Experimental investigation on mass flow rate measurements using fibre Bragg grating sensors

26th International Cryogenic Engineering Conference & International Cryogenic Materials Conference 2016

材料科学;物理学

Thekkethil, S.R.^1,2 ; Thomas, R.J.^2 ; Neumann, H.^1 ; Ramalingam, R.^1

Institute for Technical Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany^1

Department of Mechanical Engineering, T.K.M. College of Engineering, India^2

关键词: Atmospheric conditions;    Bragg wavelength shift;    Experimental investigations;    Fibre Bragg grating sensors;    Magnetic interference;    Mass flow rate measurement;    Measurement and control;    Performance parameters;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/171/1/012136/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1757-899X/171/1/012136

学科分类：材料科学（综合）

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

Flow measurement and control of cryogens is one of the major requirements of systems such as superconductor magnets for fusion reactors, MRI magnets etc. They can act as an early diagnostic tool for detection of any faults and ensure correct distribution of cooling load while also accessing thermal performance of the devices. Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors provide compact and accurate measurement systems which have added advantages such as immunity towards electrical and magnetic interference, low attenuation losses and remote sensing. This paper summarizes the initial experimental investigations and calibration of a novel FBG based mass flow meter. This design utilizes the viscous drag due to the flow to induce a bending strain on the fibre. The strain experienced by the fibre will be proportional to the flowrate and can be measured in terms of Bragg wavelength shift. The flowmeter is initially tested at atmospheric conditions using helium. The results are summarized and the performance parameters of the sensor are estimated. The results were also compared to a numerical model and further results for liquid helium is also reported. An overall sensitivity of 29 pm.(g.s-1)-1was obtained for a helium flow, with a resolution of 0.2 g.s-1. A hysteresis error of 8 pm was also observed during load-unload cycles. The sensor is suitable for further tests using cryogens.