Patent ID: 7397168

Claim:
A transducer housing comprising: a housing having a proximal end, a distal end and an internal volume, the housing configured to couple to a spoolpiece of an ultrasonic meter; an acoustic matching layer fluidly sealed directly to the distal end of the internal volume; and an opening through the proximal end, the opening configured to enable selective insertion of a piezoelectric element to be proximate to the acoustic matching layer, and removal of the piezoelectric element, while the housing is coupled to the spoolpiece; wherein the acoustic matching layer is configured to remain fluidly sealed to the distal end in the absence of the piezoelectric element from the internal volume with the acoustic matching layer exposed to a highest expected pressure of fluid within the ultrasonic meter; wherein the acoustic matching layer has an acoustic impedance between that of the piezoelectric element and a fluid within the ultrasonic meter.