Daniel Industries, Inc.

Jack D Harshman

Charles R Allen

Zaki D Husain

Helmut Zenger

Bob E Kubin

Franklin D Goodson

A gas turbine meter that is miniaturized based on its design is disclosed. While the size of the gas turbine meter is small, it performs all the functions of prior gas turbine meters and has a large rangeability over a very large range of pressure. The turbine meter includes a body which is bilateral or symmetrical, permitting the turbine meter to be installed in either orientation in a flow line. Diffusers are included with the turbine meter that maintain the rotor of the turbine meter in position and prevent dust from entering into bearings which connect the rotor with the diffusers. The rotor of the turbine meter optimally has twelve flat vanes, each having blades angled at 45.degree. from the plane of the blank in which it was made. Close clearance is maintained between the blades and the interior of the meter. Slots are formed at the lower end of the rotor, thereby forming the shanks of the vanes. The slots are optimally sized to increase stiffness. The magnetic strength of the magnetic pick-up which measures the rate of rotation of the vanes within the interior of the housing of the meter has a small gauss strength to avoid magnetic drag.

Gas turbine meter

A self-cleaning and self-lubricating fluid flowmeter comprising a tubular body forming an internal flow passage with a bearing support hub immovably positioned therein and forming a bearing receptacle. A rotor shaft extends into the bearing receptacle and supports a turbine rotor, the rotor shaft being supported by bearings located within the bearing receptacle. An increased pressure region is defined between the upstream and downstream ends of the bearing support hub, a slightly decreased pressure region is developed within the flow passage immediately downstream of the bearing support hub and is communicated into a cleaning and lubricating flow path extending from the slightly decreased pressure region upstream through the bearings, reversing and extending downstream to its terminal position at a greatly decreased pressure region further downstream of the bearing support hub. Flow through the flowmeter is conditioned for optimum measurement by a flow conditioner plate defining circular spaced concentric ribs and radially oriented ribs developing a plurality of flow conditioning openings of wedge shaped configuration and overlapping relation.

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Missouri City, TX, United States of America

Jack D Harshman