Endress + Hauser Flowtec Ag

Endress+hauser (Deutschland) Ag+co. Kg

Thomas Budmiger

Wolfgang Drahm

Michael Kirst

Torsten Iselt

Simon Stingelin

Mike Touzin

Saso Jezernik

Georg Szaloky

Dieter Waldhauser

Jörg Roth

A magneto-inductive flow measuring device is disclosed that includes a measuring tube with a measuring tube axis and two measuring electrodes arranged diametrally opposite one another on the measuring tube and from which a signal is tapped for ascertaining a flow. The flow measuring device includes four other electrodes in pairs arranged diametrally opposite one another on the measuring tube, forming second and third electrode axes that intersect the measuring tube axis, where the two electrode axes are arranged offset from a parallel projection of the first electrode axis onto the second cross-sectional plane by a clockwise or counterclockwise angular measure. The flow measuring device further includes an evaluation unit for detecting a flow profile based on measurement signals tapped from the electrodes of the two electrode axes. A further aspect of the disclosure includes a method for compensating a flow profile related measurement error in a flow measurement.

Magneto-inductive flow measuring device and method for ascertaining the presence of a completely developed, rotationally symmetric, flow profile

An apparatus for measuring volume flow of a fluid flowing through a measuring tube in the direction of its longitudinal axis, comprising a coil arrangement, at least two measuring electrodes coupling with the fluid and a control/evaluation unit, which in connection with the coil arrangement produces a magnetic field periodically changing its polarity and extending essentially transversely to the longitudinal axis of the measuring tube. The control/evaluation unit during a measuring phase at an essentially constant magnetic field determines the volume flow of the fluid in the measuring tube based on a voltage induced in the measuring electrodes. The control/evaluation unit supplies the coil arrangement with an overvoltage during a delay phase, and the delay phase begins at the point in time of the reversal of the polarity of the magnetic field and ends at the point in time of the beginning of the measuring phase. The control/evaluation unit supplies the coil arrangement with an essentially constant holding voltage over the duration of the measuring phase, wherein the control/evaluation unit controls the ratio of overvoltage to holding voltage to an essentially constant value.

Apparatus for measuring the volume flow of a fluid

A magneto-inductive flow measuring device including a coil arrangement and a circuit for controlling a supply voltage of the coil arrangement. The circuit is designed to provide the supply voltage of the coil arrangement with a voltage curve sequenced as follows: A) the voltage rises from a starting voltage I up to an overvoltage II; B) in given cases, the voltage is held at the overvoltage II; C) the voltage falls from the overvoltage II down to a holding voltage V. The circuit controls the fall of the voltage from the overvoltage down to the holding voltage by tuning the voltage to at least two or more predetermined, intermediate, desired values III, IV.

Magneto-inductive flow measuring device

The flowmeter comprises a flow sensor with a flow tube, two electrodes, and two field coils traversed by a first excitation current and a second excitation current, respectively, as well as control and evaluation electronics. The method serves to generate an error signal when the uniform turbulence in the liquid to be measured is disturbed. There are four quarter cycles. During each quarter cycle, a voltage is derived from the electrodes, and from these voltages, a first and a second voltage difference and a quotient using the first and the second voltage differences are formed. The latter is determined during calibration under uniformly turbulent flow conditions, and stored. In operation, values of the quotient are continuously formed and compared with the stored quotient; in case of deviations, an alarm is triggered and/or the volumetric flow rate signal represented by the first voltage difference is corrected.

Method of operating an electromagnetic flowmeter

An installed hardware of a measuring field device includes at least one transducer reacting during operation to a chemical and/or physical, measured variable of a pourable and/or flowable medium, especially a pourable or flowable bulk good, liquid, gas or the like, as well as a microcomputer communicating during operation with the transducer. The field device is first installed by means of the transducer on, and/or in a process vessel serving for conveying and/or holding pourable and/or flowable media for forming a process measuring point. Thereafter, the microcomputer is booted and a basic software held in a memory provided within the field device for providing, at least in part, basic functionalities of the field device is activated in such a manner that the basic software is executable by means of the microcomputer so that, in the interaction of basic software and hardware installed in the field device, the basic functionalities of the field device are available. Additionally, at least one initial identification parameter set held at least temporarily in the field device and at least approximately identifying the process measuring point is transferred, with application of basic software executed in the microcomputer, to a data processing system superordinated externally of the field device, and at least one upgrade software providing custom functionalities for the field measuring device going beyond the basic functionalities and held in a second memory, is selected from an ensemble of software products, taking into consideration the at least one, initial identification parameter set. A selected upgrade software fitted to the process measuring point is then transferred into a third memory provided within the field measuring device and then activated in such a manner that it is executable by means of the microcomputer, so that, in interaction of upgrade software and hardware installed in the field device, custom functionalities of the field measuring device are available.

Method for start-up and/or reconfiguration of a programmable field-device

A set-up for operating a process installation. The set-up includes a control station and at least one field device, which determines or monitors at least one process variable. Each field device has a program memory, in which a boot-loader software is persistently implemented. The boot-loader software enables communication of the field device with the control station. A transmission link is provided, via which the control station and the field device, or field devices, communicate with one another during operation. Each field device transmits to the control station upon booting of the field device, via the transmission link, device-specific information. The control station transmits to the field device, after receipt of the device-specific information, application- and/or device-specific, measurement/control/evaluation software, which is matched to a particular application of the field device and which the field device stores in a data memory associated with it. The field device, based on application- and/or device-specific, measurement/control/evaluation software available to it during operation, makes available information concerning the process variable.

Apparatus for operating a process installation

A magneto-inductive flow measuring device, including: A measuring tube, through which a medium flows essentially directed along a measuring tube axis; a magnet arrangement, which produces an alternating magnetic field passing through the measuring tube essentially perpendicularly to the measuring tube axis; two measuring electrodes arranged essentially on a line directed essentially perpendicularly to the measuring tube axis and to the magnetic field; and a control/evaluation unit, which determines volume, or mass, flow of the medium through the measuring tube on the basis of a measurement voltage tapped on the measuring electrodes. In order to detect an error state at the flow measuring device early, the control/evaluation unit determines current, actual, settling time to reach a stable measurement state of the measuring device. The control/evaluation unit then compares the actual settling time with a desired settling time predetermined for the measuring device for reaching the stable measurement state and generates an error report, when the actual settling time is greater than the predetermined, desired, settling time.

Magneto inductive flow measuring device

An apparatus for measuring volume- or mass-flow of a medium flowing through a measuring tube in the direction of the measuring tube axis, and includes: a magnet system, which produces a magnetic field passing through the measuring tube essentially transversely to the measuring tube axis; at least one measuring electrode, which contacts the medium in a defined surface region; and a control/evaluation unit, which provides information concerning volume- or mass flow of the medium in the measuring tube on the basis of a measurement voltage induced in the at least one measuring electrode. At least the medium-contacting surface region of the at least one measuring electrode is manufactured of a chemically inert and electrochemically and mechanically resistant material.

A magneto-inductive flow measuring device providing, in addition to flow information for a medium, also information concerning electrical conductivity of the medium. For a highly accurate determination of the electrical conductivity, the invention provides the following solution: a temperature measuring unit is provided, which makes available information concerning the temperature of the medium. On the basis of the measured temperature, a control/evaluation unit ascertains a correction value for electrical conductivity and makes available a correspondingly corrected value for the electrical conductivity.

Electromagnetic flowmeter having temperature measurement value for correcting electrical conductivity value

The invention relates to a magneto-inductive flow measuring device (), including: A measuring tube (), through which a medium () flows essentially in a direction of a measuring tube axis (); a magnet arrangement (), which produces a magnetic field (H) passing through the measuring tube () and extending essentially perpendicularly to the measuring tube axis (); a first measuring electrode () and a second measuring electrode (); wherein the measuring electrodes () are positioned in the measuring tube () on a connecting line, which is directed essentially perpendicularly to the measuring tube axis () and to the magnetic field (H); and an evaluation/control unit (), which ascertains, on the basis of a measurement voltage tapped on the measuring electrodes (), the volume- and/or mass-flow of the medium () through the measuring tube (). In order to increase the measuring accuracy of the multi-parameter flow measuring device (), the first measuring electrode () is made of a first material (A) and the second measuring electrode () is made of a second material (C) different from the first material (A); the control/evaluation unit () ascertains the direct voltage portion (U) of the voltages (U, U) tapped on the two measuring electrodes () relative to a reference potential (&#x3a6;), and makes available, on the basis of the direct voltage portion (U), medium-specific information.

An apparatus for measuring volume- or mass-flow of a medium flowing through a measuring tube in the direction of a measuring tube axis, includes: a magnet system producing a magnetic field passing through the measuring tube essentially transversely to the measuring tube axis; at least one measuring electrode coupled with the medium; a reference component lying at a defined potential, wherein the reference component is connected with a resistance; and a control/evaluation unit, which, on the basis of measurement voltage induced in the at least one measuring electrode, delivers information concerning volume- or mass flow of the medium in the measuring tube. For the purpose of an early recognizing of a malfunction of the measuring apparatus device, or a component of the measuring apparatus device, a measuring device is provided, which makes available information concerning whether electrical current is flowing through the resistance.

Apparatus for measurement of volume-or-mass-flow of a medium

A method for determining the working point of a magneto-inductive flow measuring device for detecting volume- or mass-flow of a medium flowing through a pipeline or measuring tube, wherein an alternating magnetic field produced by a coil arrangement is caused to pass through the pipeline or measuring tube, wherein a sensor-specific rise time (t) from reversal of the magnetic field up to reaching of an at least approximately constant magnetic field, as dependent on the particular magneto-inductive flow measuring device, is ascertained and stored, wherein a minimum measuring time (t) for providing a measured value of flow at the at least approximately constant magnetic field is determined, and wherein an optimized measuring period (T) is determined as the sum of the sensor-specific rise time (t) and the minimum measuring time (t) and made available for operation of the flow measuring device.

Method for determining working point of a magneto-inductive flow measuring device

The process measuring device comprises a flow sensor having a measuring tube, a sensor arrangement for producing a measurement signal, and an evaluation and operating circuit. The method serves to compensate for the effects of interfering potentials which are caused especially by foreign particles or air bubbles in the liquid to be measured. For this purpose, an anomaly in the waveform of the measurement signal caused at least in part by an electrical, especially pulse-shaped, interfering potential is detected by determining within a stored first data set a data group which digitally represents the anomaly. To generate an interference-free data set, the data belonging to the data group are removed from the stored first data set.

Method for operating a process-measuring device

The invention relates to a magneto-inductive method for determining the flow rate of a medium flowing through a measuring tube in the direction of the measuring tube axis. In order to be able to detect a coating formation on a measuring electrode early and with a high degree of certainty, a test pulse (U) of defined pulse length (t) is issued to the measuring electrode; at least one signal in response to the test pulse (U) is determined at at least two measuring points in time (t, t), wherein the measuring points in time (t, t) lie in a time window (t-t), which is so selected that no predictable disturbance signals occur on the measuring electrode in this time window (t-t). On the basis of the response signal determined in the measuring points in time (t, t), the relaxation time, or the length of time until the reaching of a predetermined state of discharge (U), of the measuring electrode is determined; on the basis of the determined relaxation time, or on the basis of the length of time until the reaching of the defined state of discharge (U), of the measuring electrode, a malfunctioning of the measuring electrode () is detected, or becomes detectable.

Method for magneto-inductive determination of the flow rate of a medium

A flow meter includes a measuring tube for conveying a fluid to be measured and a magnetic field system, which has at least one field coil, through which an exciter current (I) flows, at least at times, for producing a magnetic field passing through the fluid at least partly perpendicularly to a stream direction. In the method, the voltage (U) instantaneously driving the exciter current (I) is changed at a second point in time, t, from the second voltage level, U, to a third voltage level, U, especially to a third voltage level which is constant or controlled to be constant, in order to achieve a sinking of the electrical current strength of the exciter current (I) instantaneously flowing in the at least one field coil from the maximum current value, I, to an electrical current end value, I, especially a constant end value, predetermined for the exciter current (I). In such case, the third voltage level, U, is chosen smaller than the second voltage level, U. For determining a third point in time, t, which corresponds to the reaching of the electrical current end value, I, the exciter current Iis registered, at least at times. Based on this, a first time constant, T, for the magnetic field system is determined, which corresponds to a time span, t&#x2212;t, lying between the second point in time, t, and the third point in time, t, and/or a second time constant, T+T, for the magnetic field system, which corresponds to a time span, t&#x2212;t, lying between the first point in time, t, and the third point in time, t. For determining a diagnosis value representing an instantaneous operating state of the flow meter, the determined first time constant, T, is then compared with a predetermined first reference value, T, and/or the determined second time constant, T+T, is compared with a predetermined second reference value, T.

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Ettingen, Switzerland

Thomas Budmiger