FUNDAMENTALS OF ULTRASONIC FLOW METERS

Keven Conrad and Larry Lynnworth

Panametrics, Inc.
7255 Langtry, Houston, TX 77040-6626 and 221 Crescent Street, Waltham, MA 02453-3497

ABSTRACT
Ultrasonic contrapropagation methods have been used
to measure the flow of natural gas since the 1970s, flare
gases since the 1980s, and smokestack gases in cem
(continuous emissions monitoring) since the 1990s. Since
the early 2000s, ultrasonic clamp-on flow measurements,
previously restricted mainly to liquids, were found
effective in measuring in standard steel pipes, the flow
of steam, natural gas and other gases and vapors,
including air, as long as the flow velocity was not so high
as to cause excessive beam drift or excessive turbulence
(in other words, below about Mach 0.1), and provided
the acoustic impedance of the gas was equivalent to air
above about six bar and no important molecular
absorption or scattering mechanisms were present.
Although the flow of gases by ultrasonics has long been
thought to be more difficult to measure than liquids, in
fact the measurement is easier in two important respects.
One is, for the contrapropagation method, the upstream
- downstream time difference is generally much greater
for gases, as a consequence of the much lower sound
speeds in gases compared to liquids. The other
significant factor that becomes important in mass flow
metering (including scfm output) is the existence of
theoretical and/or empirical relationships between
ultrasonic propagation and density, where either of such
relationships is easier to exploit for gases than for liquids.
To provide an idea of the scope of applications
addressable with ultrasonic technology that is
commercially available now or likely to be available in
the near future, this paper starts with an analysis from
the point of view of acoustic impedance; considers
designs as a function of the number of nozzles, from
zero to a dozen; and lists factors conducive to high
accuracy versus factors detrimental to high accuracy,
i.e., conducive to uncertainty.
INTRODUCTION
Ultrasonic contrapropagation methods have been used
to measure the flow of natural gas since the 1970s, flare
gases since the 1980s, and smokestack gases in cem
(continuous emissions monitoring) since the 1990s.
Contrapropagation means sound waves are timed in a
direction with the flow and later or simultaneously, against
the flow. At low Mach number, <<1, the time difference
is directly proportional to the flow velocity VPATH along
the path. Even at Mach 0.1 the time difference is very
nearly proportional to the velocity along the path. In any
event, by timing upstream and downstream, the correct
velocity can be computed along the path.

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Depending on the uncertainty in flow profile, the velocity

along the path or paths can be converted to an areaaveraged velocity VAVG. For a single path it is common to
relate the path and area-averaged velocities by a meter
factor K defined by K = VAVG/VPATH. The actual volumetric
flowrate Q = VAVG A where A = area of the conduit. This
means Q = KVPATH. In certain multipath flowmeters the
paths and weights assigned to the paths are such that
the resulting integration of individual path measurements
is largely independent of profile details. Of course, as
the flow departs from ideal conditions, even a quadrature
integration method becomes less accurate, but in many
practical situations, accuracies better than 0.5% are
routinely obtained.
Since the early 2000s, ultrasonic clamp-on flow
measurements, previously restricted mainly to liquids,
were found effective in measuring in standard steel pipes,
the flow of steam, natural gas and other gases and
vapors, including air, as long as the flow velocity was
not so high as to cause excessive beam drift or excessive
turbulence (in other words, below about Mach 0.1), and
provided the acoustic impedance of the gas was
equivalent to air above about six bar and no important
molecular absorption or scattering mechanisms were
present. The caveats mean, avoid carbon dioxide; avoid
some or all halogen vapors; and beware of mist or
particulate-laden gases. Another limit: the gas (or steam)
temperature T cannot exceed the T limit of the transducer
or couplant, whichever is lower. [1, 12]
Although the flow of gases by ultrasonics has long been
thought to be more difficult to measure than liquids, in
fact the measurement is easier in two important respects.
One is, for the contrapropagation method, the upstream
- downstream time difference is generally much greater
for gases, as a consequence of the much lower sound
speeds in gases compared to liquids. (Exception:
hydrogen gas; its sound speed at 100C ~ speed of sound
in ordinary water.) The other significant factor that
becomes important in mass flow metering (including scfm
output) is the existence of theoretical and/or empirical
relationships between ultrasonic propagation (sound
speed c and/or attenuation coefficient ) and molecular
weight or density, where such relationships may be easier
to exploit for gases than for liquids. Examples supporting
the determination of gas density from ultrasonic
measurements, after T compensation, include: the
amplitude of the received signal in still gas is nearly
proportional to gas pressure; the sound speed c is
inversely proportional to the square root of MW
(molecular weight), and gas density is proportional to

molecular weight times pressure. At high molecular

weight and/or high pressure, these simple (linear)
approximations are inadequate. Virial equations and
supercompressibility provide a remedy.
To provide an idea of the scope of applications
addressable with ultrasonic technology that is
commercially available now or likely to be available in the
near future, this paper starts with a short theoretical section
in which the contrapropagation equations are derived. This
is followed by profile considerations. Then we go to
acoustic impedance. Lastly, we consider designs as a
function of the number of nozzles, from zero to a dozen;
and list factors conducive to high accuracy versus factors
detrimental to high accuracy, i.e., conducive to small or
large uncertainty. There are other fundamentals besides
these. However, to keep this paper to reasonable length,
only these topics are treated. The references, particularly
the 2002 paper by Walters et al. [15] deal with aspects
beyond the scope of this paper.

t =

2LV / c2
= (2LV / c2) (1 + MN2 + MN4 + ...)
1 MN

(5)

At sufficiently small Mach numbers, the following

approximations are valid:
V c2t/2L and t 2LV/c2

(6 & 6a)

2. Profile Considerations
As is well known [2], flow of any fluid in a pipe is lower
near the wall and higher near the center. Disturbances
upstream or downstream perturb the profile and most
real profiles are not symmetrical about the axis. Gas flow
profiles can be more complicated than simple liquid
profiles for various reasons including: (a) gases are
compressible; (b) at high Mach number, MN 0.3, the
flow itself becomes compressible flow; (c) condensate
perturbs the boundary conditions and can materially
affect the duct area A available for gas flow. See Table 2.

DISCUSSION
Theory
1. Equations for a Contrapropagation Flowmeter
In the contrapropagation method, ultrasonic (or
sometimes audible) waves are transmitted upstream and
downstream. From the transit times t1 and t2 in each
direction, and knowledge of the path and flow profile,
the average flow velocity VA is determined. A rather
simple derivation of the basic flow-sensing equation is
possible if one imagines a fluid of sound speed c flowing
at a uniform velocity V < c in a duct of cross-sectional
area A, interrogated by two point sensors on the axis
and spaced a distance L apart. The transit times in the
upstream and downstream directions, respectively, are
t1 = L/(c V) and t2 = L/(c + V).

(1 & 1a)

The reciprocals of these transit times, when multiplied

by the axial projection of the axial interaction path L, are
L/t1 = c V and L/t2 = c + V.

(2 & 2a)

Accordingly,

t
t1t2

] [ ]

(3)

] [ ]

(4)

V=

L
2

1
t2

1 = L
t1
2

c=

L
2

1
t2

1 = L
t1
2

and

t
t1t2

The upstream-downstream time difference can be

obtained from Equation (1) as t = 2LV/(c2-V2). This can
be expressed in terms of the Mach number MN=V/c for
MN << 1:

Liquids. To deal with complex liquid flow patterns in such

a way that an accurate measure of total flow is obtained
despite the complexity, manufacturers of ultrasonic
flowmeters found that one diameter path did not suffice.
Thus we find a progression from one diameter traverse
in [14] to crossed diameter paths in [13], and quadrature
multipath solutions in [2(b) or 7]. Essentially the same
quadrature multipaths were utilized for high-accuracy
(low-uncertainty) gas flow measurement. Midradius paths
are also used, but unlike the history for liquids, their first
use (1975) by Roger C. Baker appears to be in air [cited
in 7 & 15 ] , later in liquids and most recently, in natural
gas by Jan G. Drenthen and his colleagues. [See 2(b) or
15 for these references].
3. Acoustic Impedance Z
The characteristic acoustic impedance Z = c where =
gas density and c = sound speed in the gas. Why is Z
important? Because it determines the fraction of available
ultrasonic energy from the transducer transmitted into
the gas, and vice versa. Figure 1(a) plots gases, liquids
and solids as a function of their and c. As this is a loglog plot, lines having a slope of 1 are lines of constant
Z. The Z for most solids, say steel, is orders of magnitude
greater than for methane or any other gas at ordinary
conditions of temperature T and pressure P. Solids are
in the >10 megarayl range. Gases are in the 0.1 to 1
kilorayl range. [Plots for gases only are given in Figs.
1(b-d). When c yields average MW (molecular weight) or
density, mass flowrate MF is not far behind.]
Entering a gas on such a chart requires that the gas
sound speed and density are known. Entries are usually
associated with STP (0 C, 760 mm Hg). The locus for
methane, if examined carefully, reveals a slight increase
in c as P increases, as well as the expected nearly
proportionate increase in density as P increases.

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The departure from linearity between density and

pressure is often treated by a supercompressibility factor.
See for example, pages 29-52 in the chapter by Bill
Buzzard in David W. Spitzers 2001 book cited in [2].
One of the ways of overcoming some of the large
mismatch in impedances for gases at or near atmospheric
pressure is to build the transducer with a quarterwave
impedance matcher between the solid piezoelectric (of
high Z) and the gas. Figure 2(a) shows a T7 transducer
built this way. To preserve the transducer from unwanted
effects of the gas, a Ti, SS or other thin metal layer
surrounds the piezo and matcher, in these designs [8; 8(b)].
Sometimes, as in cem (continuous emissions monitoring),
one transducer is not enough, so arrays are used [Fig. 2(b)].
Fiberacoustic BWT bundled waveguides [6] have been
used in many gas applications (up to ~ 500C) without
any matcher [Fig. 2 (c), (d)].
This matching idea works if the transducer is wetted,
i.e., in contact with the gas as in Figure 2(a). In clamp-on
(Figure 3) the transducer wedge contacts the steel (or
other material), not the gas, so another solution is
necessary to overcome the mismatch. Clamp &
installation details are given in Fig. 3(b-d).
One might say the low Z of a gas is mostly due to its low
density, compared to steel or other elastic solids. We can
also ask, are there special consequences of the low c of a
gas, say methane, compared to steel? One consequence
is, in clamp-on, the angle of the sound beam refracted
into the gas is small, say 5 to 8 deg, according to a
calculation using Snells Law of Refraction. This implies,
a V measurement along a path only a few degrees off
normal, is going to be very sensitive to crossflow. If
crossflow is significant, crossed clamp-on paths as shown
in Figure 3(f) may be necessary. A second consequence
of low c and small refracted angle is that paths off the
diameter (as seen in the end view) are not reachable with
todays technology. This means a clamp-on quadrature
is out of reach. Exception: hybrid [Figure 4(g)].
The good news associated with low c is the time
difference t between upstream and downstream
interrogations is larger, typically in the many (tens of)
microseconds range, compared to liquids, where t may
be just a few microsences and must be resolved to 1 ns
or less. On the other hand, the attenuation coefficient in
gases is usually much higher than in liquids, and along
with impedance mismatch, constrains the ultrasonic
frequency to be < 1 MHz for gases, whereas for liquids
> 1 MHz is common.
How long have we waited for a practical clamp-on
ultrasonic flowmeter for gases to become available
commercially? One answer is thirty-nine years. This
answer is based on (a) the GC868 announcement in [9],
and on (b) the last paragraph in [14]. That 1966 patent is
one of the earliest (perhaps the earliest) clamp-on U.S.
patents for liquid flow, and claims a Japanese priority
date of 1962.

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4. Designs As a Function of the Number of Nozzles

Zero Nozzles. This means clamp-on (Figure 3). For
details see [1 & 9] or www.panametrics.com, PCI or PCI
R&D pages, Ultrasonic Report UR-264. Accuracies
around 2% have been achieved with one path. Crossed
diameters can improve the accuracy, as in [13]. As of
mid-2002, applications were restricted in general to metal
pipes of diameter >3 inches (>75 mm) but less than about
2 ft (600 mm). These are guidelines. At high pressure, if
V is not too high, gas flows in pipes as large as 30 inches
have been measured by clamp-on. Bad pipe, heavy wall,
noisy environment, and/or access limited to one side,
can frustrate the method. Success depends on a number
of factors, including the state of the equipment, e.g., its
software version, as well as pipe and flow conditions.
As has been the practice for liquids since the 1960s and
1970s [11, 13, 14], measurements in planes (X in end
view) yield better accuracy than measurements in one
plane only. Unlike liquids [Fig. 3(a), parts (1) & (7)], the
vee path, with both transducers on the same side of the
pipe, is hard to use when the fluid is a gas, because of
too much acoustic crosstalk. Sometimes crosstalk is
called acoustic short circuit noise.
One Nozzle. Insertion probes can go in oblique or
normal. Some ultrasonic solutions use an intrusive
reflector but the transducers themselves are flush to the
ID or recessed by up to a foot (300 mm) or so if the gas
is hot. The advantages of the one-port compared to >1
port are economy and ease of installation. Drawbacks
are accuracy, to the extent the profile is uncertain. The
one-port samples only a small chord segment. If the
reflector is located about 60% of the radius in from the
wall, and to the extent the profile obeys a Nikuradse
power law, then the flow averaged from the wall to that
reflector nearly equals VAVG. However, the length of the
chord segment, in the end view, is only 0.3D where
D = pipe inside diameter. This small sample may be
contrasted with multipath sampling for a 12-nozzle
spoolpiece referred to at the end of this section. Oneports are shown in [15].
Two Nozzles. Examples from the flare gas world are
given in [10 & 15]. The bias 90 arrangement samples a
short chord segment but seems to provide adequate
accuracy. It is probably the most common hot-tap
geometry for flare gas flow measurements.
Twelve Nozzles. Custody transfer spoolpieces shown
in Figure 4(d) use crossed paths (hence four transducers
per plane) in each of three parallel planes (hence 12
transducers total).
Accuracies (by which we mean uncertainties) are 0.5%
or better, 0.3% in some tests. By using transducers
shown in Figure 4(e), tests can be run in air at atmospheric
pressure. Air calibration allows relatively economical
testing under various disturbed-flow conditions such as
upstream elbows, diameter changes, partly open valve,

or their combinations. [3] Quadrature integration (Figure

4) is intended to suppress the effects of flow profile. The

measurement of secondary flow, especially circulation,

is dealt with in [5].

TABLE 1.
Factors Conducive to High Accuracy Versus Factors Detrimental to
High Accuracy, i.e., Conducive to Uncertainty
High accuracy if:

Low accuracy or uncertain results if:

Long straight run, steady flow, single phase

Nearby upstream disturbances; intermittently twophase or multiphase

Quiet environment, no electrical interference

Noisy environment; crosstalk unavoidable

Good pipe (concentric ID & OD), roughness known

and not changing

Rough or scaled pipe, roughness unknown and subject

to changes over time; gas fouls transducers

Gas is known and does not exhibit molecular

absorption; T & P allow good transmission;
equipment provides adequate reciprocity (signals
from A B look like signals B A)

Highly attenuative, e.g., carbon dioxide, halogens;

P too low or T too high, such that absorption due to
classical viscosity and thermal conductivity effects
is high

Flow velocity is in a range such that the t falls into

an easily measured range; no cycle skip; no packet
skip; no ambiguity about arrival time

V is too low or too high to be accurately and reliably

measured by the available sensors and electronics

FIGURE 1. Some basic acoustic ideas and facts for gases. (a) Impedance nomogram for gases, liquids and solids. (b) In
this c plot for gases, the cs range from ~100 to 1300 ms-1, the MWs from 2 to 240, but , the ratio of specific heats, lies
between 1 and 1.67. The effect of gas absolute temperature T is shown on cAr when argon is heated at constant density,
drawn assuming cAr increases in proportion to T1/2. (c) Flare gas: empirical relation between c at 38C and average molecular
weight (MW) for 2 MW 58. (d) Air density vs temperature T. Sound speed c vs T. vs c.
(P = 760 mm for graphs -.) Note that even if RH (relative humidity) is not known, between 0C and 60C, c yields with
small uncertainty. For details see Matson, J., Mariano, C. F., Khrakovsky, O., and Lynnworth, L. C., Ultrasonic Mass
Flowmeters Using Clamp-On or Wetted Transducers Proc of the 5th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement
(April 7-10, 2002) or refer to the website of the authors firm, where Ultrasonic Report UR-240 may be posted.
2002 Panametrics.

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TABLE 2.
Diameter, midradii, their combination, tomographic and quadrature arrangements.
Complex flow patterns, high-accuracy, motivate multipaths on or off the diameter.

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FIGURE 2. Some transducer fundamentals. (a) T7 air transducer for 100-kHz operation has a flange OD = 19 mm and is
internally impedance-matched [8]. (b) Array of sources as used in cem (continuous emissions monitoring) applications
[4]. (c) Left: BWT bundle waveguide icon represents a fiberacoustic waveguide. Right: Close-up photo of a BWT
transducer. (d) Details of an early BWT transducer from the mid-1990s [6].

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FIGURE 3. (a) Refraction with clamp-on, calculated assuming a refracted angle 2 of 60 for a shear wave in the steel pipe,
depends on sound speed c3 in the fluid. Referring to items (1)-(3) commercial contrapropagation clamp-on flowmeters
available since the early 1990s include the PT868 and 6068 for measuring the flow of liquids. In water, the vee path usually
works, and 3 is about 25 at room temperature. In air, 3.AIR is only about 6 and the transducers usually need to be placed
on opposite sides of the pipe. (5) For liquid clamp-on, the vee path [shown in (1)] tends to cancel crossflow as well as
double the sensitivity to flow compared to a single traverse. For gases, odd numbers of traverses are preferred, to reduce
crosstalk. This means, if crossflow is significant, crossed paths are recommended. The velocities measured along the
legs of the X should be averaged. Best solution: find a long straight run far from disturbances and joints. For gases
[diagrams (4) & (5)] the flowmeter instrument (6) introduced in 2001 is the GC868 (Ao, 1999; Ao, et al. (2002); Lynnworth
2001). Diagram (7), drawn for LOX or LN2, shows the refracted angle 3 16, nearly midway between water (25) and air
(6). (b) Clamp and gas paths, schematic. (c) Clamps and instrument for clamp-on gas flow measurement [1, 12]. (d)
Application on steam.
2001 Panametrics.

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FIGURE 4. (a) Example of a solid PanAdapta precision plug for liquids. This plug is not to be removed when the line is
pressurized as it is a permanent part of the pressure boundary. Its outer surface is prepared to receive a removable
transducer. Frequency range: 0.5 to 5 MHz. (b) Similar to preceding case except the plug for gases consists of a bundle
of thin waveguides welded within a sleeve. The bundle plug can be as short as one inch or as long as several feet (25.4
mm to ~1 m). This sleeved sealed waveguide construction allows the removable piezoelectric transducer assembly to be
separated from the buffer bundle. (c) Schematics show planes of measurement in end view, and the crossed paths in a
three-dimensional SolidWorks rendition. (d) Photos of a spoolpiece manufactured by RMG and corresponding to the
schematics in (c). (e) Example of a T11 transducer. It is Ti-housed, internally quarter-wave matched, and twelve of them
are used in (d). (f) Plugged version of (c). (g) Liquid version of the concept shown in (f).

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FIGURE 5. Plastic pipe, air flow at atmospheric pressure. These measurements, made by our colleague Oleg Khrakovsky,
used ordinary liquid flowmeter clamp-on equipment, which was sufficient because the pipe was plastic, not steel.

Schematic
FIGURE 6.
Short, thick-walled N-path spoolpiece whose OD matches
flange raised face dimensions. The flanged transducer
is the T7 air transducer [ 8(c)] shown in Figure 2(a).

FIGURE 7.
Hybrid example: cow = clamp-on + wetted
transducers.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The work reported here includes important contributions
from Shirley Ao, Jim Hill, and their and the authors
colleagues. The authors acknowledge Panametrics
permission to reproduce passages, tables and
illustrations from its copyrighted reports including

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UR-273 and -274.www. Saul Jacobson, Toan Nguyen,

David Hesketh, Jed Matson, Paul Ceglia and others at
Panametrics and Hans J. Kastner, Andreas Weber and
others at RMG contributed to the equipment in Figure 4(d).
The manuscript was prepared by Lin L. Leeming.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES

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Li, X. S., Ultrasonic Clamp-On Flow Measurement
of Natural Gas, Steam and Compressed Air,
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Symposium, Fluid Flow Measurement) (April 7-10,
2002).
2. Brown, A. E., Ultrasonic Flowmeters, in Spitzer, D.
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(1991); (b) Brown, A., and Lynnworth, L., Ultrasonic
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Measurement - Practical Guides for Measurement
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(Oct. 22-25, 2002).
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8. Lynnworth, L. C., Patch, D. R. and Mellish, W. C.,

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Ultrasonics, SU-31 (2) pp. 101-104 (March 1984);
(b) Lynnworth, L. C., Fowler, K. A. and Patch, D. R.,
Sealed, Matched Piezoelectric Transducer, U. S.
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10. Smalling, J. W., Braswell, L. D., Lynnworth, L. C. and
Wallace, D. R., Flare Gas Ultrasonic Flow Meter,
Proceedings 39th Texas A&M Annual Symposium on
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Braswell, L. D. and Lynnworth, L. C., Apparatus and
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S. Patent 4,596,133 (June 24, 1986); (c) U. S. Patent
4,754,650 (July 5, 1988); (d) U. S. Patent 4,856,321
(August 15, 1989).
11. Suzuki, H., Nakabori, H., and Yamamoto, M.,
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Measurement, Peregrinus, London (1972).
12. Ting, V. C. and Ao, X., Evaluation of Clamp-On
Ultrasonic Gas Flowmeters for Natural Gas
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Measurement Workshop, St. Andrews, Scotland
(Oct. 22-25, 2002).
13. Yamamoto, M. and Amano, A., Ultrasonic Flow
Quantity Measuring System, U. S. Patent 3,555,899
(Jan. 19, 1971).
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15. Walters, J., Smalling, J. W., Ao, S., Hill, J. and
Lynnworth, L. C., Transit-time Ultrasonic Flowmeters
for Gases, presented at and published in the Proc.
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Measurement School, Grand Okanagan, Kelowna
BC, Canada (June 4-6, 2002). See also,
UR-274.www, a Panametrics website version of this
paper.

2002 Panametrics. All rights reserved. Version May 2, 2002

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