Provided herein are improved methods for estimating the flow velocity of a fluid in a vessel. Systems and methods are provided herein related to making and/or refining velocity measurements for flowing fluids, both single and multi-phase fluids, in vessels, such as pipes or conduits, utilizing contrast media property agent variations. In one aspect, this disclosure provides a method of determining a flow velocity of a fluid flow in a vessel including: providing a fluid flow having contrast media, the contrast media having a contrast media property variation; providing a detectable signal corresponding to the contrast media property variation; collecting the detectable signal at an upstream receiver to produce a first received signal; collecting the detectable signal at a downstream receiver to produce a second received signal, the downstream receiver being located downstream of the upstream receiver at a distance (L); filtering the first received signal and the second received signal through a contrast media variant filter to produce a first filtered signal and a second filtered signal; cross-correlating the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal to determine a time shift (t) between the first filtered signal and the second filtered signal; and estimating the velocity of the fluid flow using this relationship vflow=L/t.

A measuring device has a measuring tube to be traversed by a medium in a throughflow direction as well as a magneto-inductive measuring device and an acoustic measuring device, which each are arranged on the measuring tube. The magneto-inductive measuring device comprises at least one coil that generates a magnetic field extending through the interior of the measuring tube as well as two electrodes arranged on the measuring tube, which can pick up a measurement signal. The acoustic measuring device comprises at least one portion of a wall of the measuring tube that serves as a waveguide for surface acoustic waves and forms a boundary surface to the medium, and at least one transmitter for exciting surface acoustic waves in the waveguide and at least one receiver for receiving surface acoustic waves from the waveguide, which at a distance from each other are acoustically coupled to the waveguide, wherein the distance between transmitter and receiver is chosen such that acoustic waves excited by the transmitter at least sectionally can propagate through the medium. The transmitter and receiver of the acoustic measuring device are arranged in series with respect to the throughflow direction.

Method for measuring a speed of a fluid, implemented by an ultrasonic flow meter comprising a reflector mirror positioned between two transducers, the measuring method comprising measurement phases in which: one of the two transducers emits an ultrasonic measurement signal; the other of the two transducers receives the ultrasonic measurement signal after it has completed a measurement trip; the processing means evaluate the speed of the fluid depending on a measurement trip time; the measurement method furthermore comprising compensation phases in which: one of the two transducers emits an ultrasonic compensation signal; said transducer receives the ultrasonic compensation signal after it has completed a compensation trip during which it was reflected by the reflector mirror; the processing means compensate for a measurement drift of said transducer by adjusting the measurement trip time depending on a compensation trip time.

Clamp-on ultrasonic flow metering is provided by collectively exciting and receiving circumferential modes of the pipe. The pipe wall supports an infinite number of circumferential acoustic resonances. Each of these modes, in contact with a fluid, can mode-convert into the flow at a different rate. The mode-converted waves in the flow mode-convert back into the circumferential waves in the pipe once they travel across the flow. Furthermore, the moving fluid alters the rate of mode-conversion as a function of the flow velocity. At low frequencies, the wavelength is larger, thus the penetration depth in the flow is larger. As the frequency increases, the penetration depth becomes smaller. The variable penetration depth provides a methodology to sample the flow velocity profile.

The present invention provides a new and unique apparatus featuring a signal processor or processing module configured to: receive signaling containing information about a fluid flow passing through a pipe that is channelized causing flow variations in the fluid flow; and determine corresponding signaling containing information about a fluid flow characteristic of the fluid flow that depends on the flow variations caused in the fluid flow channelized, based upon the signaling received. The signal processor or processing module may be configured to provide the corresponding signaling, including where the corresponding signaling contains information about the fluid flow characteristic of the fluid flow channelized.

Apparatus is provided having an acoustic-based air probe with an acoustic source configured to provide an acoustic signal into a mixture of concrete; and an acoustic receiver configured to be substantially co-planar with the acoustic source, to respond to the acoustic signal, and to provide signaling containing information about the acoustic signal injected into the mixture of concrete.

A method of and apparatus for monitoring fluid flow passing within a pipe is provided. The method includes the steps of: a) providing a flow pressure value and a flow temperature value for the fluid flow within the pipe; b) providing a fluid flowmeter operable to be attached to an exterior of the pipe; c) providing one or more of an additional flow related measurement (e.g., DP, SOS, etc.); d) providing a processor adapted to include an equation of state model for the pressure, volume, and temperature properties for the fluid flow, and further adapted to receive composition data values for the fluid flow, the flow pressure value, and the flow temperature value, and the flow velocity signals from the flowmeter; and e) determining a volumetric flow rate of one or more phases of the fluid flow.

Flow measurement system comprising a flow tube for the fluid whose flow rate is to be determined, wherein said system comprises at least three ultrasound transducer circuitry, wherein each circuitry comprises an ultrasound transducer arranged for transmitting ultrasound signals through said fluid in a transmitting phase, and for receiving transmitted signals from another of said at least three ultrasound transducers in a receiving phase, multiple receiving circuits, wherein each receiving circuit is arranged for reading out one of said at least three ultrasound transducers in a corresponding receiving phase thereof, and multiplexer circuitry ground arranged for selectively connecting each of said multiple receiving circuits to a different one of said at least three ultrasound transducers, respectively.

An apparatus and method for real-time visualization of particulate matter suspended in a static or flowing fluid and fluid flow patterns in a pipe, tube, conduit, or other container, are described. Ultrasonic scanning and detection of scattered sound from the particles in the fluid create a real-time image of the particles, or of flow patterns in the liquid. A mechanical wobbler directs a piezoelectric transducer over a chosen angle in an oscillatory manner. The transducer is operated in a pulse-echo mode wherein the same transducer detects the return signal from the target region through which particles are passing and/or a flow is present. The pulse-echo measurements are made rapidly and continuously during a single sweep of the transducer over the chosen angle. Received signals are processed in the ultrasound scanner electronics module and displayed as an image in real-time.

Apparatus (10) and methods for making simultaneous measurements of composition (water-cut), fluid flow, and sound attenuation in a multiphase fluid flowing (15) through a pipe (12) in real-time, using the same apparatus (10) are described. Additionally, the apparatus (10) provides real-time pipe wall thickness monitoring for observing pipe corrosion or internal deposition. Knowledge of wall thickness is necessary to correct for water-cut (oil-water composition) automatically by adjusting the liquid path length internal to the pipe (spool). The use of short duration frequency chirp excitation signals (24) enables the apparatus to provide information that can be used to extract multiple levels of information from the same measurement in multiphase fluids including the presence of a significant quantity of gas (60% gas volume fraction) in different flow regimes. Besides measuring steady flow, this device is useful for measurements during fast changing flows, such as for a rod-pumped well. Measurements up to about 1000 times a second can reliably be made.