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Development of flow meter electronics
If you want to make a stand-alone flow meter or independently
integrate the flow measuring function in a system, this is the
scope of work involved in incorporating D-Flow Technology and
UFO ASIC into your product.
Optimizing flow tube hydraulics
During the development stage, D-Flow will assist you in the
hydraulic design of your flow meter. D-Flow technology can be
used in various types of hydraulic design. Most common is the
diagonal design in which the transducers are mounted diagonally
in relation to the flow. Different kinds of straight configuration
are also possible, where the transducers are mounted in line
with the flow.
Transducer development
D-Flow transducers for liquids are specially designed for ultrasonic
flow measurement with the sing-around method. The transducer
is a piezo-based transducer made from PEEK. It is designed to
have a high frequency broad banded signal to give a large first
flank to trig on. The smart, cost-effective solution makes this
transducer suitable for high-volume applications. The PEEK material
is approved for both medical and industrial applications and
therefore suitable for a wide range of flow measurement applications.
For gas applications we use transducers from other suppliers.
Software development
D-Flow has developed two software products that are the basis
for developing your flow meter:
1. Meter Kernel: The Meter
Kernel software operates the microprocessor controlling the
UFO ASIC, reading the sing-around time loops and calculating
the flow rate as velocity or accumulated volume. The Meter Kernel
software can send either calculated data to the PC or raw data
to be calculated in the PC. The Meter Kernel software is authored
in C.
2. Meter control: The
Meter Control software is for the PC, initialising and calibrating
the flow meter. It has flow calculation features as well as
data logging functions for debugging and development. The Meter
Control software is authored in Java.
Tests and approvals
D-Flow can assist with many different tests during the development
process. We have access to test and calibration facilities for
gas and liquid flow meters. High accuracy tests can be performed
in air and water at different temperatures in wide flow ranges.
We can also perform environmental tests. The capacity of a flow
meter or a transducer to withstand pressure and temperature
variations can be investigated. The test station can be used
for both maximum load and long-duration testing. Furthermore,
together with the EMC Center at Luleå University of Technology,
D-Flow can also execute all requisite tests for CE compliance
certification. |
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