Described herein are thermal mass flow sensors that combine calorimetric and anemometric (e.g., hot-wire) elements to provide a hybrid approach to determining flow rate of a liquid. The flow probes or flow sensors are configured to use a heater to apply heat to a thermally-conducting material in contact with the flowing liquid, to measure a temperature of the thermally-conducting material upstream of the heater and downstream or at the heater, to adjust power to the heater to achieve a targeted temperature difference, and to determine a flow rate based at least in part on the power supplied to the heater and the measured temperatures. This approach provides flow rate due at least in part to the fluid cooling the thermally-conductive material proportionate to flow rate with non-linear effects. This hybrid approach can provide accurate readings of flow rates of liquids delivered through an IV line to a patient.

A monitoring and control system for a flow duct and a method for determining a component status of an operational component disposed within a flow passage of the flow duct utilizing the system are provided. In one exemplary aspect, the system includes at least two sensors that are disposed within the flow passage and configured to sense a characteristic of a fluid flowing therethrough. The sensors may be averaging sensors. Each sensor extends circumferentially about an axial centerline defined by the flow duct. The sensors are arranged in an overlapped arrangement. Particularly, the sensors extend circumferentially about the axial centerline such that the sensors physically overlap one another circumferentially. Additionally, the sensors may be disposed within the same or substantially the same plane axially. Signals generated by the sensors may be utilized to monitor and control the fluid and various operational components disposed within the flow passage.

A U-shaped tube is used to measure the mass flow rate of the fluid using both thermal method and the Coriolis principle simultaneously. Two resistant coils are wound on the tube to do the thermal measurement and an excitation coil and two optical sensors are used to do the Coriolis flow measurement. It takes the advantages of both technologies and create a flow sensor which is super accurate, gas type insensitive, long-term stable and fast responsive without too much pressure drop.

A method and apparatus for making a flow determination with respect to a flow through a fluid conduit is described. The apparatus comprises a first temperature sensor arranged to generate a temperature signal indicative of the temperature of the outer surface of the fluid conduit, a second temperature sensor arranged to generate a temperature signal indicative of the ambient temperature outside of the fluid conduit; and a processor arranged to make the flow determination. The flow determination is made by determining the first and second temperatures at a first time; predicting a predicted first temperature at a second time; determining the first temperature at the second time; and comparing the predicted first temperature with the determined first temperature at the second time.

A flowmeter is disposed in a passage through which a fluid flows. The flowmeter includes a first passage and a second passage. The first passage defines a first opening through which at least a part of the fluid flows into the first passage from the passage. The second passage branches off from the first passage and includes a flow rate detector configured to detect a flow rate of the fluid flowing through the second passage from the first passage. The first passage includes a vortex reducer configured to restrict a vortex from generating.

A flowmeter includes a hollow housing, a first passage, a second passage, a detector, and a flat surface. The housing includes a first side wall and a second side wall and defines an inlet opening and an outlet opening that is defined in the first side wall. The first passage fluidly connects between the inlet opening and the outlet opening. The second passage branches off from the first passage. The detector is disposed in the second passage and configured to detect a flow rate of the target fluid flowing through the second passage. The flat surface is an outer surface of the first side wall and extends between an upstream end of the first side wall and the outlet opening along the main flow direction.

Provided is a thermal flow meter including a conductive measurement tube including an inlet through which liquid enters and an outlet through which the liquid exits and including an internal flow passage extending along an axis, and a sensor substrate including a heating resistance wire and a temperature detecting resistance wire formed on a detection surface along the axis, and in the detection surface, an insulation area is formed where the heating resistance wire and the temperature detecting resistance wire are coated with a thin-film insulating material, and the insulation area is joined to the measurement tube along the axis.

A flow sensor apparatus for monitoring a directed stream of an agricultural product from an application port of a supply tube. The directed stream has a target directed portion and an off-target portion. A sensor housing includes a conical flow receiving element and a sensor body. The receiving element has an inlet orifice at a first end and a receiving element outlet at a second end. The first end is smaller than the second end. The sensor body has a sensor inlet end positioned to receive a target directed portion of the directed stream from the receiving element outlet of the conical flow receiving element wherein an off-target portion of the directed stream is not sensed. The sensor housing and sensor element are positioned external to the application port and thus positioned to provide measurement, targeting, and timing of the agricultural product.

A mass flow controller, including a block body having a flow path and a valve provided at least in part within the flow path. The mass flow controller may further include a valve position sensor, a first temperature sensor, a first pressure sensor located on an upstream side of the flow path from the valve, and a second pressure sensor located on a downstream side of the flow path from the valve. The mass flow controller may further include a processor configured to receive valve position data, first temperature data, first pressure data, and second pressure data. The processor may be further configured to estimate a flow rate of fluid in the flow path at least in part by applying a trained machine learning model to the valve position data, the first temperature data, the first pressure data, and the second pressure data.

A process fluid flow system includes a first pipe skin sensor and a second pipe skin sensor. The first pipe skin sensor is disposed to measure an external temperature of a process fluid conduit at a first location on the process fluid conduit. The second pipe skin sensor is disposed to measure an external temperature of a process fluid conduit at a second location on the process fluid conduit. Measurement circuitry is coupled to the first and second pipe skin sensors. A controller is coupled to the measurement circuitry and is configured to identify a process fluid flow condition based on signals from the first and second pipe skin sensors and to output an indication of the process fluid flow condition.