Patent classifications
F17D1/00
Plumbing fixture with user interface
A shower head having a stem, a spray head coupled to the stem and including a plurality of outlets for discharging water into at least one spray pattern, and a mixing valve located within the stem. The mixing valve has a housing having a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet; a first flow control valve for controlling the flow of a first fluid from the first inlet to the outlet; and a second flow control valve for controlling the flow of a second fluid from the second inlet to the outlet. The shower head also has a touchscreen user interface located on a surface of the shower head, wherein the touchscreen user interface allows a user to control at least one of a temperature or a flow rate of fluid from the outlet to the spray head by controlling the first and second flow control valves.
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FLUID FLOW RATE MEASUREMENT
A fluid flow meter system for monitoring fluid flow through a lumen includes a first ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit one or more versions of a transmit (TX) signal through a fluid flowing within the lumen, and a second ultrasonic transducer configured to receive one or more respective receive (RX) signals. The fluid flow meter system includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to sample, at a first frequency, the one or more RX ultrasonic signals and a processor configured to generate a fine resolution signal based on the one or more RX ultrasonic signals. The fine resolution signal is associated with a second sampling rate higher than the first sampling rate. The processor is also configured to compute a cross-correlation signal indicative of cross-correlation between the fine resolution signal and a waveform and determine an estimated fluid flow parameter based on the computed cross-correlation signal.
Method for hindering non-authorised withdrawal of a liquid from at least one offtake conduit connected to a main conduit for the transport of the aforementioned liquid, in particular a mixture of hydrocarbons and water
Method for hindering the non-authorized withdrawal of a liquid from at least one offtake conduit connected to a main conduit for the transport of the aforementioned liquid, in particular a mixture of hydrocarbons and water, the main conduit having an inlet port and at least one outlet port between which the liquid flows, the method comprising the step of: introducing a plurality of solid objects into the main conduit through the at least one inlet port, the plurality of introduced solid objects having weight, dimensions and density such as to be transportable towards the at least one outlet port by the main flow of the liquid and such as to be able to be possibly captured by the offtake flow of the liquid directed towards the offtake conduit, and such as to be able to possibly at least partially obstruct such an offtake conduit.
Split range control using proportional-integral control with flow valves
Example computer-implemented methods, apparatuses, and systems are described for implementing split range control using Proportional-Integral (PI) control on a process. In some aspects, a feedback signal from the process is received. A proportional control is performed on the feedback signal to generate a first control output while an integral control is performed on the feedback signal to generate a second control output. A first valve of the process is controlled based on the first control output while a second valve of the process is controlled based on the second control output. The second valve has a valve diameter larger than a valve diameter of the first valve.
RANKING PIPES FOR MAINTENANCE IN PIPE NETWORKS USING APPROXIMATE HYDRAULIC METRICS
Conventional systems for monitoring pipe networks are generally not scalable, impractical in the field with uncontrolled environments or rely of static features of pipes that are vary depending on the pipes under consideration. The ideal sensor-ed monitoring systems are not economically viable. Systems and methods of the present disclosure provide an improved data-driven model to rank pipes in the order of burst probabilities, by including dynamic feature values of pipes such as pressure and flow that depends on network structure and operations. The present disclosure enables estimating approximate values for the dynamic features since they are hard to estimate accurately in the absence of a calibrated hydraulic model. The present disclosure also validates the estimated approximate dynamic feature values for the purpose of estimating bursts likelihood vis-a-vis accurate values of the dynamic metrics.
Medical treatment system and methods using a plurality of fluid lines
A medical treatment system, such as peritoneal dialysis system, may include control and other features to enhance patient comfort and ease of use. For example, a peritoneal dialysis system may include a control system that can adjust the volume of fluid infused into the peritoneal cavity to prevent the intraperitoneal fluid volume from exceeding a pre-determined amount. The control system can adjust by adding one or more therapy cycles, allowing for fill volumes during each cycle to be reduced. The control system may continue to allow the fluid to drain from the peritoneal cavity as completely as possible before starting the next therapy cycle. The control system may also adjust the dwell time of fluid within the peritoneal cavity during therapy cycles in order to complete a therapy within a scheduled time period. The cycler may also be configured to have a heater control system that monitors both the temperature of a heating tray and the temperature of a bag of dialysis fluid in order to bring the temperature of the dialysis fluid rapidly to a specified temperature, with minimal temperature overshoot.
Medical treatment system and methods using a plurality of fluid lines
A medical treatment system, such as peritoneal dialysis system, may include control and other features to enhance patient comfort and ease of use. For example, a peritoneal dialysis system may include a control system that can adjust the volume of fluid infused into the peritoneal cavity to prevent the intraperitoneal fluid volume from exceeding a pre-determined amount. The control system can adjust by adding one or more therapy cycles, allowing for fill volumes during each cycle to be reduced. The control system may continue to allow the fluid to drain from the peritoneal cavity as completely as possible before starting the next therapy cycle. The control system may also adjust the dwell time of fluid within the peritoneal cavity during therapy cycles in order to complete a therapy within a scheduled time period. The cycler may also be configured to have a heater control system that monitors both the temperature of a heating tray and the temperature of a bag of dialysis fluid in order to bring the temperature of the dialysis fluid rapidly to a specified temperature, with minimal temperature overshoot.
Method and system for controlling hydrodynamic slugging in a fluid processing system
A method and a control system are provided for reducing the size and/or the frequency of hydrodynamic slugging in a fluid processing system. The fluid processing system includes a pipeline for conveying produced fluids and a vessel for receiving the produced fluids from the pipeline. A control valve is provided in the pipeline upstream of the vessel. A pressure sensor is provided upstream of the control valve. Pressure information from the pressure sensor is sent to a master control loop in a cascade control scheme in which the master control loop controls a slave control loop which in turn controls the control valve. The master control loop determines a set point of the slave control loop coupled to the control valve to achieve a pressure setpoint. The slave control loop, also referred to as a pseudo-flow controller, determines whether the control valve opening needs be modulated to achieve the setpoint of the slave control loop. A method is also provided for retrofitting an existing fluid processing system.
Dynamic-adaptive vapor reduction system and method
A system and method for improved flow measurements for LCG, such as liquid petroleum gas (LPG), is disclosed. Embodiments of the present technology detect the presence of a vapor in a fluid flowing in a mass flow meter. A control valve is then adjusted to provide enough back pressure to prevent the measured liquid from flashing and to reduce the presence of vapor in the fluid flowing in the mass flow meter. By keeping the fluid in liquid form, the present technology reduces the vapor flowing in the mass flow meter, increasing the accuracy of mass flow and other measurements. Utilizing a similar principle of vapor detection, embodiments of the present technology provide for improved average parameter value calculation, such as average density calculations and equivalent liquid volume calculations.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PARTICLE FOCUSING IN MICROCHANNELS
Various systems, methods, and devices are provided for focusing particles suspended within a moving fluid into one or more localized stream lines. The system can include a substrate and at least one channel provided on the substrate having an inlet and an outlet. The system can further include a fluid moving along the channel in a laminar flow having suspended particles and a pumping element driving the laminar flow of the fluid. The fluid, the channel, and the pumping element can be configured to cause inertial forces to act on the particles and to focus the particles into one or more stream lines.