Patent GB-806442-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to the measurement of the rate of flow of fluids
IPC: G01F1/698
Filed: 1955-02-21
Abstract: 806,442. Measuring fluid flow electrically. CONTROLE DE CHAUFFE. Feb. 21, 1955 [Feb. 19, 1954], No. 5070/55. Class 40 (1). In an apparatus for measuring rate of fluid flow by maintaining a fixed temperature differential between two points spaced in the direction of flow by means of a heating resistor, the heating current is automatically controlled by means of a reversible electric motor acting on a control element through an intermediate member in such a way that the rotation of the motor is proportional to the rate of flow. In one embodiment (Fig. 6) the heating resistor 1 and a temperature-sensitive resistor 11 disposed in the flow in advance of the heater form adjacent arms of an A.C. bridge the output of which, through amplifier 5, drives the reversible motor 6 to adjust the voltage supply to the bridge via cam-operated rheostat 9. Adjustment continues until resistor 1 regains a predetermined temperature at which the bridge is balanced. The voltage for the bridge is derived from a voltage stabilizer 12 which also feeds a dummy load 16 adjusted by the motor to maintain the total load constant. The resistor 9 is so constructed or the cam so profiled that the rotation of the motor 6 which actuates a recorder 13 is linearly, related to the rate of flow. The stabilizer may also supply one winding of an integrating meter through a rheostat which is similarly adjusted by the motor. In order to diminish the mechanical load on the motor it is possible to replace the rheostats by windings of saturable core inductors (Fig. 8, not shown), the function of the motor in this case being to adjust rheostats controlling the supply of rectified current to the saturating windings of the inductors from the stabilizer. Another method of reducing the load on the motor is to supply the bridge, dummy load and integrating meter from the stabilizer through transformers with variable tappings or with movable cores operated by the motor through cams, the cam and core profiles being designed so as to give a linear relationship between rate of flow and angular movement of the motor. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 11 three resistors 50, 51 and 52 are disposed in the fluid conduit, the former two to measure the temperature rise in the fluid produced by the heater resistor 52. Resistors 50 and 51 form arms of a bridge fed from the stabilizer 12, the bridge being balanced when the heating effect of the current in 52 establishes a predetermined temperature differential between resistors 50 and 52. A further arrangement (Fig. 12, not shown) for recording rate of flow in several conduits is similar to that of Fig. 6 except that it comprises a bridge similar to 4'for each conduit, associated with a single amplifier 5 and motor 6 which are connected to the bridge outputs in rotation whereby to adjust the current setting and dummy load rheostats. The pen is arranged to mark the chart each time the motor comes to rest so that with suitable choice of the bridge resistors it is possible to get broken traces representing rates of flow in several conduits on a single chart. When a very large rate of flow is to be measured it may be desirable to divide the flow as in Fig. 13, between several conduits 51a, 51b, 51c each of which includes a heater element 1a, 1b, 1c and a temperature detector 11a, 11b, 11c. 1a, 1b and 1c are connected in series in one arm of the bridge and 11a, 11b and 11c in series in the adjacent arm. The motor 6 as before acts to adjust the current through the heater elements until the bridge is rebalanced when the rate of flow is indicated at 13. The heating elements 1 may be thermistor beads or may comprise a nickel, copper, platinum or iron filament 1 wound on a perforated insulating support 2 e.g. of mica or steatite in the shape of a double cone (Fig. 2). This construction is said to render the measurement independent of flow distribution in the conduit.