Meter prover apparatus and method

Claim 2

In liquid meter proving apparatus, a metering pipe having flow inlet and outlet ends and adapted to receive flow-propelled spheres and interchange means connecting the inlet and outlet ends and adapted to receive spheres from the outlet end and to selectively transfer the same to the inlet end, said interchange means comprising a cylindrical sleeve having sphere receiving inlet and sphere delivery outlet ends, the sleeve having an internal diameter such that a sphere may pass through the same with a seal-forming fit, the length of the sleeve being sufficient to accommodate two adjacent spheres, a plunger movable from a retracted position spaced axially from the inlet end of the sleeve to a projected position within the sleeve, the plunger having sealing means forming a seal-forming fit with respect to the surfaces of the sleeve, and means for reciprocating the plunger between a projected position within and in sealing engagement wIth the sleeve and said retracted position, the plunger when retracted enabling a sphere received from the outlet end of the metering pipe to move to a position adjacent the inlet end of the sleeve, and when moved from retracted to a projected position within the sleeve and in sealing engagement therewith serving to force the last named sphere into the sleeve and to dislodge another sphere left within the sleeve at the end of full retraction of the plunger, thereby launching said another sphere into the inlet end of the metering pipe, said plunger when moved toward retracted position from its projected position, after a launching, serving to apply suction to the sphere within the sleeve whereby such sphere is moved to a position nearer the inlet end of the sleeve.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 in which the interchange means includes a flow-tee connected between the outlet end of the metering pipe and that portion of the interchange communicating with the inlet end of the sleeve, an outlet flow pipe connected to the lower side of said flow-tee, sloped ramp means for causing a sphere within the flow-tee to move by gravity toward said portion of the interchange, and means within one side of the flow-tee serving laterally to deflect a sphere passing through the same to prevent dwell of the sphere in a region where said outlet pipe connects with the same.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 1 together with sphere blocking guard means, said guard means serving to prevent movement of a sphere into a position in the path of movement of the plunger when the plunger is moved to said projected position and being moved to an out-of-the-way position when the plunger is moved to said retracted position.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 3 in which the plunger is carried by a reciprocatable rod and the guard means is also slidably carried by the rod.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 3 in which the guard means is mounted for pivotal movement between guard engaging and out-of-the-way positions.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 1 in which one end of the plunger is provided with an annular member for engaging said adjacent sphere over an annular area concentric with the axis of the sleeve to force the same into the sleeve.

Claim 8

A liquid meter proving method making use of a metering pipe having its inlet and outlet ends connected to sphere receiving and sphere launching portions of an interchange, the spheres being flow-propelled through the metering pipe during a metering run, the interchange including a cylindrical sleeve connected between the sphere receiving and sphere launching portions of the interchange, the sleeve having substantially the same internal diameter as that of the metering pipe, the interchange also having a plunger adapted to form a seal with the sleeve when within the same and movable between a projected position within the sleeve to a retracted position spaced from the sleeve and within the sphere receiving portion, the steps, starting with only two superposed spheres within the sleeve, comprising moving the plunger to its projected position to move both spheres axially of the sleeve and to cause one sphere to be displaced from the sleeve into the sphere launching portion of the interchange whereby the sphere is caused to enter the inlet end of the metering pipe with the other one of the two spheres being retained adjacent to the plunger in the sleeve, holding the plunger in its projected position in sealing engagement with the sleeve while the launched sphere is being flow-propelled through the metering pipe, retrieving the launched sphere after it has been flow-propelled through the metering pipe and means causing it to be selectively positioned in a flow tee adjacent to the sphere receiving portion of the interchange, moving the plunger within the sleeve toward retracted position and simultaneously moving the retained sphere by the plunger suction to a position within the sleeve nearer to the sphere receiving portion of the interchange, further moving the plunger to its retracted posiTion while the sphere in the sleeve remains in sealed relationship therewith thereby causing the retrieved sphere to move to a position between the plunger and the inlet end of the sleeve, and then moving the plunger toward its projected position to move the retrieved sphere into the sleeve and to move the previously retained sphere to a position nearer to the sphere launching portion of the interchange.

Claim 9

A liquid meter proving method making use of a metering pipe having its inlet and outlet ends connected to sphere receiving and sphere launching portions of an interchange, the spheres being flow-propelled through the metering pipe during a metering run, the interchange including a cylindrical sleeve connected between the sphere receiving and sphere launching portions of the interchange, the sleeve having substantially the same internal diameter as that of the metering pipe, the interchange also having a plunger adapted to form a seal with the sleeve when within the same and movable between a projected position within the sleeve to a retracted position spaced from the sleeve and within the sphere receiving portion, the steps, starting with only two superposed spheres within the sleeve, comprising moving the plunger to its projected position to move both spheres axially of the sleeve and to cause one sphere to be displaced from the sleeve into the sphere launching portion of the interchange whereby the sphere is caused to enter the inlet end of the metering pipe with the other one of the two spheres being retained adjacent to the plunger in the sleeve, holding the plunger in its projected position in sealing engagement with the sleeve while the launched sphere is being flow-propelled through the metering pipe, retrieving the launched sphere after it has been flow-propelled through the metering pipe and means causing it to be selectively positioned in a flow tee adjacent to the sphere receiving portion of the interchange, moving the plunger within the sleeve toward retracted position and simultaneously moving the retained sphere by the plunger suction to a position within the sleeve nearer to the sphere receiving portion of the interchange, further moving the plunger to its retracted posiTion while the sphere in the sleeve remains in sealed relationship therewith thereby causing the retrieved sphere to move to a position between the plunger and the inlet end of the sleeve, and then moving the plunger toward its projected position to move the retrieved sphere into the sleeve and to move the previously retained sphere to a position nearer to the sphere launching portion of the interchange.

Claim 10

A method as in claim 7 in which a sphere leaving the outlet end of the metering pipe is caused to move by gravity toward the sphere receiving portion of the interchange.