No matter how hard we try to eliminate extraneous variables, every part of our universe is dynamic and interactive, from the largest galaxy to the smallest ultrasound flow sensor. Does this infinite interactivity create problems… or opportunities? Fluids such as water or blood are great candidates for transit-time volume flow measurements but they can be attenuated by various factors. Let’s look at a couple: 

1. Air bubbles, air pockets or dissolved gasses. These can lead to reflection of the ultrasound waves, which could prevent an accurate flow measurement. However, due to this reflection phenomena, ultrasound can be used as one of the most accurate ways to detect when air bubbles, even very small ones (5% of cross section volume) passing through the section of the flow path. 

2. Non-laminar flow, especially any changes in flow profile from laminar to turbulent. Extremely turbulent flows can lead to refraction of the ultrasound waves, which can be observed as attenuation of the signal. Transonic has developed an X-beam configuration to improve accuracy of turbulent flow measurement, which has the added benefit of increasing measurement precision and stability. 

In conclusion, the most commonly-measured fluids are water, blood, and blood analog solutions (glycerin water), and the examples above are only a tiny fraction of the challenges we’ve turned to our advantage along the way. Transonic has a wealth of experience in calibrating for and working with multiple solutions and figuring out how to handle intriguing flow measurements; contact us to learn more!