Fluid flow conditioner

Abstract

A device and method for conditioning media flowing within a conduit enabling sensors placed within short straight run distances to measure media flow with improved accuracy employing a thermal flow instrument. A flow conditioner downstream of a media flow measuring transducer has walls that diverge in the flow direction to optimize readings of the media flow from the transducer.

1 . A fluid flow conditioner device for use with a thermal flow instrument having at least a pair of spaced parallel thermal flow thermowells having sensing elements therein configured to be arranged in the media flow in a conduit, the device comprising;
 a wedge shaped element arranged a predetermined distance downstream from said thermowells, said wedge shaped element having at least a pair of walls that diverge in the flow direction;   a shroud element partially encompassing said wedge shaped element and said thermowells, said shroud having an upstream opening therein, the upstream opening being formed to permit the media to flow into said shroud and to impinge upon said thermowells and said wedge shaped element.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said shroud element is formed with opposing, space walls defining the upstream opening and wherein said diverging walls of said shaped element have distal ends that are spaced from said spaced walls of said shroud downstream of said thermowells by a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said thermowells and said wedge shaped element extend substantially coextensively into the interior of said shroud. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said pair of walls diverge from an apex line defined by the diverging walls, the pair of diverging walls that meet at the apex forming an angle in the range of 90°-140° downstream in the flow direction. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the apex line is normal to the flow direction and is substantially located between said thermowells. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said thermowells includes a heated sensor and the other includes a reference sensor, said heated sensor thermowell being spaced from a respective one of said diverging walls by a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         7 . A method for conditioning media flowing in a flow direction within a conduit having at least a pair of spaced parallel thermal flow thermowells having sensing elements therein and arranged in the media flow in the conduit, the method comprising:
 diverging the media as it flows past the thermowells by means of a wedge shaped element having a pair of diverging walls positioned downstream in the flow direction from the thermowells; and   channeling the flowing media around and past the wedge shaped element and the thermowells by means of a shroud partially surrounding the wedge shaped element and the thermowells, the shroud being formed with an opening upstream from the thermowells in the flow direction.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the shroud is formed with opposing, spaced walls defining the upstream opening, and further comprising positioning the pair of diverging walls of the wedge shaped element such that the pair of diverging walls end adjacent to and spaced from the spaced walls of the shroud by a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein diverging the media is accomplished by a pair of diverging walls which form a apex from which the pair of walls diverge, wherein the apex is formed at upstream ends of the pair of diverging walls in the flow direction and the apex has an angle in a range of 90°-140° facing downstream in the flow direction. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , and further comprising providing the thermowells spaced by a predetermined distance from the diverging walls. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wedge shaped element has generally a V-shape. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the wedge shaped element has generally a delta shape. 
     
     
         13 . A fluid flow conditioner device for use with a thermal flow instrument having at least a pair of spaced parallel thermal flow thermowells having sensing elements therein configured to be arranged in the media flow in a conduit, the device comprising:
 a wedge shaped element arranged a predetermined distance downstream from said thermowells, said wedge shaped element having at least a pair of walls that diverge in the flow direction.   
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 13 , and further comprising a shroud element partially encompassing said wedge shaped element and said thermowells, said shroud element having passageways therethrough to enable the media to flow through while encountering said wedge shaped element and said thermowells. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein said pair of walls diverge from an apex line defined by the diverging walls, the pair of diverging walls that meet at the apex forming an angle in the range of 90°-140° downstream in the flow direction. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein the apex line is normal to the flow direction and is substantially located between said thermowells. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein at least one of said thermowells includes a heated sensor and the other includes a reference sensor, said heated sensor thermowell being spaced from a respective one of said diverging walls by a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         18 . A fluid flow conditioner device for use with a thermal flow instrument having at least one thermal flow thermowell having a sensing element therein configured to be arranged in the media flow in a conduit, the device comprising:
 a wall element arranged a predetermined distance downstream from said thermowell, said wall element being oriented diagonally with respect to the flow direction; and   a shroud element partially encompassing said wall element and said thermowell, said shroud element having an upstream opening therein, the upstream opening being formed to permit the media to flow into said shroud and impinge upon said thermowell and said wall element.   
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein said wall element is arranged at an angle in the range of 45°-70° with respect to the flow direction. 
     
     
         20 . A fluid flow conditioner device for use with a thermal flow instrument having at least a pair of spaced parallel thermal flow thermowells having sensing elements therein configured to be arranged in the media flow in a conduit, the device comprising:
 a shroud element partially encompassing said thermowells, said shroud element having an upstream opening therein configured to permit media to flow into said shroud and impinging upon said thermowells.   
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 20 , and further comprising at least one wall member adjacent to and spaced from at least one said thermowell at an angle of 45°-70° with respect to the media flow direction.