Patent ID: 8682149

Claim:
An apparatus for heating fluidic materials, comprising: a tubular housing that defines a passageway, wherein an end of the passageway is adapted to be operably coupled to a source of fluidic materials; one or more heating elements positioned within the passageway of the tubular housing; a plurality of sensors operably coupled to the passageway; and a controller operably coupled to the sensors and the heating elements; wherein the sensors are adapted to generate one or more signals representative of one or more operating conditions within the passageway, and wherein the sensors comprise: a first pressure sensor for sensing an operating pressure of the fluidic materials at an inlet of the passageway, a second pressure sensor for sensing an operating pressure at an outlet of the passageway, a first temperature sensor for sensing an operating temperature of the fluidic materials at an inlet of the passageway, a second temperature sensor for sensing an operating temperature at an outlet of the passageway, a power sensor for sensing a power consumption by the heating elements, and a specific heat sensor for sensing a specific heat of the fluidic materials; and wherein the controller is programmed to process the signals to generate one or more signals representative of a mass flow rate of the fluidic materials through the passageway.