Experimental investigation of zero phase shift effects for Coriolis flowmeters due to pipe imperfections

Abstract Theoretical investigations of a single, straight, vibrating, fluid-conveying pipe have resulted in simple analytical expressions for the approximate prediction of the spatial shift in vibration phase. The expressions have lead to hypotheses for real Coriolis flowmeters (CFMs). To test these, the flexural vibrations of two bent, parallel, non-fluid-conveying pipes are studied experimentally, employing an industrial CFM. Special attention has been paid on the phase shift in the case of zero mass flow, i.e. the zero shift, caused by various imperfections to the “perfect” CFM, i.e. non-uniform pipe damping and mass, and on ambient temperature changes. Experimental observations confirm the hypothesis that asymmetry in the axial distribution of damping will induce zero shifts similar to the phase shifts due to fluid flow. Axially symmetrically distributed damping was observed to influence phase shift at an order of magnitude smaller than the primary effect of mass flow, while small added mass and ambient temperature changes induced zero shifts two orders of magnitude smaller than the phase shifts due to mass flow. The order of magnitude of the induced zero shifts indicates that non-uniform damping, added mass as well as temperature changes could be causes contributing to a time-varying measured zero shift, as observed with some commercial CFMs. The conducted experimental tests of the theoretically based hypotheses have shown that simple mathematical models and approximate analysis allow general conclusions, that may provide a direct insight, and help increasing the benefit of time consuming numerical simulations and laboratory experiments.