ULTRAFLOW 150
ULTRASONIC GAS FLOW AND TEMPERATURE MONITOR

(click on each component for more details)
State-of-the-art signal processing
and innovative modularity offers customers incomparable performance, accuracy,
flexibility and the most maintenance-free solution amongst all flow technologies.
ETL/CE Certfied
As thousands of customers have come to know, the UltraFlow 100 & 150
offer outstanding benefits over other technologies, including:
•
Non-intrusive probe design mitigates corrosion, erosion and agglomeration of the
transducers…leading to years of uninterruptible
operation and reliability
• Flow measurement is intrinsically independent of flue gas
composition, pressure, temperature, viscosity, etc…thereby
eliminating continual corrections to flow equations
• Long-path average measurement methodology…leading to
far superior accuracies versus single point systems like pitot tubes and
thermal flow systems
• Ultra-low drift operation <1.0%…eliminating
the hassles of continual calibration
• Full system calibration checks…ensures
total system integrity
• Measurement technique intrinsically rejects cyclonic
flow…no high bias as with pitot tubes
• Advanced signal processing
and affordable x-pattern configuration rejects pitch effects…eliminating
errors of other ultrasonic technologies
Building on the successful
performance of the UltraFlow 100 in over 1300 installations, Teledyne
Monitor Labs has
substantially improved and updated the design of our new
UltraFlow 150. Our objective in our redesign
was to further improve system accuracy, reliability and availability, while
simplifying maintenance and user ability. Some of the
UltraFlow 150’s new features and benefits include:
-
New lower mounting angles (>=15º)
can improve ability of the monitor to reject flow pitch effects
-
5ft. vertical offsets between
transducers eliminates the need for a 2nd platform
-
Can be installed on existing 45º
angles with ease
-
Six-fold increase in resolution
provides even greater accuracy (2-5% not unusual)
-
Programmable response time for process control applications
-
Modularity supports direct interface
models (Model 150DI & 150XDI) as well as "X"-patterns
-
One Transducer Interface Enclosure
(TIE, stack electronics) can handle an “X”-pattern (two sets of transducers)
-
One Enhanced Remote Panel can handle
two Transducer Interface Enclosures ( or two “X”-Patterns or four identical
equivalent stacks/ducts) to reduce capital cost
-
Digital signal conditioning and
processing eliminates any drift problems
-
All programming capable through the
Enhanced Remote Panel or Transducer Interface Enclosure
-
Windows application program to
support programming, archiving, diagnostics, etc. to make life easier
-
Operator capability to program curve
coefficients through the panel or RS232 port
-
Polynomial or three-point look-up
table for the correlation curve
-
Three point look-up table for the
temperature R-factor for improved temperature calculation
-
Support for a stack-mounted
barometric pressure transducer and RTD inputs
-
Local User Display available in the
Transducer Interface Enclosure
-
Signal/Noise diagnostic check to
predict transducer fouling or failure
-
Quick disconnects/connects on
transducer assemblies for easy extraction and insertion
-
Ability to view pre-and-post curve
corrected velocity or flow data
-
Purge system and weather hood are
optional in many cases
-
Single pair of wire to communicate
between the stack and remote panel
Principle of Operation:
The UltraFlow 150 is a non-contacting gas
flow and temperature monitor. The system measures the transit times of tone
bursts through the gas stream to determine both flow and temperature. Transducer
assemblies are usually mounted opposite each other at a 15-45º angle to the flow
on each side of the stack or duct with one transducer upstream from the other.
In unusual locations, a dual set of transducer assemblies (four) can be
installed at a much-reduced angle of offset. This “X”-Pattern provides an
average flow measurement directly up the stack and has the added benefit of
multiple certifications
of both transducers assembly sets. This ensures nearly 100% uptime.
The system
accurately measures the time required for the tone bursts to traverse
the gas stream in each direction. The flow velocity is directly related to the
difference in propagation time, t1 and t2 of the tone bursts with and against
the gas flow. Based on the cross-sectional area of the stack or duct, the flow
velocity is converted to volumetric flow. This flow measurement is independent
of the temperature, density, viscosity and particulate or condensate
concentration.
Differential pressure or thermal flow methods place one or more sensing elements
inside the stack in direct contact with flue gas. These devices are then subject
to erosion, corrosion, plugging or fouling. Verification of the total system
integrity and performance under these conditions must include visual inspection
of the pitot tube openings or hot wire sensing element under Method 2 testing.
Competing ultrasonic technologies lack the integral design of the
UltraFlow 150 and therefore have not performed
in many applications as expected. Low signal power and transducer problems in
non-purged systems have verified that certain designs lack the accurate and
reliable results of the UltraFlow 150.
The following is a short
comparison between Pilot Tubes and Ultrasonics:
|
Ultrasonic vs. Pitot
Tube Performance |
|
Criteria |
Model 150 UltraFlow |
Pitot Tube |
|
Accuracy |
Exceptional with long path average |
Less accurate-single point source |
|
Maintenance Long Term |
Very Low-non-intrusive design with
continuous purge |
Moderate-High: intrusive point design; probe
exposed to erosion, corrosion and plugging. Requires frequent blowback |
|
Drift |
Extremely Stable-digital signal processing |
Poor-with pseudo calibration checks,
line/fitting leaks, no way to identify drift in between RATA's |
|
Level of Sophistication for Maintenance |
Low-all electronic modular design; plug &
play. Self-diagnostics |
Moderate-High: pseudo calibration system,
ballast tank, multiple solenoids and fittings, line leakage, etc., make
it difficult to troubleshoot |
|
Installation Cost |
Moderate-two shallow angled ports on a
single platform |
Low-one-to-four ports on a single platform |
|
Cost of Ownership |
Less-little maintenance, high reliability,
lower RATA results |
More-more routine maintenance, less reliable
due to pneumatic/mechanical design. Higher RATA results |
|
Calibration |
Full system integrity check assures complete
system check and verification |
Pseudo differential pressure cell check does
not directly verify stack mounted pitot tube and cell integrity. |
| |
|
|
With the
UltraFlow 150’s new quad-probe handling
capability, improved resolution and faster response time, the monitor is ideally
suited for both small and large stacks and less than ideal locations. The quad
probe design rejects all pitch angle flow while signal processing improvements
enable provide quicker response time and better accuracy. In certain
applications where stack pressure is negative, the purge system may be
eliminated with an offset of more preventive maintenance.
The
UltraFlow 150 has been designed as a modular unit. The Enhanced
Remote Panel is optional and the Transducer Interface Enclosure (TIE) can
interface directly with a PLC, datalogger or DAS. Each TIE can support an
x-pattern (or two stacks with the same cross-section and full-scale flow). The
Enhanced Remote Panel can also support up to four independent stacks through two TIE
units, or two “X”-Patterns (TIE 1, Path A&B, TIE 2, Path A&B). The purge system
and weather hood is also optional at times.
Components:
Transducer Interface Enclosure
(TIE)
Electrical signals corresponding to acoustic transmit and receive signals are
conveyed via cables between the transducers and the TIE. The
TIE houses
pre-amp driver boards that amplify receive signals and transmit
pulses. A
signal processing board containing a Field
Programmable Gate Array controls timing,
data collection, filtering, boxcar integration and other functions. A
microprocessor board evaluates the box car data and determines time-of-flight,
flow velocity, volume, speed of sound, temperature and signal-to-noise ratio.
All these data values may be viewed via the Enhanced Remote Panel or the
optional Local User Interface (LUI)
Purge Air System
The transducer assemblies are continuously purged by a purge blower. One blower
is provided for each set of transducers. The purge system consists of a blower,
hoses, air filter, mounting plate, and protective weather cover. The platform
mounted purge system blows cool, clean air past the transducers and prevents
condensation and material buildup. Though the purge system may be optional in
certain applications, additional maintenance will be required
Transducer Assemblies
Each of the two transducers acts both as transmitters and receivers. The purge
nozzles are constructed of acid-resistant Teflon with stainless steel or Hastelloy
hardware for easy cleaning and a long service life. The transducer assemblies
are lightweight aluminum stock and can be easily extracted from its mounting
port by disengaging four draw latches.
Enhanced Remote Panel (ERP)
The ERP uses a large, back-lit, LCD graphics display with English-language
menu-driven screens, providing ready access to all information needed for full
use of the system. The keypad is a rugged 20-button ensemble inlaid under a
tough, hard-coated, scratch and chemical resistant Lexan coating, that can be
used to:
-
Display measured parameters
-
Configure the analog outputs,
digital inputs and contact relays
-
Set calibration values and time
parameters
-
View event logs of alarms and
faults
-
Edit all software parameters
-
Load linearization curves for
correlation to Method 2
-
Graph various measured values for
predictive maintenance
-
Diagnostic viewing with numerical
and alphanumerical explanations
Standard with the Enhanced Remote
Panel is a security keylock for protection of important calibration parameters.
System elements communicate over a single twisted pair (FFT) using Lonworks
communication protocol. Bright LED indicator lights are used to indicate faults
and alarms as well as diagnostics.
Local User Interface

A ten-key Lexan keypad is available in the Transducer Interface Enclosure for
use in diagnostics, control, servicing, initiation of calibration, and display
of measured values. Three banks of menus are available through the keypad which
greatly simplifies maintenance on the monitor.
Upgradeability
The former Model 100 can be easily upgraded to a UltraFlow 150. The upgrade
consists of using the existing transducers, transducer assemblies, purge system
and weather hood, the stainless steel stack electronic assembly box and cabling
and wiring. The internal electronics are swapped out of the existing stack
electronics assembly box with the new 150 electronics. Transducers can remain in
their existing 45° orientation if desired, or can be lowered to a shallower
angle.
Call or email for details.
How to Begin?
In the event you decide the UltraFlow 150 is your choice of flow monitoring
technology, Teledyne Monitor Labs engineering will work with your team to make the installation
and operation of the monitor as simple as possible. To begin the process,
engineering needs for your team to fill out the
Model 150 Installation Guide
and fax it back to: (724) 444-5050 or electronically
fill out the
Model 150 Installation Checklist
and submit it by clicking
the “Submit” button at the bottom of the form. We thank you for your business.
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