HK40022698B

HK40022698B - Standards traceable verification of a vibratory meter

Info

Publication number: HK40022698B
Application number: HK62020010318.7A
Authority: HK
Inventors: 蒂莫西·J·坎宁安; 安德鲁·蒂莫西·帕滕; 迪安·M·斯坦迪福德
Original assignee: 高准有限公司
Filing date: 2017-08-30
Publication date: 2023-01-13

Description

Standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter

Technical Field

The embodiments described below relate to authentication of vibrating meters, and more particularly, to standard traceable authentication of vibrating meters.

Background

Vibrating meters, such as, for example, coriolis mass flowmeters, liquid densitometers, gas densitometers, liquid viscometers, gas/liquid specific gravity meters, gas/liquid relative density meters, and gas molecular weight meters, are commonly known and used for measuring properties of fluids. Typically, a vibration meter includes a sensor assembly and an electronics portion. The material within the sensor assembly may be flowing or stationary. Each type of sensor may have unique characteristics that the meter must take into account to achieve optimal performance. For example, some sensors may require a tube arrangement to vibrate at a particular displacement level. Other sensor assembly types may require a specific compensation algorithm.

In performing other functions, the meter electronics typically includes stored sensor calibration values for the particular sensor being used. For example, the meter electronics may include a stiffness measurement. The baseline sensor stiffness represents a basic measurement related to the sensor geometry of a particular sensor assembly, as measured in the factory under reference conditions. Changes between the stiffness measured after the vibrating meter is installed at the customer site and the baseline sensor stiffness may be indicative of physical changes to the sensor assembly due to coating, corrosion, erosion, or damage to the conduit in the sensor assembly, among other reasons. If the gauge stiffness is the same as the baseline gauge stiffness, an assumption may be made that no physical change to the sensor assembly has occurred.

However, baseline stiffness or other meter verification values are not currently standard traceable. That is, while standard units may be used to represent these values, the amount of stiffness values is not considered traceable to measurement standards such as standard mass, force, time, and the like. Standard traceable verification would allow for a comparison between meter verifications of different flow meters, for example, and ensure that such a comparison is made with a standard traceable value. Thus, standard retrospective validation of vibrating meters is required.

Disclosure of Invention

A system for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter is provided. According to one embodiment, the system comprises: a storage device having a baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter; and a processing system in communication with the storage device. The processing system is configured to obtain a baseline meter verification value from the storage device and determine a relationship between the baseline meter verification value and a calibration value for the vibrating meter, which can be traced back to the measurement standard.

A method for standard retrospective validation of a vibrating meter is provided. According to one embodiment, the method comprises: determining a baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter; and determining a relationship between the baseline meter verification value and a calibration value of the vibrating meter, the calibration value traceable to a measurement standard.

A method for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter is provided. According to one embodiment, the method comprises: obtaining a relationship between a baseline meter verification value and a calibration value; and determining a value of a physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship.

A method of standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter is provided. According to one embodiment, the method comprises: determining a first baseline meter verification value for a first physical attribute of the vibrating meter; determining a relationship between the first baseline meter verification value and the calibration value for the first physical attribute; determining a value of a second physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship and the meter verification value of the second physical attribute; and comparing the value of the second physical property with the calibrated value of the second physical property.

Aspect(s)

According to one aspect, a system (600) for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter (5) includes: a storage device (610) having a baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter (5); and a processing system (620) in communication with the storage device (610). The processing system (620) is configured to obtain a baseline meter verification value from the storage device (610) and determine a relationship between the baseline meter verification value and a calibration value of the vibratory meter (5) that is traceable to a measurement standard.

Preferably, the processing system (620) configured to determine the baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter includes the processing system (620) configured to determine the baseline meter verification value associated with one of the right pick-off sensor and the left pick-off sensor.

Preferably, the processing system (620) configured to determine the baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter comprises the processing system (620) configured to determine the following equation:

Stiffness _SMV ＝Stiffness _Physical ·G；

wherein:

Stiffness _SMV is a stiffness meter verification value of the vibratory meter, the stiffness meter verification value being a baseline meter verification value;

Stiffness _Physical is the physical stiffness value of the vibrating meter; and

g is a gain associated with one of the left and right pickoff sensors.

Preferably, the processing system (620) configured to determine the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises the processing system (620) configured to determine a gain between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value.

Preferably, the gain is associated with one of the right pickup sensor and the left pickup sensor.

Preferably, the gain is determined using one of the following equations:

and

wherein:

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor;

G _RPO is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVRPO is the stiffness meter verification value associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVLPO is to the leftPicking up a stiffness meter verification value associated with the sensor; and is

FCF is the flow calibration factor for a vibrating meter and is a calibration value expressed in units of stiffness.

Preferably, the processing system (620) configured to determine the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises the processing system (620) configured to use the following equation:

Stiffness _Physical ＝FCF；

wherein:

Stiffness _Physical is the physical stiffness value of the vibrating meter; and is provided with

FCF is the flow calibration factor for the vibrating meter and is a calibration value for the vibrating meter expressed in units of stiffness.

Preferably, determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value of the vibrating meter (5) comprises determining a reference physical property value from the calibration value.

Preferably, the baseline meter verification value is one of a baseline mass meter verification value and a baseline stiffness meter verification value of the vibrating meter.

Preferably, the calibration value is one of a flow calibration factor and a conduit period of the vibrating meter.

According to one aspect, a method for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter includes: determining a baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter; and determining a relationship between the baseline meter verification value and a calibration value for the vibrating meter, the calibration value traceable to a measurement standard.

Preferably, determining the baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter includes determining a baseline meter verification value associated with one of the right pickup sensor and the left pickup sensor.

Preferably, determining the baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter comprises using the following equation:

StiffneSS _SMV ＝StiffneSS _PhysiCal ·G；

wherein:

Stiffness _SMV being vibrating metersA stiffness meter verification value, the stiffness meter verification value being a baseline meter verification value;

Stiffness _Physical is the physical stiffness value of the vibrating meter; and is

G is a gain associated with one of the left and right pickoff sensors.

Preferably, determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises determining a gain between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value.

Preferably, the gain is determined using one of the following equations:

and

wherein:

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor;

G _RPO is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVRP o is a stiffness meter verification value associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVLPO is the stiffness meter verification value associated with the left pickup sensor; and is provided with

Preferably, determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises using the following equation:

Stiffness _Physical ＝FCF；

wherein:

Stiffness _Physical is the physical stiffness value of the vibrating meter; and

FCF is the flow calibration factor for the vibrating meter and is a calibration value for the vibrating meter in units of stiffness.

Preferably, determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises determining a reference physical property value from the calibration value.

According to one aspect, a method for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter includes: obtaining a relationship between a baseline meter verification value and a calibration value; and determining a value of a physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship.

Preferably, the baseline meter verification value is one of a baseline stiffness meter verification value and a baseline mass meter verification value, and the calibration value is one of a flow calibration factor and a conduit cycle of the vibrating meter.

Preferably, obtaining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises obtaining a gain determined using one of the following equations:

and

wherein:

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor;

G _RPO is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVRPO is the stiffness value associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVLPO is the stiffness value associated with the left pickup sensor; and is

FCF is a flow calibration factor for a vibrating meter and is a calibration value expressed in units of stiffness.

Preferably, determining the value of the physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship comprises determining a physical mass value of the vibrating meter based on a mass meter verification value and a gain of the vibrating meter.

Preferably, determining the physical mass value of the vibrating meter based on the mass meter verification value and the gain of the vibrating meter comprises determining one of the following:

wherein:

Mass _{SMVPhysicalLPO} is the physical mass value of the vibrating meter determined using the left pickup sensor;

Mass _SMVLPO is a mass meter verification value of the vibrating meter associated with the left pickoff sensor;

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor; and

wherein:

Mass _{SMVPhysicalRPO} is the physical mass value of the vibrating meter determined using the right pickup sensor;

Mass _SMVRPO is a mass meter verification value for the vibrating meter associated with the right pickoff sensor; and

G _RPO is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor.

Preferably, the method further comprises: the value of the physical property of the vibrating meter is compared to a reference physical property value determined from a second calibration value of the vibrating meter.

Preferably, comparing the value of the physical property of the vibrating meter to the reference physical property value comprises determining a deviation from the reference physical property value using one of the following equations:

wherein:

Mass _{traceableDeviationLPO} is the standard traceable deviation of the physical property measured by the left pickup sensor from a reference physical property value;

Mass _{SMVPhysicalLPO} is a physical mass value of the vibrating meter determined using the left pickup sensor as a physical attribute of the vibrating meter; and is provided with

m _reference Is a reference mass value that is a reference physical property value of the vibratory meter; and

wherein:

Mass _{traceableDeviationRPO} is the standard traceable deviation of the physical property measured by the right pickup sensor from a reference physical property value;

Mass _{SMVPhysicalRPO} is the physical mass of the vibrating meter as a physical attribute of the vibrating meter measured by the right pickoff sensor; and is provided with

m _reference Is a reference mass value that is a reference physical property value of the vibrating meter.

Preferably, the reference physical property value is a reference quality value determined using the following equation:

m _reference is a reference quality value as a reference physical property value;

FCF is a flow calibration factor which is a calibration value expressed in units of stiffness; and is

freq _reference Is a reference frequency value determined from a second calibration value, which is the duct period K1 for air.

According to one aspect, a method of standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter comprises: determining a first baseline meter verification value for a first physical attribute of the vibrating meter; determining a relationship between a first baseline meter verification value and a calibration value for the first physical attribute; determining a value of a second physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship and a meter verification value of the second physical attribute; and comparing the value of the second physical property with the calibrated value of the second physical property.

Preferably, the first baseline meter verification value is one of a baseline mass meter verification value, a baseline stiffness meter verification value and a baseline catheter amplitude value.

Preferably, determining the relationship between the first baseline meter verification value and the calibration value for the first physical attribute comprises determining a gain between the first baseline meter verification value and the calibration value for the first physical attribute.

Preferably, comparing the value of the second physical property with the calibrated value of the second physical property comprises comparing the value of the second physical property with a reference physical property value determined from the calibrated value.

Preferably, the method further comprises performing a frequency check of at least one of: the first baseline metrological verification value, the calibration value for the first physical property, the value for the second physical property, and a comparison of the value for the second physical property to the calibration value for the second physical property.

Drawings

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Fig. 1 shows a vibrating meter 5 that can be verified by standard retrospective verification.

Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the vibrating meter 5, including a block diagram representation of meter electronics 20.

Fig. 3 illustrates a method 300 for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter.

Fig. 4 illustrates a method 400 for standard retrospective validation of a vibrating meter.

Fig. 5 illustrates a method 500 for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter.

Fig. 6 shows a system 600 for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1-6 and the following description depict specific examples to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the best mode of implementation of standard retrospective validation of vibrating meters. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles, some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from these examples that fall within the scope of the description. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described below may be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter. Accordingly, the embodiments described below are not limited to the specific examples described below, but only by the claims and their equivalents.

Standard traceable meter verification of a vibrating meter may be accomplished by determining a baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter and determining a relationship between the baseline meter verification value and a calibration value for the vibrating meter, where the calibration value is traceable to a measurement standard. Determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value may, for example, include determining a gain associated with a pickoff sensor in the vibrating meter and multiplying the calibration value by the gain.

The relationship may be based on equality between the physical property measured during meter validation and a reference physical property determined during calibration. For example, the baseline physical stiffness value should be the same as the reference stiffness value determined from a calibration factor, such as a flow calibration factor, which is a calibration value that is traceable to a measurement standard.

Since the calibration values are traceable to the measurement standards, the comparison of the physical mass value determined based on the meter validation value, e.g. during meter validation, with the calibration value, e.g. the reference mass value determined from the pipeline cycle, is also traceable. For example, a quality deviation comprising a difference between a physical quality value and a reference quality value is considered standard traceable.

Fig. 1 shows a vibrating meter 5 verifiable by standard retrospective verification. As shown in fig. 1, the vibrating meter 5 includes a sensor assembly 10 and meter electronics 20. The sensor assembly 10 is responsive to the mass flow and density of the process material. The meter electronics 20 is connected to the sensor assembly 10 via leads 100 to provide density, mass flow, and temperature information, as well as to provide other information, on the path 26.

The sensor assembly 10 includes a pair of manifolds 150 and 150', flanges 103 and 103' having flange necks 110 and 110', a pair of parallel conduits 130 and 130', a driver 180, a Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD)190, and a pair of pickoff sensors 1701 and 170 r. The conduits 130 and 130 'have two substantially straight inlet legs 131, 131' and outlet legs 134, 134', the inlet legs 131, 131' and outlet legs 134, 134 'converging towards each other at the conduit mounting blocks 120 and 120'. The conduits 130, 130' are curved at two symmetrical locations along their length and are substantially parallel throughout their length. Brace bars 140 and 140 'serve to define axes W and W about which each conduit 130, 130' oscillates. The branches 131, 131' and 134, 134' of the conduits 130, 130' are fixedly attached to the conduit mounting blocks 120 and 120', and these blocks are in turn fixedly attached to the manifolds 150 and 150 '. This provides a continuous closed material path through the sensor assembly 10.

When flanges 103 and 103' having holes 102 and 102' are connected via inlet end 104 and outlet end 104' into a process pipeline (not shown) carrying process material being measured, the material enters the inlet end 104 of the meter through an aperture 101 in flange 103 and is directed through manifold 150 to conduit mounting block 120 having surface 121. Within the manifold 150, material is distributed and directed through the conduits 130, 130'. Upon exiting the conduits 130, 130', the process material is recombined in a single stream within the block 120' having the surface 121 ' and the manifold 150' and then directed to an outlet end 104' connected to a process line (not shown) by a flange 103' having holes 102 '.

The conduits 130, 130' are selected and suitably mounted to the conduit mounting blocks 120, 120' to have substantially the same mass distribution, moment of inertia and young's modulus about the bending axes W-W and W ' - -W ', respectively. These bending axes pass through the struts 140, 140'. Since the young's modulus of the conduit changes with temperature, and this change affects the calculation of flow and density, the RTD 190 is mounted to the conduit 130' to continuously measure the temperature of the conduit 130 '. The temperature of the conduit 130 'and thus the voltage that is presented across the RTD 190 for a given current through the RTD 190 is controlled by the temperature of the material through the conduit 130'. The temperature dependent voltage exhibited across the RTD 190 is used by the meter electronics 20 in a well known manner to compensate for changes in the modulus of elasticity of the conduits 130, 130' due to any changes in the conduit temperature. The RTD 190 is connected to the meter electronics 20 by leads 195.

Both conduits 130, 130 'are driven by the driver 180 in opposite directions about their respective bending axes W and W' and in a first out of phase bending mode known as a flow meter. The driver 180 may comprise any one of a number of well known devices, such as a magnet mounted to the conduit 130 'and an opposing coil mounted to the conduit 130 and through which an alternating current passes for vibrating the two conduits 130, 130'. An appropriate drive signal 185 is applied by the meter electronics 20 to the driver 180 via leads.

The meter electronics 20 receives the RTD temperature signal on lead 195, and the left and right sensor signals present on lead 100, which carry left sensor signal 1651 and right sensor signal 165r, respectively. The meter electronics 20 generates a drive signal 185 that appears on the lead to the driver 180 and vibrates the conduits 130, 130'. The meter electronics 20 processes the left and right sensor signals and the RTD signal to calculate the mass flow and density of the material passing through the sensor assembly 10. This and other information is applied as a signal on path 26 by meter electronics 20.

Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the vibrating meter 5, including a block diagram representation of meter electronics 20. As shown in fig. 2, meter electronics 20 is communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly 10. As previously described with reference to FIG. 1, the sensor assembly 10 includes left and right pickoff sensors 170l and 170r, a driver 180, and a temperature sensor 190 that are communicatively coupled to the meter electronics 20 through a communication channel 112 and an I/O port 260 via a set of leads 100.

The meter electronics 20 provides a drive signal 185 via lead 100. More specifically, the meter electronics 20 provides a drive signal 185 to the driver 180 in the sensor assembly 10. Additionally, a sensor signal 165 is provided by the sensor assembly 10. More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the sensor signal 165 is provided by a left pickoff sensor 170l and a right pickoff sensor 170l170r in the sensor assembly 10. It will be appreciated that the sensor signals 165 are each provided to the meter electronics 20 via the communication channel 112.

The meter electronics 20 includes a processor 210 communicatively coupled to one or more signal processors 220 and one or more memories 230. The processor 210 is also communicatively coupled to the user interface 30. Processor 210 is communicatively coupled with the host over path 26 via a communication port and receives power via power port 250. Processor 210 may be a microprocessor, but any suitable processor may be employed. For example, the processor 210 may be constituted by a sub-processor such as a multi-core processor, a serial communication port, a peripheral interface (e.g., a serial peripheral interface), an on-chip memory, an I/O port, and the like. In these and other embodiments, the processor 210 is configured to perform operations on the received and processed signals, such as digitized signals.

The processor 210 may receive digitized sensor signals from one or more signal processors 220. The processor 210 is also configured to provide information such as phase difference, characteristics of the fluid in the sensor assembly 10, and the like. The processor 210 may provide information to the host through the communication port. The processor 210 may also be configured to communicate with the one or more memories 230 to receive and/or store information in the one or more memories 230. For example, the processor 210 may receive calibration factors and/or sensor assembly zeros (e.g., phase differences when there is zero flow) from the one or more memories 230. Each of the calibration factors and/or sensor assembly zeros may be associated with the flow meter 5 and/or the sensor assembly 10, respectively. The processor 210 may process the digitized sensor signals received from the one or more signal processors 220 using the calibration factor.

The one or more signal processors 220 are shown to include a coder/decoder (CODEC)222 and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 226. The one or more signal processors 220 may condition the analog signals, digitize the conditioned analog signals, and/or provide digitized signals. The CODEC 222 is configured to receive the sensor signal 165 from the left and right pickup sensors 170l, 170r via an amplifier. The CODEC 222 is also configured to provide a drive signal 185 to the driver 180 via an amplifier. In alternative embodiments, more or fewer signal processors may be employed.

As shown, sensor signals 165 are provided to the CODEC 222 via a signal conditioner 240. The drive signal 185 is provided to the driver 180 via the signal conditioner 240. Although the signal conditioner 240 is shown as a single block, the signal conditioner 240 may include signal conditioning components, such as two or more operational amplifiers, filters such as low pass filters, voltage-to-current amplifiers, and the like. For example, the sensor signal 165 may be amplified by a first amplifier, and the drive signal 185 may be amplified by a voltage-to-current amplifier. Amplification may ensure that the magnitude of the sensor signal 165 is close to the full scale range of the CODEC 222.

In the illustrated embodiment, the one or more memories 230 include Read Only Memory (ROM)232, Random Access Memory (RAM)234, and Ferroelectric Random Access Memory (FRAM) 236. However, in alternative embodiments, the one or more memories 230 may include more or fewer memories. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more memories 230 can include different types of memory (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, etc.). For example, FRAM 236 may be replaced with a different type of non-volatile memory, such as an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), for example. The one or more memories 230 may be memories configured to store data such as calibration values, meter verification values, and the like.

Calibration

Mass flow measurements can be generated according to the following equation

The Δ t term includes an operationally derived (i.e., measured) time delay value that includes the time delay that exists between the pickoff sensor signals, for example, where the time delay is due to the coriolis effect associated with the mass flow through the vibratory flow meter 5. The measured Δ t term ultimately determines the mass flow rate of the flow material as it flows through the vibratory flow meter 5.Δ t ₀ The term includes the time delay/phase difference at zero flow calibration constant. Δ t ₀ The items are typically determined at the factory and programmed into the vibratory flow meter 5. Time delay/phase difference at zero flow Δ t ₀ The term will not change even if the flow conditions change. The flow calibration factor FCF is proportional to the physical stiffness of the flow meter.

When the conduits 130, 130 'contain known materials, such as air or water, the calibration may also determine the resonant or drive frequency of the conduits 130, 130'. For example, when the conduit 130, 130 'contains air, the conduit period K1 is the resonant frequency of the conduit 130, 130' for air. When the conduit 130, 130 'contains water, the pipe period K2 for the water may be the resonant frequency of the conduit 130, 130'. The flow calibration factor FCF value determined at calibration time, the pipe period K1 value for air, and the pipe period K2 value for water may be stored as initial factory calibration data, for example, at a service center for subsequent retrieval, but any suitable storage location or manner may be employed. The initial calibration factory data can be considered standard traceable. For example, the flow calibration factor FCF, the pipeline period K1 for air, and the pipeline period K2 for water can be considered traceable to standard units under the following recognized standards: such as, for example, the International Standards Organization (ISO)17025 Standard or the American national standards institute/national standards conference laboratory (ANSI/NCSL) Z540-1-1994; part 1, or other standards such as international or national standards. Calibration factory data can be traced back to measurement standards defined in, for example, ISO31, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)60027, or other international or national standards. The measurement standard may be in a basic unit or a derivative unit defined in an international or national standard and/or may be a unit defined outside the standard but related to a basic unit and/or a derivative unit defined in an international or national standard.

The problem is that the conduits 130, 130 'may change over time such that when the conduits 130, 130' are corroded, eroded, or otherwise changed, the flow calibration factor FCF value, the pipe cycle K1 value for air, and the pipe cycle K2 value for water may change over time relative to the initial plant calibration data. Thus, the stiffness of the conduits 130, 130' may change relative to the baseline stiffness value throughout the life of the vibrating meter 5. Meter verification may detect such changes in stiffness of the conduits 130, 130', as will be described in more detail below.

Meter verification

As previously discussed, the flow calibration factor FCF reflects the material and cross-sectional properties of the flow tube and the geometry of the flow tube. The mass flow of flow material flowing through the flow meter is determined by multiplying the measured time delay (or phase difference/frequency) by a flow calibration factor FCF. The flow calibration factor FCF may be related to a stiffness characteristic of the sensor assembly. If the stiffness characteristics of the sensor assembly change, the flow calibration factor FCF will also change. Thus, a change in the physical stiffness of the flow meter will affect the accuracy of the flow measurements generated by the flow meter.

The stiffness change may be a value determined by comparing the meter stiffness to a baseline meter stiffness. For example, the stiffness change may be a difference between the gauge stiffness and the baseline gauge stiffness. In this example, a negative number may indicate that the stiffness of the conduit 130, 130' is reduced due to installation in the field. A positive number may indicate that the physical stiffness of the catheter 130, 130' is increasing as a result of the baseline meter stiffness being determined.

If the meter stiffness is substantially the same as the baseline meter stiffness, it can be determined that the vibratory flow meter 5, or more particularly, the conduits 130, 130', can be relatively unchanged from their manufacture, calibration, or when the vibratory flow meter 5 was last recalibrated/verified. Alternatively, where the meter stiffness is significantly different from the baseline meter stiffness, then it may be determined that the conduit 130, 130 'has degraded and may not be able to function accurately and reliably, such as where the conduit 130, 130' has changed due to erosion, corrosion, damage (e.g., freezing, overpressure, etc.), coating, or other conditions.

The left pickup sensor 170l and the right pickup sensor 170r may each have their own associated stiffness value. More specifically, as discussed above, the driver 180 applies a force to the catheter 130, 130' and the pickup sensor 170l, 170r measures the resulting deflection (deflections). The amount of deflection (e.g., amplitude) of the conduit 130, 130 'at the location of the pick-off sensors 170l, 170r is proportional to the stiffness of the conduit 130, 130' between the driver 180 and the pick-off sensors 170l, 170 r. Thus, the mass, stiffness, or other meter verification value associated with the left pickup sensor 170l or the right pickup sensor 170r may be used to detect changes in the conduits 130, 130' between each pickup sensor 170l, 170r and the driver 180. That is, mass, stiffness, or other meter verification parameters may be used for each pickup sensor-driver pair.

Referring to the vibrating meter 5 shown in fig. 2, there may be gains associated with the left pickup sensor 170l and the right pickup sensor 170r and components in the meter electronics 20, such as the CODEC 222 and the signal conditioner 240 and DSP scaling. Thus, the gain associated with the left pickup sensor 170l is the gain of the left pickup sensor 170 l-driver 180 pair, and the gain associated with the right pickup sensor 170r is the gain of the right pickup sensor 170 r-driver 180 pair. The gains associated with the left and right pickoff sensors 170l, 170r may be referred to as the "sensor term" or "sensor gain" of the overall gain, and the gains associated with the components in the meter electronics 20 may be referred to as the "electronics term" or "electronics gain" of the overall gain.

As explained in more detail below, standard traceable verification may be achieved by correlating a baseline meter stiffness value, e.g., a baseline left or right pick-up stiffness value, with a standard traceable flow calibration factor FCF value, a pipeline period K1 value for air, and/or a pipeline period K2 value for water. The following method illustrates how the baseline meter stiffness value can be correlated to a standard traceable flow calibration factor FCF, a pipeline period of air K1, and/or a pipeline period of water K2.

Standard traceability

Fig. 3 illustrates a method 300 for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter. As shown in fig. 3, the method 300 first determines a baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter. The vibrating meter may be the vibrating meter 5 shown in fig. 1, but any suitable vibrating meter may be employed. In step 320, the method 300 determines a relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value of the vibrating meter. The calibration values can be traced back to the measurement standard.

The baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter determined in step 310 may be any suitable value, such as a baseline meter stiffness value. For example, the baseline meter verification value may be a left pickup stiffness value, a right pickup stiffness value, a left pickup mass value, a right pickup mass value, and the like. These and other baseline meter verification values may be related to physical attributes of the vibrating meter, such as physical mass, physical stiffness, and the like.

The relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the physical attribute may be any suitable value, and may, for example, correspond to the sensor and/or electronics gain discussed above with reference to fig. 2. For example, the baseline meter verification value may be a baseline stiffness value determined using the left and right pickup sensors 170l, 170r, the driver 180, and the meter electronics 20 including the CODEC 222 and the signal conditioner 240. Thus, for example, the relationship between the baseline right pickup stiffness value and the physical stiffness of the catheter 130, 130' associated with the right pickup sensor 170r may be the sensor gain of the right pickup sensor 170r and the electronics gain of the CODEC 222 and signal conditioner 240.

In an example, the baseline meter validation value may be determined based on a physical property multiplied by a gain, such as a physical mass or a physical stiffness. By way of illustration, the pickup gain and the electronics gain can be employed to determine a baseline stiffness value using the following equation:

StiffneSS _SMV ＝Stiffness _Physical ·c； [2]

wherein:

Stiffness _SMV is a baseline stiffness value of the vibratory meter, the baseline stiffness value being an exemplary baseline meter verification value;

G is the physical Stiffness Stiffness used to measure vibrating meters _Physical To determine a baseline Stiffness value, Stiffness _SMV The gain associated with one of the left pickup sensor or the right pickup sensor.

The gain G used in the above example may be determined by verifying a stiffness value and a flow calibration factor using a baseline meter associated with the left pickup sensor and the right pickup sensor. For example, the following formula may be used:

and [3]

Wherein:

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor;

G _RPO is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVLPO is the stiffness value associated with the left pickup sensor; and is provided with

FCF is a flow calibration factor for a vibrating meter, which is an exemplary calibration value in units of stiffness.

Formula [3]And [4]Can be used to determine the gain G _LPO And G _RPO The reason is that both the flow calibration factor FCF and the baseline stiffness value are determined using the same left and right sensors, such as the left pickup sensor 170l and the right pickup sensor 170r shown in fig. 1, and the same electronics, such as the meter electronics 20 with CODEC 222 and signal conditioner 240 shown in fig. 1. Thus, the gains G associated with the left and right pickup sensors 170l and 170r may be determined from the ratio of the baseline stiffness value to the flow calibration factor FCF _LPO 、G _RPO 。

In step 320, determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value for the vibrating meter may include equating the physical property of the vibrating meter measured by the pickoff sensors to the calibration value. The calibration values may be, for example, a calibration factor, a tube period of the vibrating meter, etc. The calibration factor may be a flow calibration factor FCF that is multiplied by the time delay between the two sensors to determine mass flow, but any suitable calibration factor may be employed. For example, the calibration factor may be a value multiplied by the phase difference between the left and right sensors in the vibrating meter.

The comparison between the calibration value and the meter verification may be based on equality of the calibration factor and the physical stiffness of the vibrating meter. Thus, the relationship between the physical attribute of the vibrating meter and the calibration value may comprise the following equation:

StiffneSS _Physical ＝FCF； [5]

wherein:

Stiffness _Physical is the physical stiffness of the vibrating meterThe physical stiffness is a physical attribute of the vibrating meter; and is provided with

This relationship between the physical stiffness of the vibrating meter and the FCF may be based on a conversion of the flow calibration factor FCF value to a stiffness value, as shown below.

The flow calibration factor FCF may be in units ofBut any suitable unit may be used. The flow calibration factor FCF may be corrected to standard conditions, such as a temperature of zero degrees celsius (0 ℃). The baseline stiffness value may be measured, for example, byIn units, but any suitable units may be used. The flow calibration factor FCF may be converted to the same units as the units of the baseline stiffness value by using, for example, a scaling factor such as 5.7101 from the following relationship:

by way of illustration, exemplary flow calibration factor FCF values are shown as follows:

as described above, the above flow calibration factor FCF values can be converted to stiffness units by using the following relationship:after performing such a conversion, the flow calibration factor FCF value, expressed as a stiffness value, is:

however, the flow calibration factor FCF value is not a fundamental unit-pounds mass unit (lbm) is not a fundamental unit. Therefore, in order to obtain the flow calibration factor FCF value in basic units, additional unit conversion is required. After converting the above values to basic units, the flow calibration factor FCF value of the basic unit is:

thus, the flow calibration factor FCF, expressed as a stiffness value in fundamental units, may be equal to the physical stiffness of the vibrating meter measured by the pickoff sensors, as shown in equation [5] above.

It will be appreciated that because both the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value traceable to the measurement standard are determined using the same pickoff sensors and electronics, such as the left pickoff sensor 170l and the right pickoff sensor 170r and meter electronics 20 shown in fig. 1, the gain may be used to determine the relationship between various baseline meter verification values, such as the baseline quality meter verification value, and various calibration values, such as the duct period K1 for air, as shown below.

Fig. 4 illustrates a method 400 for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter. As shown in fig. 4, the method 400 first obtains a relationship between a baseline meter verification value and a calibration value in step 410. The baseline meter verification value may be a baseline meter stiffness value of the vibratory meter, such as a baseline left pick-up stiffness value and/or a baseline right pick-up stiffness value. The relationship may be a gain, such as gain G discussed above _LPO 、G _RPO . In step 420, the method 400 determines a value of a physical attribute of the vibrating meter, such as a physical mass value, based on the relationship. The value of the physical property may be determined based on the relationship, for example, by multiplying the gain by a physical quality value determined from the baseline quality value. The physical mass value determined from the baseline mass value can be compared to a reference determined from a calibration valueThe quality is compared.

As discussed above, the calibration values may include a pipe period for air K1, which is the period of the conduit when the conduit/tube is filled with air K1. Since the mass of air is significantly less than steel or other materials typically measured in the conduit of a vibrating meter, the duct period K1 for air is proportional to the mass of the conduit. The unit of the duct period K1 for air may be microseconds, but any suitable unit may be employed. The duct period K1 for air can be corrected to standard conditions, such as a temperature of zero degrees centigrade (0 ℃). It will be appreciated that a pipeline cycle for water K2 may be employed.

The reference mass value m can be determined from the line period K1 for the air _reference . It can be appreciated that the reference mass value m _reference Can be traced back to the measurement standard and is the basic unit of mass. The following formula [6] can be used, for example]To [8 ]]To determine the reference mass value m _reference But any suitable equations and relationships may be employed. In particular, the resonant frequency of the catheter may be determined according to:

in addition, the duct period K1 for air in units of time may be converted to frequency by using the f-1/T relationship. In an example where the duct period K1 for air is in microseconds and the desired frequency is in radians per second, the following equation [7 ] may be employed in accordance with the duct period K1 for air]To obtain the reference frequency freq of the pipeline _reference ：

By using the above formula [7 ]]And a reference frequency freq _reference And a flow calibration factor FCF and equation [5]]Physical Stiffness Stiffness of _Physical Can determine a reference mass value m of the pipe _referenc e, the following formula [8]Shown in the specification:

gain may be used such as the above using equation [3]To [4]]Determined gains G associated with left and right pickup sensors _RPO 、G _LPO To determine a relationship between the value of the physical property and the meter verification value. For example, the meter verification value may include a meter verification quality value Mass _SMV . In this example, the meter verifies a Mass value Mass _SMV The following formula [9 ] can be used]Mass value of physical property _Physical And (3) correlation:

MasS _SMV ＝Mass _Physical ·G. [9]

thus, the Mass value Mass associated with each pickup sensor, such as the left pickup sensor 170l and the right pickup sensor 170r shown in fig. 1, may be determined by using the following equation _Physical ：

Wherein:

Mass _{SMVPhysicalLPO} is the physical mass value of the vibrating meter measured using the left pickup sensor;

Mass _SMVLPO is the mass value of the vibrating meter associated with the left pickup sensor;

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor; and

wherein:

Mass _{SMVPhysicalRPO} is the physical mass value of the vibrating meter measured using the right pickoff sensor;

Mass _SMVRPO is to the rightPicking up a mass value of a vibrating meter associated with the sensor; and is

G _RPO Is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor.

The reference mass value m may be used _reference Mass value Mass _{SMVPhysicalLPO} 、Mass _{SMVPhysicalRPO} To determine if there is a change in the vibrating meter. In addition, such changes can be traced back to the measurement standard. That is, it is possible to perform, for example, a physical quality value Mass between a physical attribute and a reference physical attribute _{SMVPhysicalLPO} 、Mass _{SMVPhysicalRPO} And a reference mass value m _reference A comparison between them. In one example, the comparison may include determining a deviation from a reference physical property. Such a determination may be made using the following equation:

wherein:

Mass _{traceableDeviationLPO} is the traceable deviation of the physical property measured by the left pickup sensor from a reference physical property;

Mass _{SMVPhysicalLPO} is the physical mass of the vibrating meter measured by the left pickup sensor, which is a physical attribute of the vibrating meter; and is

wherein:

Mass _{traceableDeviationRPO} is the traceable deviation of the physical property measured by the right pickup sensor from a reference physical property;

Mass _{SMVPhysicalRPO} is the physical mass of the vibrating meter measured by the right pickoff sensor, which is a physical attribute of the vibrating meter; and are combinedAnd is

It will be appreciated that there are other methods for standard traceable meter verification. For example, instead of using physical Mass value Mass _{SMVPhysicalLPO} 、Mass _{SMVPhysicalRPO} And a reference mass value m _reference The comparison between the physical rigidity value and the reference rigidity value can be carried out. In this example, the above equation [5] may be used]To [8 ]]To obtain a reference mass. Can use the above formula [9 ]]To [11]]The gain term is calculated in the following form:

G＝Mass _SMV /Mass _Reference . [14]

the gain term can be used to calculate the physical stiffness using the following equation:

Stiff _sMVPhysical ＝Stiff _SMV /G. [15]

therefore, the stiffness deviation can be calculated using:

Stiff _{traceableDeviation} ＝((Stiff _sMVPhysical -FCF)/FCF)*100； [16]

wherein:

Stiff _{traceableDeviation} is the standard traceable stiffness deviation;

Stiff _SMVPhysical is the physical stiffness of the vibrating meter; and is provided with

Thus, a standard traceable stiffness deviation stilff may be used _{traceableDeviation} To determine whether a change has occurred in the vibrating meter using standard traceable units. It can be understood that formula [14]]To [16]]May be associated with each sensor. For example, a standard traceable stiffness deviation Stiff associated with a left pickup sensor, such as the left pickup sensor 170l shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, may be calculated _{traceableDeviationLPO} . A standard traceable stiffness deviation Stif associated with a right pickup sensor, such as the right pickup sensor 170r shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, may also be calculatedf _{traceableDeviationRPO} 。

Although the above discussion relies on mass and stiffness as exemplary physical properties, other physical properties may be employed. For example, as discussed above, the amount of deflection (e.g., amplitude) of the conduit 130, 130 'at the location of the pickoff sensors 170l, 170r is proportional to the stiffness of the conduit 130, 130' between the driver 180 and the pickoff sensors. Thus, the baseline meter verification value may be a baseline amplitude value for the catheter 130, 130'. Similarly, the calibration value may be a calibrated measurement of the amplitude of the conduit 130, 130' at the location of the left pickup sensor 170l and the right pickup sensor 170r, referred to as a calibrated amplitude value, and the meter verification value may be, for example, the voltage of the sensor signal 165.

Calibration measurements of the amplitude of the catheter 130, 130 'may be performed, for example, by using direct methods, for example using an accelerometer, or indirect methods, for example light sources reflected from the catheter 130, 130'. The relationship between the calibration measurement and the voltage of the sensor signal 165, such as the gain term, may be determined by dividing the calibration measurement by the voltage of the sensor signal 165 and then by the calibration amplitude value. Additionally, the calibrated amplitude value may be used to determine a reference value, such as a reference amplitude value, for comparison to an amplitude meter validation value determined based on the sensor signal 165 during meter validation.

The above methods 300, 400 discuss the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value in the context of two different methods that obtain or determine a relationship based on one of various physical attributes. A method of using two of the physical attributes and two of the baseline meter verification values is described below.

Fig. 5 illustrates a method 500 for standard traceable meter verification for a vibrating meter. As shown in fig. 5, the method 500 first determines a first baseline meter verification value for a first physical attribute of the vibrating meter in step 510. In step 520, the method 500 determines a relationship between the first baseline meter verification value and the calibration value for the first physical property. In step 530, the method 500 determines a value of a second physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship and the meter verification value of the second physical attribute. The method 500 compares the value of the second physical property with the calibrated value of the second physical property at step 540. Additional steps may also be performed, such as performing a frequency check in step 550 to ensure that the aforementioned steps 510 through 540 are performed correctly.

In step 510, the first baseline meter verification value for the first physical attribute may be one of a baseline quality meter verification value and a baseline stiffness meter verification value. As discussed above with reference to equation [2], the baseline stiffness meter verification value may be proportional to the physical stiffness value, and the gain of the sensor associated with the sensor is dependent on measuring the baseline stiffness meter verification value. Similarly, the baseline quality meter verification value may be proportional to the physical quality value, and the gain associated with the sensor is dependent on measuring the baseline quality meter verification value, as shown in equation [14 ].

In step 520, a relationship between the first baseline meter verification value and the calibration value for the first physical property may be determined by determining a gain between the first baseline meter verification value and the calibration value for the first physical property. The relationship may be, for example, a gain associated with one of the pickup sensors. In one example, the gain may be determined using equations [3] and [4] discussed above, equations [3] and [4] utilizing the stiffness and flow calibration factor FCF associated with one of the left and right pickoff sensors. The flow calibration factor FCF is an example of a calibrated value of a first physical property, which is the stiffness of the conduit. Alternatively, the gain may be determined using a mass associated with one of the left pickup sensor or the right pickup sensor.

In step 530, a value of a second physical attribute of the vibrating meter may be determined based on the relationship and the meter verification value of the second physical attribute, for example, by using a gain associated with one of the left pickoff sensor or the right pickoff sensor. In one example, where the first physical property is stiffness, the second physical property may be physical mass. In this example, the value of the second physical attribute may be a physical quality value associated with one of the left pickup sensor or the right pickup sensor, the physical quality value being determined using equations [10] and [11] discussed above. However, the first physical property and/or the second physical property may be an amplitude of the catheter. In the case where the first physical property is a physical mass, the value of the second physical property may be a physical rigidity value determined by, for example, equation [15 ].

In step 540, the value of the second physical property and the calibrated value of the second physical property may be compared by, for example, comparing the physical mass value determined for one of the pickoff sensors to a reference mass value determined from the calibrated value, such as a reference mass value determined from the duct period for air K1. In one example, the comparison may include determining a deviation from a reference quality value, as discussed above with reference to equations [12] and [13 ]. Additionally or alternatively, the comparison may be made between the physical stiffness value and a determined reference stiffness value, e.g. a calibration value such as the flow calibration factor FCF, as shown in equation [16 ]. Additionally or alternatively, the pipeline period K2 for water may be used to determine the reference quality value.

Additional steps such as a frequency check in step 550 may be performed. For example, the frequency determined from the stiffness and mass according to equation [6] with the duct period K1 for air and the flow calibration factor FCF can be compared with the measured frequency. This comparison can confirm standard traceable meter validation. For example, if during the meter verification process, the measured frequency is significantly different from the frequency estimated from the meter verification stiffness and the meter verification mass, the standard traceable meter verification may fail. This may ensure that the standard traceable meter verification value is valid. In one example, the frequency check may validate the first baseline meter verification value, the calibrated value of the first physical property, the value of the second physical property, and/or the comparison of the value of the second physical property to the calibrated value of the second physical property discussed above with reference to method 500.

The frequency check performed in step 550 may be in any suitable form, such as a density of the reference fluid in the vibrating meter calculated from the frequency. For example, the density of the air may be estimated from the meter verified stiffness and the meter verified mass and compared to a reference air density value. The reference air density value may be determined during calibration to determine the pipe period K1 for air, the pipe period K2 for water, and so forth. The reference air density value may be determined using standard traceable environmental condition measurements of temperature, pressure, humidity, etc., and may therefore also be considered standard traceable. Thus, validation of meter verification may also be considered standard traceable.

The methods 300, 400, 500 described above may be implemented by any suitable system. For example, baseline meter verification and calibration values for the vibrating meter may be determined during calibration and stored in the meter electronics 20, at a customer location, at the manufacturer of the vibrating meter, etc. By storing the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value, the change in the vibrating meter can be determined relative to a reference value determined from the calibration value. An exemplary system is described below.

Fig. 6 shows a system 600 for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter. As shown in fig. 6, the system 600 includes a storage device 610, the storage device 610 communicatively coupled to a processing system 620. The storage device 610 may be communicatively coupled with the processing system 620 via any suitable means, such as electronic communication over the internet, communication via a computer bus, local area network, or the like. The communication may include, for example, transmitting a baseline meter verification value and/or a calibration value. Other values, such as reference values, may also be transmitted.

The storage device 610 may be anything capable of receiving and storing, for example, baseline meter verification values and calibration values, and communicating these values to the processing system. For example, the storage device 610 may be a memory on the meter electronics 20 that is communicatively coupled to a processing system 620 also located in the meter electronics 20. Alternatively, the storage 610 may be a server, such as a server hosted by the manufacturer of the vibratory meter 5, that provides baseline meter verification values and/or calibration values over the internet.

The processing system 620 may be any system configured to determine a baseline meter verification value for a vibrating meter and correlate the baseline meter verification value to a calibration value for the vibrating meter. The processing system 620 may also be configured to determine a relationship based on the meter verification value and the calibration value, and determine a physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship. The processing system 620 may be, for example, a single processor or multiple processors distributed across a network.

In one example, the processing system 620 may include a processor on the meter electronics 20 described above with reference to fig. 1. In this example, a processor in the meter electronics 20 may use the sensor signals provided by the left pickup sensor 170l and the right pickup sensor 170r to determine a baseline meter verification value. A separate processor, such as a workstation communicatively coupled to the meter electronics 20, may determine a calibration value, such as the flow calibration factor FCF described above. Thus, the meter electronics 20 and workstation may include a processing system 620. In this example, the workstation may provide the flow calibration factor FCF to the meter electronics 20 and, for example, a manufacturer's server. Additionally, the meter electronics 20 may provide baseline meter verification values, such as baseline stiffness and quality values, to the manufacturer's server.

The meter electronics 20, a workstation at the customer site, etc. may request the baseline meter verification and calibration values from the manufacturer's server. The meter electronics 20 or workstation can use the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value to determine a relationship such as gain. Additionally or alternatively, the manufacturer's server may determine and provide a relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value. Meter electronics 20, customer workstation, manufacturer's server, etc. may then determine a value for a physical attribute, such as a physical mass value of vibratory meter 5, based on the relationship. The physical property value may be used, for example, to perform standard traceable validation of the vibratory meter using the methods 300, 400, 500 described above.

It will be appreciated that the methods 300, 400, 500 and system 600 provide for standard retrospective validation of a vibrating meter, such as the vibrating meter 5 described with reference to fig. 1. The methods 300, 400, 500 and system 600 may, for example, provide standard traceable deviation values. The mass deviation value of the above equation [13] is a basic unit (e.g., mass, force, time, etc.) that can be traced back to a measurement standard. The deviation value is therefore not only a measure specific to the relative change of the flow meter, but also a measure of the change relative to the measurement standard. Thus, for example, even though various flow meters may have different resonant frequencies, quality values (e.g., due to different conduit dimensions), stiffness values (e.g., due to various conduit geometries), etc., the deviation values may be compared in a meaningful manner between the various flow meters.

The detailed description of the embodiments above is not an exhaustive description of all embodiments contemplated by the inventors to fall within the scope of the present description. Indeed, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain elements of the above-described embodiments may be variously combined or eliminated to create further embodiments, and that such further embodiments fall within the scope and teachings of the present specification. It will also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the above-described embodiments may be combined, in whole or in part, to create additional embodiments within the scope and teachings of the specification.

Thus, although specific embodiments have been described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the description, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. The teachings provided herein may be applied to other standards for vibratory meters retrospectively for validation, and not just to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings. Accordingly, the scope of the above-described embodiments should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system (600) for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter (5), the system (600) comprising:

a storage device (610) having a baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter (5);

a processing system (620) in communication with the storage device (610), the processing system (620) configured to:

obtaining the baseline meter verification value from the storage device (610); and

determining a relationship between the baseline meter verification value and a calibration value of the vibrating meter (5) traceable to a measurement standard.

2. The system (600) of claim 1 wherein the processing system (620) is further configured to determine the baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter, the baseline meter verification value being associated with one of a right pickup sensor and a left pickup sensor.

3. The system (600) of claim 1, wherein the processing system (620) being further configured to determine the baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter comprises the processing system (620) being configured to determine the following:

Stiffness _SMV ＝Stiffness _Physical ·G；

wherein:

Stiffness _SMV is a stiffness meter verification value of the vibrating meter, the stiffness meter verification value being the baseline meter verification value;

Stiffness _Physical is a physical stiffness value of the vibrating meter; and is

G is a gain associated with one of the left and right pickup sensors.

4. The system (600) of claim 1, wherein the processing system (620) configured to determine the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises the processing system (620) configured to determine a gain between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value.

5. The system (600) of claim 4, wherein the gain is associated with one of a right pickup sensor and a left pickup sensor.

6. The system (600) of claim 5, wherein the gain is determined using one of the following equations:

and

wherein:

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor;

G _RPO is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVRPO is a stiffness meter verification value associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVLPO is a stiffness meter verification value associated with the left pickup sensor; and is

FCF is a flow calibration factor for the vibrating meter and is the calibration value in units of stiffness.

7. The system (600) of claim 1, wherein the processing system (620) configured to determine the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises the processing system (620) configured to use the following equation:

Stiffness _Physical ＝FCF；

wherein:

Stiffness _Physical is a physical stiffness value of the vibrating meter; and is provided with

FCF is a flow calibration factor for the vibrating meter and is the calibration value for the vibrating meter in units of stiffness.

8. The system (600) of claim 1, wherein determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value of the vibrating meter (5) comprises determining a reference physical property value as a function of the calibration value.

9. The system (600) of claim 1, wherein the baseline meter verification value is one of a baseline mass meter verification value and a baseline stiffness meter verification value of the vibrating meter.

10. The system (600) of claim 1, wherein the calibration value is one of a pipe cycle and a flow calibration factor of the vibrating meter.

11. A method for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter, the method comprising:

determining a baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter; and

determining a relationship between the baseline meter verification value and a calibration value of the vibrating meter, the calibration value traceable to a measurement standard.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter comprises determining a baseline meter verification value associated with one of a right pickup sensor and a left pickup sensor.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the baseline meter verification value for the vibrating meter comprises using the following equation:

Stiffness _SMV ＝Stiffness _Physical ·G；

wherein:

Stiffness _SMV is a stiffness meter verification value for the vibrating meter, the stiffness meter verification value being the baseline meter verification value;

G is a gain associated with one of the left and right pickup sensors.

14. The method of the preceding claim 11, wherein determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises determining a gain between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the gain is associated with one of a right pickup sensor and a left pickup sensor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the gain is determined using one of the following equations:

and

wherein:

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor;

G _RPO is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVLPO is a stiffness meter verification value associated with the left pickup sensor; and is provided with

17. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises using the following equation:

Stiffness _Physical ＝FCF；

wherein:

18. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises determining a reference physical property value as a function of the calibration value.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the baseline meter verification value is one of a baseline mass meter verification value and a baseline stiffness meter verification value of the vibrating meter.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the calibration value is one of a pipe cycle and a flow calibration factor of the vibrating meter.

21. A method for standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter, the method comprising:

obtaining a relationship between a baseline meter verification value and a calibration value; and

determining a value of a physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the baseline meter verification value is one of a baseline stiffness meter verification value and a baseline mass meter verification value, and the calibration value is one of a flow calibration factor and a pipe cycle of the vibrating meter.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein obtaining the relationship between the baseline meter verification value and the calibration value comprises obtaining a gain determined using one of:

and

wherein:

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor;

G _RPO is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVRPO is a stiffness value associated with the right pickup sensor;

Stiffness _SMVLPO is a stiffness value associated with the left pickup sensor; and is

24. The method of claim 21, wherein determining a value of a physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship comprises determining a physical mass value of the vibrating meter based on a mass meter verification value and a gain of the vibrating meter.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein determining a physical mass value of the vibrating meter based on a mass meter verification value of the vibrating meter and the gain comprises determining one of:

wherein:

Mass _{SMVPhysicalLPO} is a physical mass value of the vibrating meter determined using a left pickup sensor;

Mass _SMVLPO is a mass meter verification value of the vibrating meter associated with the left pickup sensor;

G _LPO is the gain associated with the left pickup sensor; and

wherein:

Mass _{SMVPhysicalRPO} is a physical mass value of the vibrating meter determined using a right pickup sensor;

Mass _SMVRPO is a mass meter verification value of the vibrating meter associated with the right pickup sensor; and is provided with

G _RPO Is the gain associated with the right pickup sensor.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising: comparing the value of the physical property of the vibrating meter to a reference physical property value determined from a second calibration value of the vibrating meter.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein comparing the value of the physical property of the vibrating meter to the reference physical property value comprises determining a deviation from the reference physical property value using one of the following:

wherein:

Mass _{traceableDeviationLPO} is the standard traceable deviation of the physical property measured by the left pickup sensor from the reference physical property value;

Mass _{SMVPhysicalLPO} is the physics determined as the vibrating meter using the left pickup sensorA physical mass value of the vibrating meter of an attribute; and is provided with

m _reference Is a reference mass value as the reference physical property value of the vibrating meter; and

wherein:

Mass _{traceableDeviationRPO} is the standard traceable deviation of the physical property measured by the right pickup sensor from the reference physical property value;

Mass _{SMVPhysicalRPO} is a physical mass of the vibrating meter measured by the right pickup sensor as the physical attribute of the vibrating meter; and is

m _reference Is a reference quality value that is the reference physical property value of the vibratory meter.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the reference physical property value is a reference quality value determined using the following equation:

m _reference is the reference quality value as the reference physical property value;

FCF is a flow calibration factor as the calibration value expressed in units of stiffness; and is

29. A method of standard traceable validation of a vibrating meter, the method comprising:

determining a first baseline meter verification value for a first physical attribute of the vibrating meter;

determining a relationship between the first baseline meter verification value and a calibration value for the first physical property;

determining a value of a second physical attribute of the vibrating meter based on the relationship and a meter verification value of the second physical attribute; and

comparing the value of the second physical property with a calibrated value of the second physical property.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first baseline meter verification value is one of a baseline mass meter verification value, a baseline stiffness meter verification value, and a baseline catheter amplitude value.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein determining the relationship between the first baseline meter verification value and the calibration value for the first physical property comprises determining a gain between the first baseline meter verification value and the calibration value for the first physical property.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein comparing the value of the second physical property to a calibrated value for the second physical property comprises comparing the value of the second physical property to a reference physical property value determined from the calibrated value.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising performing a frequency check of at least one of: the first baseline meter verification value, the calibration value for the first physical property, the value for the second physical property, and a comparison of the value for the second physical property to the calibration value for the second physical property.