Capacitance densitometer for flow regime identification

Claim 1

An improved two-element capacitance densitometer probe unit comprising a first insulator provided with slots on opposite sides thereof, a first triangular-shaped, ungrounded capacitor plate, a second rectangular-shaped, ungrounded capacitor one respective edge of each of said plates fitting within each of said respective slots of said insulator, a second insulator and a third insulator both provided with respective slots for receiving the other respective edges of said respective capacitor plates, a third capacitor plate and a fourth capacitor plate both adapted to be grounded, said third and fourth capacitor plates mounted on respective opposite sides of and in spaced relation to said first and second capacitor plates by means of all of said insulators and respective rivets therethrough, said probe unit adapted to be positioned into receiving grooves on the inside of a section of a flow tube and spot welded thereto, and a pair of respective output leads affixed to said respective first and second capacitor plates and adapted to extend exterior to said flow tube section through separate holes in opposite sides of said flow tube section, whereby the outputs of the respective capacitors formed by said capacitor plates can provide an indication of any one of several possible flow regimes existing in a flow tube in which said section containing said probe is mounted during the monitoring of two-phase flow through said flow tube.