1. Apparatus for measuring the sound velocity of a fluid flowing in a tubing, comprising:
an elongated cartridge having first and second ends to be placed between ends of the tubing, said cartridge having a hollow internal section formed by first and second chambers of different diameters communicating with said first and second ends and that define first and second walls that extend toward the cartridge longitudinal axis and are spaced apart by a known distance, wherein fluid is to flow into said first end, through said internal section and out through said second end;
a piezoelectric sensor mounted in said hollow internal section to transmit signal energy to said first and second walls to be reflected back to said sensor;
a circuit including a microprocessor to control the transmission of the signal energy by said sensor and for computing the round trip transit time of the signal energy transmitted by said sensor to each of said first and second walls and reflected therefrom back to said sensor; wherein
said microprocessor is programmed with said known distance between said first and second walls and computes the sound velocity of the flowing fluid based on the difference of the two measured round trip transit times and the known fixed distance.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second chambers of said cartridge hollow internal section are generally cylindrical.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sensor is mounted at the beginning point of said first chamber adjacent to said cartridge first end.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said sensor is of generally toroidal shape.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said sensor is mounted at the beginning point of said first chamber adjacent to said cartridge first end.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second walls are generally perpendicular to the cartridge longitudinal axis.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said microprocessor establishes windows for selective determination of the signal energy reflected from each of said first and second walls back to said sensor.
8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sound velocity V is calculated according to the formula:
V
=
2
\u2062
L
ta
–
tb
where:
ta is the round trip transit time of the signal from the sensor to said first wall that is the wall most remote from said sensor,
tb is the round trip transit time of the signal from the sensor to said second wall, and
L is the fixed known distance between said first and second walls.
9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cartridge first end is formed to accept a tubing that supplies the fluid to said cartridge hollow internal section and said second end is formed to accept a tubing through which the fluid exits said cartridge.
10. A method for measuring the sound velocity of a fluid flowing in a tubing, comprising the steps of:
providing an elongated cartridge having first and second ends communicating with a hollow internal section having first and second chambers of different diameters that define first and second walls that extend toward the cartridge longitudinal axis and are spaced apart by a known distance;
placing said cartridge between ends of the tubing for fluid to flow into said first end, through said internal section and out through said second end;
providing a sensor in said hollow internal section to transmit signal energy to said first and second walls to be reflected back to said sensor;
measuring the round trip transit time of the signal transmitted by said sensor to each of said first and second walls and reflected therefrom back to said sensor; and
computing the sound velocity of the flowing fluid based on the difference of the two measured round trip transit times and the known fixed distance between said first and second walls.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising the step of establishing windows for the selected reception of each of the signals reflected from said first and second walls.
12. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the sound velocity V is calculated according to the formula:
V
=
2
\u2062
L
ta
–
tb
where:
ta is the round trip transit time of the signal from the sensor to said first wall that is the wall most remote from said sensor,
tb is the round trip transit time of the signal from the sensor to said second wall, and
L is the fixed known distance between said first and second walls.
13. A cartridge to be used in line of a tubing for use with apparatus for measuring the sound velocity of a fluid flowing in the tubing, the cartridge comprising:
an elongated body having first and second ends to be placed between ends of the tubing, said body having a hollow internal section formed by first and second chambers of different diameters communicating with said first and second ends and that define first and second walls that extend toward the cartridge longitudinal axis and are spaced apart by a known distance, wherein fluid is to flow into said first end, through said internal section and out through said second end; and
a piezoelectric sensor mounted in said hollow internal section to transmit signal energy to said first and second walls to be reflected back to said sensor.
14. The cartridge as claimed in claim 13 wherein said first and second chambers of said body hollow internal section are generally cylindrical.
15. The cartridge as claimed in claim 13 wherein said sensor is mounted at the beginning point of said first chamber adjacent to said body first end.
16. The cartridge as claimed in claim 14 wherein said sensor is of generally toroidal shape.
17. The cartridge as claimed in claim 16 wherein said sensor is mounted at the beginning point of said first chamber adjacent to said body first end.
18. The cartridge as claimed in claim 13 wherein said first and second walls are generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said body.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A supporting structure of a single tube drift generator undergoing the centrifugal force of an internal swirling fluid, characterized in that a fixing plate extending substantially over the entire length of the tube body of the drift generator is formed integrally in the longitudinal direction of a supporting leg member having an attaching portion to a base to constitute a supporting bracket, a plurality of such supporting brackets are disposed on the lateral surface of the tube body of the drift generator, the drift generator is joined substantially over the entire surface of the tube body thereof to the fixing plate of each of the supporting brackets, and the supporting leg member of each of the supporting brackets is fixed to the base.
2. A supporting bracket for a single tube drift generator undergoing the centrifugal force of an internal swirling fluid characterized in that a fixing plate extending substantially over the entire length of the tube body of the drift generator is formed integrally in the longitudinal direction of a supporting leg member having an attaching portion fixed to a base, wherein said fixing plate is fixed to said drift generator.
3. A supporting bracket according to claim 2, wherein the supporting bracket comprises a pair of left and right frames, in which a fixing plate for the tube body is formed integrally to the supporting leg member, and a buffer member is interposed and joined integrally between the frames.
4. A supporting bracket according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the supporting leg member has a reinforcing portion enlarged toward a lower attaching portion, and a receiving portion for engaging the drift generator is disposed to the reinforcing portion on the side abutting against the drift generator.