New patent for optimizing Coriolis flow measurement

By Control Engineering Staff December 14, 2005

Foxboro, MA —Invensys has received a patent (#6,950,760 B2) for digital technology optimizing startup and operations of the Foxboro CFT50, digital Coriolis mass-flowmeter. It applies to techniques for selecting optimal mode of operation for accurate measurement during changing flow conditions.

The newly patented process keeps the Coriolis meter running stably in single- or two-phase flow conditions through precise digital analysis of measurements at both startup and transitions between operational modes. During startup, for example, the operational mode could include a random sequence of flow sensing. Once a consistent flow is determined, the digital flowmeter analyzes and synthesizes these conditions for accurate measurement. If flow conditions change, the flowmeter will revert back to a previous mode to regain accuracy. High-speed digital signal-processing allows the meter to respond to changing flow conditions many times faster than standard Coriolis flowmeters, making the CFT50 even more suitable for both startup and ending process-flow conditions in which two-phase flow prevails.

The technologies were developed through a collaborative program between the Foxboro Measurements and Instruments Division of Invensys Process Systems and the U.K.’s Oxford University.

— Richard Phelps , senior editor, Control Engineering