Concentration measurement systems with stable solutions for binary gas mixtures using two flowmeters

The previously proposed gas concentration measurement system (Yamazaki et al 2007 Meas. Sci. Technol. 18 2762–8) shows a considerable error for some combinations of gases. The error increases when the system of equations determining mole fractions becomes a mathematically ill-conditioned system. Because the parameters of the equations reflect the material properties of the gases, the current paper considers flowmeters whose flow rate indication does not involve any gas property. This paper firstly illustrates the ill condition for the combination of venturi meter and laminar flowmeters. The paper then discusses the simultaneous measurement of flow rate and mole fractions by flowmeter combinations: an ultrasonic flowmeter and a venturi meter, an ultrasonic flowmeter and a laminar flowmeter. Experiments are conducted for a mixture of argon and air. When a venturi meter and a laminar flowmeter are used, the equations to evaluate the gas mixture ratio become an ill-conditioned system, and hence the evaluated mixture ratio shows a considerable error. On the other hand, the combination of an ultrasonic flowmeter and a laminar flowmeter detects the gas mixture ratio with proper accuracy