Contactless Electromagnetic Phase-Shift Flowmeter for Liquid Metals

TL;DR

This paper introduces a contactless electromagnetic phase-shift flowmeter for liquid metals that measures flow rate via phase disturbances caused by eddy currents, offering improved robustness over amplitude-based methods.

Contribution

It presents a novel phase-shift based flowmeter design for liquid metals, supported by theoretical analysis and experimental validation.

Findings

Phase disturbance measurement is more robust than amplitude.

The flowmeter effectively measures liquid metal flow rates.

Theoretical models align with experimental results.

Abstract

We present a concept and test results of an eddy-current flowmeter for liquid metals. The flow rate is determined by applying a weak ac magnetic field to a liquid metal flow and measuring the flow-induced phase disturbance in the external electromagnetic field. The phase disturbance is found to be more robust than that of the amplitude used in conventional eddy-current flowmeters. The basic characteristics of this type of flowmeter are analysed using simple theoretical models, where the flow is approximated by a solid body motion. Design of such a flowmeter is presented and its test results reported.