US3838598A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Capillary flow meter
Assignee: Brunswick Corp
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Filing: 1970-03-19
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Granted: 1974-10-01
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Expires: 1990-03-19
Abstract
Abstract This disclosure describes a new type of flow meter. A housing defines a passage wherein fluid flows through a plurality of capillaries. The flow in these capillaries is laminar even if the fluid in the passage upstream of the capillaries is in turbulent flow. There are pressure taps across the meter wherein the pressure drop thereacross is linear with respect to the flow through the meter.
Inventors
- 👤 E Tompkins
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 13:24
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01F; G01F1/00; G01F1/05; G01F1/34; G01F1/36; G01F1/40; G01F1/42
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
A flow meter for measuring the rate of flow of a fluid, the fluid having a density Rho and a viscosity Mu , the fluid moving through the meter at a flow rate Q, the meter having a Reynolds Number for maximum laminar flow not greater than Rmlf and Delta P the pressure drop of the fluid across the meter, the meter comprising: a housing; a metal structure located within said housing and having a plurality of substantially parallel capillaries therethrough, each of the capillaries having rough unmachined reentrant interior wall surfaces, the structure and the capillaries both having a length L and each capillary having an effective radius r, the r being greater than 2Q Rho /Rmlf Mu pi and ranging in size from 0.01 microns to 75 mils and the ratio of L/2r being greater than 5; means located within said housing and being responsive to the flow of the fluid; and means within the structure capable of converting turbulent to laminar flow so that there is a first order straight line relationship between Delta P and Q.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
180 words
A flow meter for measuring the rate of flow of a fluid, the fluid having a density Rho and a viscosity Mu , the fluid moving through the meter at a flow rate Q, the meter having a Reynolds Number for maximum laminar flow not greater than Rmlf and Delta P the pressure drop of the fluid across the meter, the meter comprising: a housing; a metal structure located within said housing and having a plurality of substantially parallel capillaries therethrough, each of the capillaries having rough unmachined reentrant interior wall surfaces, the structure and the capillaries both having a length L and each capillary having an effective radius r, the r being greater than 2Q Rho /Rmlf Mu pi and ranging in size from 0.01 microns to 75 mils and the ratio of L/2r being greater than 5; means located within said housing and being responsive to the flow of the fluid; and means within the structure capable of converting turbulent to laminar flow so that there is a first order straight line relationship between Delta P and Q.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein said structure is a homogenous cellular structure.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein said capillaries in the same structure have different radii.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein said capillaries in the same structure have substantially the same radii.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein said capillaries of the same structure have different lengths.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein said means comprise pressure probes located upstream and downstream of the structure.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein said means is a gage indicating the pressure drop across the structure.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The meter of claim 7 wherein the pressure gage directly reflects the flow rate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein said responsive means measures the flow rate and converts the flow rate measurement to an electrical signal by a transducer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein said meter is calibrated free of empirical constants.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein said structure has different web thicknesses between capillaries.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
13 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein some of the capillaries are selectively plugged.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
The meter of claim 1 wherein the ends of said structure have pre-selected geometric shapes.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
126 words
A flow meter for measuring the rate of flow of a liquid, comprising: a housing; a metal structure located within said housing having a plurality of substantially parallel capillaries therethrough, each of said capillaries having rough unmachined reentrant interior wall surfaces, the structure and the capillaries both having an effective radius r and a length L, the radius r ranging from 0.01 microns to 75 mils and the ratio of L/2r being greater than approximately 80; means located within said structure responsive to the flow rate of the fluid; and means within the structure capable of converting turbulent to laminar flow so that there is a first order straight line relationship between the pressure drop across the responsive means and the flow rate through the structure.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
126 words
A flow meter for measuring the rate of flow of a liquid, comprising: a housing; a metal structure located within said housing having a plurality of substantially parallel capillaries therethrough, each of said capillaries having rough unmachined reentrant interior wall surfaces, the structure and the capillaries both having an effective radius r and a length L, the radius r ranging from 0.01 microns to 75 mils and the ratio of L/2r being greater than approximately 80; means located within said structure responsive to the flow rate of the fluid; and means within the structure capable of converting turbulent to laminar flow so that there is a first order straight line relationship between the pressure drop across the responsive means and the flow rate through the structure.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-09-30 | 1978-04-01 | 1978-10-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-09-30 | 1982-04-01 | 1982-10-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-09-30 | 1986-04-01 | 1986-10-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |