Ultrasonic-based Sensor Fusion Approach to Measure Flow Rate in Partially Filled Pipes

Munasinghe, N; Paul, G

Ultrasonic-based Sensor Fusion Approach to Measure Flow Rate in Partially Filled Pipes

Munasinghe, N

Paul, G

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Publisher:: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: IEEE Sensors Journal, 2020
Issue Date:: 2020-02-07

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Munasinghe, N https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2209-7371	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Paul, G https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3478-0020	en_US
dc.date.available	2020-02-05	en_US
dc.date.issued	2020-02-07	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	IEEE Sensors Journal, 2020	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1530-437X	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/138411
dc.description.abstract	Flow rate measurement in pipes is essential for many applications. Thus, there have been a variety of flow meters developed that incorporate different technologies. However, a typical limitation in flow meters is that the pipe must be full in order to get an accurate flow reading. In many cases, this is not possible for practical reasons. When the pipe is full, ultrasonic flow meters can calculate the flow rate using known properties of the pipe and fluid, namely the cross-section, propagation path and fluid sound velocity. However, when the pipe is only partially filled, the propagation path is unknown which leads to an inability to calculate the correct flow rate. This paper presents a cost-effective sensor fusion approach to extend the capabilities of transit time ultrasonic flow meters to handle such scenarios. The approach determines the propagation path using capacitance-based level sensing, combined with fluid velocities ascertained via an ultrasonic sensor, leading to a significantly more accurate estimation of flow rates. Experiments in low flow rate situations validated the efficacy of the proposed model, with a 92% reduction of mean error in the lowest water height when compared to a conventional ultrasonic flow meter.	en_US
dc.publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	IEEE Sensors Journal	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1109/JSEN.2020.2972376	en_US
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
dc.subject.classification	Analytical Chemistry	en_US
dc.title	Ultrasonic-based Sensor Fusion Approach to Measure Flow Rate in Partially Filled Pipes	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.for	0205 Optical Physics	en_US
utslib.for	0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	0913 Mechanical Engineering	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CAS - Centre for Autonomous Systems
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
utslib.copyright.embargo	2022-02-07T00:00:00+1100
pubs.publication-status	Accepted	en_US

Abstract:

Flow rate measurement in pipes is essential for many applications. Thus, there have been a variety of flow meters developed that incorporate different technologies. However, a typical limitation in flow meters is that the pipe must be full in order to get an accurate flow reading. In many cases, this is not possible for practical reasons. When the pipe is full, ultrasonic flow meters can calculate the flow rate using known properties of the pipe and fluid, namely the cross-section, propagation path and fluid sound velocity. However, when the pipe is only partially filled, the propagation path is unknown which leads to an inability to calculate the correct flow rate. This paper presents a cost-effective sensor fusion approach to extend the capabilities of transit time ultrasonic flow meters to handle such scenarios. The approach determines the propagation path using capacitance-based level sensing, combined with fluid velocities ascertained via an ultrasonic sensor, leading to a significantly more accurate estimation of flow rates. Experiments in low flow rate situations validated the efficacy of the proposed model, with a 92% reduction of mean error in the lowest water height when compared to a conventional ultrasonic flow meter.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/138411