Optimization of the Tracer Particle Addition Method for PIV Flowmeters

Abstract

When a PIV flowmeter is used to measure a large flow of natural gas, the flow field fluctuation and particle distribution have a significant influence on the measurement accuracy and the particle injection mode plays a key role in the flow field fluctuation and particle distribution. To improve the measurement accuracy of PIV flowmeters, the method of filling tracer particles in single pipes, multiple pipes, and L pipes of a natural gas DN100 pipeline under high-pressure working conditions was compared and analyzed through numerical calculation and testing. The results show that the disturbance distance of filling particles in L pipes was the shortest, but the particle distribution area was small, whereas the flow metering error was large. By shortening the intersection distance between the L tube injection flow field and the main flow field, the problem that the particles failed to fill the test area was effectively solved, and the peak turbulence intensity at the intersection of the flow field decreased from 13.4% to 8%. Furthermore, the optimized structure was used to measure a flow of 100–600 m3/h with different flow rates. The relative error between the flowmeter and the ultrasonic flowmeter was approximately 2%, and the metering deviation was significantly improved.