MEMS-based micro-Coriolis technology for high precision density measurement

Abstract

Abstract Endress+Hauser has a long history of developing and producing flowmeters of various measurement technologies for the scope of process and product control in a variety of applications and industries. One of the most important flow measurement technologies in the last decades was the vibrating tube flowmeters based on the Coriolis measuring principle. An advantage of Coriolis flowmeters is the fact that they measure direct mass flow rate. Furthermore, by using the resonating tube frequency information, density and viscosity of a fluid can be deduced. Coriolis flowmeters exist in a lot of different shapes and styles, typically having metal flow tubes e. g. from stainless steel, titanium, zirconium or tantalum. The nominal flow rates range from about 1 g/h to 4000 t/h corresponding to line sizes from 0.2 mm up to 350 mm. In recent years different groups have worked on the adaptation and implementation of the Coriolis measuring principle in a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) sensor by etching a micro tube structure from a silicon wafer. Such micro machined silicon based Coriolis sensor chips open a new field of applications for the Coriolis measuring principle. Here we present the work of Endress+Hauser on the field of MEMS based Micro-Coriolis Sensors and explore potential applications of this new technology, e. g. for very accurate liquid and gas density measurements and concentration determination.