Instantaneous Liquid Flow Rate Measurement Utilizing the Dynamics of Laminar Pipe Flow

Abstract

This paper deals with the utilization of the dynamic characteristics of laminar flow in circular pipes for the indirect measurement of flow rates. A discrete-time state space realization of the transmission line dynamics is computed via inverse Laplace transform and an identification and model reduction method based on the singular value decomposition. This dynamic system is used for the computation of the flow rate at one end of a pipe section. Special attention is paid to the identification of the speed of sound and the dimensionless dissipation number of the pipe section, since exact knowledge of these parameters is crucial for the reliability of the measurement results. First, experimental validation results are given in a limited range of operating frequencies between 100 Hz and 2000 Hz. Flow rate variations within ±1.2 l/min have been measured with an uncertainty of ±0.07 l/min at the 95% confidence level. The test fluid was mineral oil.