Design of a Flow Transmitter Using an Improved Inductance Bridge Network and Rotameter as Sensor
18 Jun 2014-IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement (IEEE)-Vol. 63, Iss: 12, pp 3127-3136
TL;DR: An improved inductance bridge-type technique has been developed to convert the float movement of the rotameter into an electrical current signal, which can be transmitted to a remote indicator.
Abstract: A rotameter is a variable area type flow sensor. It is generally used as a local indicator and display unit. Hence, a special technique is needed to transmit and to display the reading of a rotameter at a remote distance. In this paper, an improved inductance bridge-type technique has been developed to convert the float movement of the rotameter into an electrical current signal, which can be transmitted to a remote indicator. A straight ferromagnetic wire attached to the float of the rotameter acts as a sensing element of the proposed rotameter transducer. The movement of the wire as a result of fluid flow variations inside an inductive pickup coil changes the self-inductance of the coil with the changes in flow rate. An improved inductance bridge network has been used to measure the self-inductance of the coil. It has been observed that the variation of the self-inductance of the pickup coil as well as the variation of the transducer and transmitter outputs with flow rate has a very good linearity and repeatability. The necessary theoretical equations, along with the experimental results, are reported in this paper.
Citations
More filters
26 Feb 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used the systematic review methodology of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to guide a review of existing literature on IoT in OVI.
Abstract: The world population currently stands at about 7 billion amidst an expected increase in 2030 from 9.4 billion to around 10 billion in 2050. This burgeoning population has continued to influence the upward demand for animal food. Moreover, the management of finite resources such as land, the need to reduce livestock contribution to greenhouse gases, and the need to manage inherent complex, highly contextual, and repetitive day-to-day livestock management (LsM) routines are some examples of challenges to overcome in livestock production. The Internet of Things (IoT)’s usefulness in other vertical industries (OVI) shows that its role will be significant in LsM. This work uses the systematic review methodology of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to guide a review of existing literature on IoT in OVI. The goal is to identify the IoT’s ecosystem, architecture, and its technicalities—present status, opportunities, and expected future trends—regarding its role in LsM. Among identified IoT roles in LsM, the authors found that data will be its main contributor. The traditional approach of reactive data processing will give way to the proactive approach of augmented analytics to provide insights about animal processes. This will undoubtedly free LsM from the drudgery of repetitive tasks with opportunities for improved productivity.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a noncontact flow rate measurement technique using Hall probe sensor and rotameter is designed, developed, and tested, and a theoretical equation has been derived to explain the operation of the system.
Abstract: A rotameter is a variable-area-type flow rate measuring instrument in which the position of a metallic float in a transparent conical tube is taken as a flow rate indicator. It has the disadvantage that it is a local indicating type instrument and special type of transducer is used for its remote indication. In this paper, a noncontact flow rate measurement technique using Hall probe sensor and rotameter is designed, developed, and tested. In this design, a float carrying a thin circular permanent magnet is used, and a Hall probe sensor placed outside the rotameter tube has been used to sense the variation of magnetic field of the magnet with the variation of float position. A signal conditioner unit has been used to convert the Hall probe sensor output into 1–5 V dc signal. This dc signal output of the signal conditioner has been sent to a PC-based flow indicator through optoisolator and analog input channel of a data acquisition system (DAS) card. The PC-based flow indicator has been designed using the Lab Tech Note Book Pro software and the PC-based supervisory control and DAS. A theoretical equation has been derived to explain the operation of the system. The performance of the system has been tested experimentally, and the experimental results are reported in this paper. A very good repeatability and linearity of results has been observed.
27 citations
04 May 2017
TL;DR: In this article, an intelligent flow transmitter using rotameter as a primary sensor is presented, where the float movement of the rotameters is converted into an electrical signal so that one can monitor it and control it at a remote location in industries.
Abstract: This paper presents an intelligent flow transmitter using rotameter as a primary sensor. The float movement of the rotameter is converted into an electrical signal so that one can monitor it and control it at a remote location in industries. A Hall probe sensor is used to convert the float movement into Hall voltage, but various parameters like temperature, liquid density, viscosity etc., affect the Hall voltage measurement. The change of Hall voltage with respect to temperature is nonlinear in nature. In this respect, back propagation algorithm of the artificial neural network (ANN) is used to compensate the nonlinearity and inaccuracy of Hall probe sensor due to change in temperature. The proposed measurement system, experimental results, and testing results of the ANN are reported in this paper.
13 citations
Cites methods from "Design of a Flow Transmitter Using ..."
...[15] have designed and tested a modified rotameter using a direct self-inductance type rotameter transducer....
[...]
TL;DR: This paper proposes a novel method for demodulating low-frequency amplitude-modulated (AM) signals provided by sensors using a digital timer that carries out the demodulation and digitization simultaneously, without requiring a rectifier, a mixer, a low-pass filter, or an analog-to-digital converter.
Abstract: This paper proposes a novel method for demodulating low-frequency amplitude-modulated (AM) signals provided by sensors. The method relies on a digital timer that carries out the demodulation and digitization simultaneously, without requiring a rectifier, a mixer, a low-pass filter, or an analog-to-digital converter. This timer-based demodulator extracts the amplitude of the AM signal by measuring the period of a reference signal that is altered by the AM signal itself. The period measurement undergoes a deviation that carries information about the amplitude of the AM signal. The feasibility and also the limitations, such as the nonlinearity and aliasing effects, of this novel demodulator are proved theoretically and experimentally. The concept is also applied to measure an inductive displacement sensor in a range of ±30 mm. A nonlinearity error of 0.5% full-scale span and a resolution of 9 bits are achieved for an overall measuring time of 100 ms.
12 citations
Cites background from "Design of a Flow Transmitter Using ..."
...This is the case for capacitive and inductive sensors, which are widely employed to measure displacement [1], flow rate [2], human posture [3], position, level, among others....
[...]
...2711918 demodulator, has a rectifier and a peak detector that can be a simple RC circuit [2], [5], [11] or a more advanced...
[...]
...This frequency is usually equal to units of kilohertz for inductive sensors [2], [4]–[6], and tens [8], [9] or hundreds [10], [11] of kilohertz for capacitive sensors....
[...]
TL;DR: An electro-optic system is developed using a modified inductive-type rotameter, which produces an electrical signal according to float movement of the rotameters, which is converted into an optical signal using the Mach-Zhender interferometer.
Abstract: The rotameter, the widely used flow meter, is generally used as a local indicator. Therefore, for industrial use, some necessary technique is required to transmit float displacement to remote location. Direct transmission of electrical signal through connecting wires is generally prohibited in an inflammable region. In this paper, an electro-optic system is developed using a modified inductive-type rotameter, which produces an electrical signal according to float movement of the rotameter. The electrical signal is then converted into an optical signal using the Mach–Zhender interferometer. Necessary equations along with the developed theory of operation are presented in this paper. An experiment is performed on the proposed transmitter and the experimental and simulation results are reported in this paper. Very good linearity and repeatability with a very small uncertainty in the measurement of the transducer characteristic have been observed. The graphical abstract is shown.
9 citations
Cites background or methods from "Design of a Flow Transmitter Using ..."
...Moreover, the bridge output is proportional to the difference between the impedances Z1 and Z4, as explained in [19]....
[...]
...Thus, the flow transducer is a vital part of the system, and its performance determines the reliability and accuracy of the operation [1]–[5], [19], [20] of the whole flow monitoring system....
[...]
...[19] have designed and tested the self-inductance-type rotameter transducer for the flow of liquid measurement....
[...]
...Hence, as explained in [19], the output voltage of the measuring circuit is given by...
[...]
...Again it has been shown in [19] that the bridge sensitivity factor is proportional to the feedback resistance R f of IC2, which will help in obtaining better sensitivity of measurement....
[...]
References
More filters
TL;DR: The published information of the last decade is reviewed and the conclusions of the different papers are briefly described.
Abstract: This paper is an update of the overview given by Baker RC [Coriolis flowmeters: Industrial practice and published information. Flow Meas Instrum 1994;5(4):229–46]. Overviews about mass flowmetering are also given in Baker RC [Flow measurement handbook. Cambridge University Press; 2000]. Furthermore, Drahm W and Linnartz H [Coriolis-massflowmeters: State of the art review and innovations. In: Proceedings FLUCOME 2003. 2003] reported about latest innovations in Coriolis technology. The published information of the last decade is reviewed and the conclusions of the different papers are briefly described.
152 citations
Additional excerpts
...[16] have reviewed single tube and double tube Coriolis mass flow meters and have...
[...]
TL;DR: An attempt has been made to design a low-cost noncontact capacitance-type level sensor for a conducting liquid that is found to have good linearity and repeatability within acceptable limits.
Abstract: In this paper, an attempt has been made to design a low-cost noncontact capacitance-type level sensor for a conducting liquid. The sensor is in the form of a uniform circular cylinder made of insulating material like glass, ceramic, plastic, etc. The sensor is connected with the metallic- or nonmetallic-type liquid storage tank, in which the conducting liquid column is taken as one electrode, and a noninductively wound short-circuited outside coil is taken as the other electrode of a variable capacitor. The change in capacitance due to the change of liquid level is measured by a modified linear operational-amplifier-based De' Sauty bridge network with adjustable bridge sensitivity. The bridge output after amplification and rectification may be used to drive a direct current indicator calibrated in level. The studies have been made with high-density polyethylene and glass tube sensors separately in both metallic and nonmetallic storage tanks with tap water as the conducting liquid, and the experimental results of the static characteristics of the level sensors with percentage error from linearity are presented in the paper. These results are found to have good linearity and repeatability within acceptable limits
99 citations
"Design of a Flow Transmitter Using ..." refers background in this paper
...Since B and D are at the virtual ground, for the sinusoidal supply voltage V = Vm sin ωt and the impedances of the bridge circuit as Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4, the output voltage of the bridge circuit [22] is obtained from the following Kirchhoff’s current laws equations at nodal points B and D, respectively....
[...]
TL;DR: In this article, an alternating-current electromagnetic flowmeter was designed and manufactured to investigate the characteristics of an electromagnetic flow meter in two-phase flow, in which a rod-shaped nonconducting material was used, and the effect of bubble position and void fraction on the flow meter was investigated.
Abstract: In order to investigate the characteristics of an electromagnetic flowmeter in two-phase flow, an alternating-current electromagnetic flowmeter was designed and manufactured. The signals and noise from the flowmeter under various flow conditions were obtained, and analyzed in comparison with the flow patterns observed with a high-speed charge-coupled device camera.
An experiment with void simulators, in which a rod-shaped non-conducting material was used, was carried out to investigate the effect of bubble position and void fraction on the flowmeter. Two-phase flow experiments, encompassing bubbly to slug flow regimes, were conducted with a water–air mixture.
The simple relation ΔUTP=ΔUSP/(1−α), relating the flowmeter signal between single-phase flow and two-phase flow, was verified with measurements of the potential difference and the void fraction for a bubbly flow regime. Due to the lack of homogeneity in a real two-phase flow, the discrepancy between the relation and the present measurement increased slightly with increasing void fraction and superficial liquid velocity jf.
Whereas there is no difference in the shape of the raw signal between single-phase flow and bubbly flow, the signal amplitude for bubbly flow is higher than that for single-phase flow at the same water flow rate, since the passage area of the water flow is reduced. In the case of slug flow, the phase and the amplitude of the flowmeter output show dramatically the flow characteristics around each slug bubble and the position of the slug bubble itself. Therefore, the electromagnetic flowmeter shows a good possibility of being useful for identifying the flow regimes.
79 citations
"Design of a Flow Transmitter Using ..." refers methods in this paper
...meter has been studied in [18] with the help of a highspeed charged-couple device camera....
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, a semicylindrical capacitive sensor with an interface circuit used for flow rate measurement is proposed, and the numerical analysis method to calculate the capacitance of the sensor is analyzed and discussed.
Abstract: In this paper, a semicylindrical capacitive sensor with an interface circuit used for flow rate measurement is proposed. The numerical analysis method to calculate the capacitance of the semicylindrical capacitive sensor is analyzed and discussed. The picofarad-range capacitive variation of the semicylindrical capacitive sensor can be detected and converted into voltage variation by the interface circuit. Besides, the interface circuit is compact enough to simplify the circuit complexity and could be easily implemented for flow rate measurement. All the functions of the capacitive sensing method of the semicylindrical capacitive sensor used for flow rate measurement are proved successfully through HSPICE simulation. Measurement results have successfully confirmed the correct functions and performance of the semicylindrical capacitive sensor with an interface circuit used for flow rate measurement, which ranges from 0.136 to 4.746 L/min, on the liquid crystal display panel coating machine
57 citations
"Design of a Flow Transmitter Using ..." refers methods in this paper
...Chiang and Huang [15] have developed a semicylindrical capacitive sensor with interface circuit for flow rate measurement where a switched mode charge transfer technique has been used for capacitance measurement for two types of square wave signals....
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, the characteristics of a macro bending fiber used as an optical flowmeter are discussed and an optimum performance of the curvature radius of 8 mm in the range of flow rate from 0 to 3 m/s is found in the experiment.
Abstract: The characteristics of a macrobending fiber used as an optical flowmeter are discussed. When a liquid flows through the bending area of the fiber sensor, it will result to the variation of the bending curvature and modulate the bending loss of the fiber, due to the impact or/and the drawing force of the flow which is relative to the speed of the flow. Different curvatures in initial state have different performances in the measurement. An optimum performance of the curvature radius of 8 mm in the range of flow rate from 0 to 3 m/s is found in the experiment. A block hung up the bending fiber to enhance the sensitivity and the dynamic range is demonstrated. Twenty times larger of the loss change is achieved by hanging an 11 times 11 mm2 block. The experiment shows the influences of temperature and hysteresis can be ignored.
42 citations
"Design of a Flow Transmitter Using ..." refers methods in this paper
...A simple fiber-optic flow meter based on bending loss has been designed in [13] where the characteristics of a macrobending fiber used as an optical flow meter are discussed....
[...]