by taking such measure as turning off the excitation current. (3) An electromagnetic flowmeter generally has a small fluctuation of an output signal for a fluid of high conductivity and a large fluctuation of an output signal for a fluid of low conductivity. This fluctuation can be suppressed by increasing the intensity of the excitation magnetic field. It is also possible to dampen the fluctuation by increasing the excitation frequency. In the case where the object fluid is decreased in conductivity sometimes such as when a mixture of chemicals is involved, the power consumption as a whole can be reduced if the fluctuation is dampened by increasing the excitation voltage (or current) or the excitation frequency only when the conductivity is low. In the case of residual magnetism type of excitation system, an increased frequency would increase power consumption. Normally, therefore, the system is operated with a low-frequency excitation, and only when the conductivity is decreased, the excitation frequency is preferably increased in order to reduce average power consumption and thus lengthen the operation time of a battery, if used for the operation of the system.

Claims: An electromagnetic flowmeter comprising: a grounded measuring pipe (1); means (4, 5) for generating magnetic flux in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of flow of a fluid in said measuring pipe (1); a pair of electrodes (2a, 2b) mounted on the inner wall of said measuring pipe (1) in such a manner as to contact said fluid in order to detect an induced voltage generated in said fluid; means (9) for injecting into one of said electrodes an electrical pulse; means (7, 8) for producing a flow rate signal representing the flow rate of said fluid from an output signal produced from said pair of electrodes; and means (10, 11, 12, 13) for producing a conductivity signal representing the conductivity of said fluid from an output signal generated from said pair of electrodes; characterised in that the means (4, 5) for generating magnetic flux comprises means (6, 12) for providing an excitation signal of alternating square wave form; and in that the means (9) for injecting an electrical pulse is arranged to inject electrical pulses at the beginning of each half cycle of said excitation signal. An electromagnetic flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the means for generating magnetic flux includes an excitation coil (5) for generating said magnetic flux, an excitation circuit (4) for generating an excitation current in order to excite said excitation coil (5), a timing circuit (6) for controlling the switching timing of said excitation current, and a microcomputer (12) for controlling the timing circuit. An electromagnetic flowmeter according to claim 2, wherein said injection means includes an electronic switch under the control of the timing circuit (6). An electromagnetic flowmeter according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said means for producing a conductivity signal includes a sampling circuit (10) for sampling an output signal of said electrodes under the control of the timing circuit (6). An electromagnetic flowmeter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a comparator (14) for comparing a voltage drop due to the electrical resistance of said fluid with a predetermined reference voltage. An electromagnetic flowmeter as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising an excitation power supply (26) for changing the output of said magnetic flux generation means (5, 6, 12, 28) in accordance with the magnitude of said conductivity signal. An electromagnetic flowmeter according to claim 6 when dependent upon claim 2, wherein the input of said excitation power supply (26) is changed in accordance with the magnitude of said conductivity signal by said microcomputer (12).

Inventors: MOCHIZUKI, TSUTOMU
Applicants: AICHI TOKEI DENKI CO., LTD.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: G01F1
IPC codes: G01F1, G01F23, G01R27, G01N27