JPH0277617A - Impeller flowmeter equipped with steam separator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the inflow of a liquid and foreign matter and to accurately measure the flow rate only of gas by revolving the gas flowing in a flowmeter from the inlet thereof at the time of the passage through an annular space by a revolving blade. CONSTITUTION:The gas flowing in a flowmeter 2 from the inlet 10 thereof passes through an annular space 16 to be revolved by a revolving blade 24 and centrifugal force acts on revolving matter. At this time, condensed water or solid foreign matter is thrown out to the outside of the revolving stream because the mass thereof is larger than that of gas and impinges on the peripheral wall 13 of a water sump chamber 26 to fall along the surface of said wall. The gas at the central part of the revolving stream passes through the apertures of the partition wall 13 to go toward the impeller 14 of the flowmeter 2 and the impeller 14 is rotated by the dynamic pressure of said gas to measure a flow rate. The liquid stored in the water sump chamber 26 is discharged out of the chamber 26 from a drain valve 6. The revolving blades 24 of the impeller can be incorporated in a narrow space 16 because of small parts. Further, since a steam separator 4 has good separation efficiency, clogging is reduced and a structure becomes small-sized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an impeller flow meter for gases such as steam and compressed air, and particularly to a structure equipped with a steam/water separator.

<Prior art> Impeller flowmeters are called impeller type or impeller type.
An impeller is placed in the fluid, and the dynamic pressure of the fluid is used to rotate the impeller, and the instantaneous flow rate is measured from the number of rotations, and the integrated flow rate is measured from the number of rotations.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> High-pressure gases such as steam and compressed air produced by boilers and compressors contain condensed water and solid foreign matter. Flowmeters have had problems in that these water and foreign substances wear and corrode the blades and sliding parts, and that accurate measurements cannot be made due to direct impact on the impeller.

In order to solve this problem, a steam separator and a strainer were connected in this order upstream of the flow meter, each having a connection part such as a 7-lunge, and these were connected together. A steam-water separator was designed to separate water and foreign matter by colliding gas against a partition wall installed in a separation chamber, and was equipped with a drain valve and a dedicated strainer.

However, this configuration requires extremely long piping and requires a large space for installation. Furthermore, since the separation effect of the steam/water separator is poor, a fine-mesh and therefore large strainer must be installed downstream of the steam-water separator. Furthermore, there is a problem that a large number of valves and members are required, the piping is complicated, and the equipment is expensive.

Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention is to produce a flow meter having a steam/water separation function in a small shape.

<Means for solving the problems> The technical means of the present invention taken to solve the above problems are as follows:
The part of the casing of the impeller flow meter that surrounds the impeller is extended downward to form a water reservoir chamber below the impeller, and an annular partition is provided above the water reservoir chamber. The upper part of the annular space communicates with the inlet, the lower part communicates with the water reservoir chamber, and the water reservoir chamber communicates with the lower space of the impeller through a hole inside the partition wall. A swirling blade is placed in the space, and a drain valve is provided at the bottom of the water storage chamber to drain the water that accumulates in the water storage chamber.

The present invention is applicable to both air and steam applications.

Effect> When the gas flowing in from the inlet of the flow meter passes through the annular space between the partition wall and the casing, it is swirled by the swirl vanes provided there. Centrifugal force acts on a rotating object. Condensed water and solid foreign matter have a larger mass than gas, so they are swung out to the outside of the swirling flow, hit the surrounding wall of the water storage chamber, and flow along the wall surface. It flows down. The gas in the center of the swirling flow passes through the hole in the partition wall to the impeller of the flowmeter, and its dynamic pressure rotates the impeller to measure the flow rate. The liquid accumulated in the water reservoir chamber is then discharged to the outside of the vessel through the drain valve.

The swirl vane is like a baffle plate that changes the direction of fluid flow, and since it is a small component, it can be incorporated into a narrow annular space. Furthermore, since the steam/water separator with this configuration has good separation efficiency, there is little clogging and there is no need to use a large strainer. Therefore, the structure becomes compact.

<Example> An example showing a specific example of the above technical means will be described. (
(See FIG. 1) This embodiment is a flowmeter for steam, and is composed of a flowmeter section 2, a steam/water separator section 4, and a drain valve section 6. Inlet 1 to main body 8
0, an outlet 12 is formed, the two are separated by a horizontal wall 13, and an impeller 14 of a flowmeter is arranged in a through hole provided in the wall 13. A cylindrical partition member 20 is attached below the impeller 14, and an annular space 16 is formed between it and the main body 8 surrounding it, and the upper part of the partition wall member 20 is connected to the inlet 10 through a cone-shaped screen 31.
The lower part communicates with the upper part of the water storage chamber 26.

Further, the upper part of the water reservoir chamber 26 communicates with the impeller 14 through the central opening of the partition member 20. In the annular space 16, a swirling vane 24 made of an inclined wall is arranged. Further, the lower part of the partition member 20 forms a flared drainage portion 18 that expands outward.

A steam trap is formed at the bottom of the water storage chamber 26 as a drain valve. A drain valve port 28 communicating with the drain port 22 is formed at the bottom of the water reservoir chamber 26. A spherical valve float 30 is displaceably housed and covered with a float cover 32. A ventilation hole 34 is opened in the upper part of the float cover 32.

Therefore, when the steam flowing in from the inlet 10 passes through the annular space 16, its direction is bent by the swirl vanes 24 and the steam is swirled. Liquid and solid foreign matter have a larger mass than steam, so they are blown out and hit the surrounding inner walls of the main body, forming a water reservoir chamber 26.
Only light vapor flows through the central opening of the bulkhead member 20 toward the impeller 14, through which it exits to the outlet 12. The valve float 30 rises and falls with the water level in the water reservoir chamber 26 to open and close the drain valve port 28, and automatically discharges condensate and foreign matter accumulated in the water reservoir chamber 26 to the outside of the vessel.

The impeller 14 is attached to a shaft 36, and the shaft 36 is rotatably supported at its lower part by a bearing 38 provided in the central opening in the partition member 20 and at its upper part by a bearing 40 in the main body.

On the other hand, a recess 42 is formed in the upper part of the main body 8, and the impeller 14
A partition wall 44 is provided between the partition wall 44 and the upper space, and the bearing 40 is located in the center of the partition wall 44. A magnetic body 46 is attached to the upper part of the shaft 36 that protrudes from the bearing 40, and a protector 48 is provided to surround it, so that the magnetic body 46 prevents fluid leaking from the gap between the bearing 40 and the shaft 36 from flowing out of the device. 46 space and the space above it. Part numbers 5Qa and 5Q are nuts for fixing the protector 48.

A lid member 52 is fixed to the upper part of the main body 8 so as to cover the recess 42. A bearing 54 is fitted into the center thereof, and an output shaft 56 is fitted into the center thereof. A magnetized arm 58 is attached to the lower part of the output shaft 56 so as to surround the protector 48, and the upper part projects above the lid member 52, and a disc 60 is attached to the upper part. A small hole 62 is formed in the outer peripheral edge of the disk 60, and a photointerrupter 64 is arranged to sandwich the small hole 62. The disk 60 and the photo interrupter 64 are covered with a case 68 to protect them.

Although not shown, a draining plate 70 having a star shape in plan view is attached to a position slightly below the lowermost partition wall member 20 of the shaft 36.

The steam from which liquid and foreign matter have been separated by the steam separator rotates the impeller 14 by its dynamic pressure. When the impeller 14 rotates, the integrally formed shaft 36 and magnetic body 46 also rotate at the same time.

As the magnetic body 46 rotates, its magnetic force is transmitted to the magnetized arm 58 through the protector 48, and simultaneously rotates the disc 60 via the output shaft 56. The disk 60 has a small hole 6
2 is opened, an output signal is output only when this small hole 62 passes through the photointerrupter 64, and the number of this signal becomes the rotation speed of the impeller 14. In other words, since the flow rate and the rotation speed of the impeller are approximately proportional to each other, the flow rate can be determined by knowing the rotation speed. Normally, this value is a volumetric flow rate, but if the data required by the calculation section 66 are considered, any output value can be obtained. For example, by multiplying the volumetric flow rate by the specific weight of steam corresponding to the pressure, the weight flow rate is obtained.

In addition, the rotation of the shaft 36 also rotates the draining plate 70, and the liquid valve that could not be removed by the steam separator can be further removed by colliding with the draining plate 70 and shaking it out in the circumferential direction.

<Effects of the Invention> In order to prevent the inflow of liquid and foreign matter, accurate flow rate measurement of only gas can be performed. In addition, damage to the impeller due to liquid and foreign matter is eliminated, and initial performance can be maintained for a long time. In other words, it has a longer lifespan.

Because it is an integrated type, compared to the conventional combination of a steam separator, drain valve, strainer, and flowmeter, it can be installed in the same extremely short space as a single flowmeter with simple piping. Furthermore, equipment costs are extremely low.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment showing a specific example of the present invention. 2: Flow meter section 4: Steam separator section 6: Drain valve section
8: Main body 10: Inlet 12: Outlet 14: Impeller 20: Partition wall member 30: Valve float 36: Shaft 46: Magnetic material 58: Magnetized arm 66: Arithmetic unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Extend the part of the casing of the impeller flow meter that surrounds the impeller downward to form a water reservoir chamber below the impeller, and provide an annular partition above the water reservoir chamber, and connect the partition wall and the outside thereof. The upper part of the annular space communicates with the inlet, the lower part communicates with the water reservoir chamber, and the water reservoir chamber communicates with the lower space of the impeller through a hole inside the partition wall. , an impeller flow meter equipped with a steam separator with swirling vanes arranged in an annular space and a drain valve provided at the bottom of the water reservoir chamber to discharge water accumulated in the water reservoir chamber.