Patent ID: 7578173

Claim:
A pumping system comprising: a first pumping unit and a second pumping unit in a cooperative arrangement to provide a continuous flow of fluid to a channel output, wherein each pumping unit has a piston for reciprocation in a pump working chamber to compress liquid in the pump working chamber to a pressure at which compressibility of the liquid becomes measurable, the first and second pumping units being coupled either: in a serial manner, with an outlet of the first pumping unit being coupled to an inlet of the second pumping unit, and an outlet of the second pumping unit providing the channel output of the pumping system, or in a parallel manner, with an outlet of the first pumping unit being coupled to an outlet of the second pumping unit, thus providing the channel output of the pumping system, wherein the piston of the first pumping unit is synchronized with respect to the piston of the second pumping unit to provide a flow of fluid to the channel output of the pumping system, and a flow sensor positioned in series with an output of the first pumping unit, and before the channel output, wherein the flow sensor detects a flow rate of fluid from the first pumping unit, and provides a signal indicative of the flow rate.