A system for the detection of a rate of flow or a level of a fluid or the presence of an object, such as a PIG, in pipelines, comprising at least one detection device that includes: a sensor assembly arranged to detect the rate of flow or level of a fluid withing a section of a pipeline or the presence of a pig located along the section of pipeline where the device is located, a power store, a position determining module, a radio frequency receiver, and a radio frequency transmitter, in which the detection device has a sleep mode in which the sensor assembly is inactive and has a first power consumption and an active mode in which the sensor assembly is active and the detection device has a second, higher, power consumption when the sensor assembly of the device is actively detecting, the device in the active mode also being arranged to transmit signals from the transmitter that are indicative of the detected property of the fluid or presence of an apparatus along the section of the pipeline; and in which the device is configured to switch between the sleep mode and the active mode in response to radio frequency signals received by the receiver.

A system and method for detecting a flow rate using ultrasound is disclosed. A flow rate detector includes a disposable conduit section and a reusable sensor chassis, the chassis configured to fit over an outer surface of the conduit section, the chassis configured to attach along a length of the of the disposable conduit section, and including first and second transducers configured to, when the reusable chassis is attached to the conduit section, measure a flow rate of a fluid passing through the conduit section by measuring an ultrasonic transmission between the first and second transducers through the fluid. The ultrasonic transmission is reflected at least once off of the inner surface of the disposable conduit before being received at the second transducer.

A flow meter is shown. The flow meter includes a housing extending along an axis and defining an interior volume, the interior volume extending between an inlet port and an outlet port. The flow meter further includes an insert positioned within the interior volume and spaced apart from the housing, the insert extending along the axis. A first region between at least part of the insert and the housing along the axis defines a first flow pathway, and a second region within the insert and along the axis defines a second flow pathway.

An ultrasonic meter for measuring a flow rate or flow volume includes a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, a flow channel arranged between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, two ultrasonic transducers and at least one reflector for ultrasonic signals. Ultrasonic transducers are arranged outside the flow channel, entrance and exit openings for ultrasonic signals, each running obliquely relative to the longitudinal axis of the flow channel, are provided between the ultrasonic transducers and the flow channel, and the reflector is arranged on the wall of the flow channel opposite the entrance and exit openings such that it reflects ultrasonic signals of the ultrasonic transducers.

Provided is an ultrasonic flow sensor with improved practicality. An ultrasonic wave is transmitted and received by an ultrasonic element. A first flow rate value of a fluid in a pipe is calculated based on a propagation time difference of an ultrasonic signal, a measurement value corresponding to an ultrasonic velocity, and a parameter for identifying an inner diameter of the pipe. A second flow rate value of the fluid in the pipe is calculated based on a frequency shift of the ultrasonic signal and the parameter. The first flow rate value is calculated using a propagation time of the ultrasonic signal as the measurement value in accordance with a correspondence relationship among a distance of a path through which the ultrasonic wave propagates through the fluid in the pipe, a time for which the ultrasonic signal propagates in the path, and the ultrasonic velocity.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are provided for detecting and determining conditions of and conditions within a fluid conduit.

A method of fluid flow measurement includes a emitting a light beam into a pipe through which a fluid flows, the light beam illuminating the fluid flowing in the pipe, using a light detector array to detect light caused by scattering of the beam with particles found in the fluid, the light beam being outside a field of view of the light detector array, dividing the field of view of the light detector array into layers, and determining an instantaneous flow velocity in each of the layers as a function of signals transmitted from the light detector array in each of the layers.

An ultrasonic flow meter, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, comprises a measurement tube, an ultrasonic sensor module, and a pair of reflectors, wherein the measurement tube is configured to allow fluid to flow therethrough and comprises a pair of sensor holes spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction on an outer surface thereof, the ultrasonic sensor module comprises a pair of ultrasonic transducers mounted in the sensor holes, the ultrasonic transducers being configured to send and receive ultrasonic waves, and the pair of reflectors are located in the measurement tube, and wherein the measurement tube further comprises a flow path sectional area reduction member comprising a plurality of plates arranged such that a plurality of branch flow paths are formed in the longitudinal direction around a central flow path in between the pair of reflectors.

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method of sensing that includes measuring an acoustic impedance of a fluid, measuring a first time of flight in a first direction through the fluid, measuring a second time of flight in a second direction through the fluid, determining a mass fluid flow rate based on the measured acoustic impedance, the measured first time of flight, and the measured second time of flight, and providing the determined mass fluid flow rate.

Ultrasonic flowmeter includes fluid flow path through which a measurement target fluid flows and a pair of ultrasonic transducers that can transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic flowmeter further includes flow rate calculator that calculates a flow velocity or flow rate of a measurement target fluid. In addition, fluid flow path includes a main flow path including a plurality of divided flow paths obtained by dividing a flow path having a rectangular cross-section by the same width, and a sub flow path including an added flow path having the same width as that of the divided flow path and having a height lower than that of the divided flow path. Furthermore, flow rate calculator calculates the flow rate of the measurement target fluid flowing through the fluid flow path from the flow velocity or flow rate of the measurement target fluid obtained based on the propagation time.