Abstract: An apparatus and method for measuring gas flow velocity through a high stack employs ultrasonic transducers. The transducers are placed on opposite ends of a diameter several hundred feet up, with a small vertical separation L between the transducers. Apparatus for measuring acoustic velocity in the stack gas over short path lengths is also included.

Abstract: An intervalometer for determining the arrival time of a bandwidth limited energy pulse employs an integrated threshold arming apparatus and method for conditioning an event recognition circuit. The event recognition circuit, which is typically a zero crossing detector, responds to the conditioning signal for detecting a predetermined event after occurrence of said conditioning signal. The integrated threshold arming circuit employs a signal integration circuit responsive preferably to a rectified signal input, and comparison means for determining when the integrated value crosses a predetermined threshold. A dual threshold implementation can also be employed to further discriminate against false noise signals. The apparatus and method are preferably employed in connection with volumetric flow measurements of turbulent and time-varying fluids by ultrasonic pulse interrogation.

Abstract: An intervalometer for determining the transit time of an ultrasonic energy pulse through a fluid medium employs an automatic gain control amplifier circuit for amplitude stabilizing the electrical signal derived at a receiving transducer. The automatic gain control circuit tracks both a rapidly increasing and a rapidly decreasing signal amplitude. In various embodiments, synchronous switching can be employed in conjunction with a single amplifier and a plurality of storage elements to rapidly scan a plurality of signal paths and for providing automatic gain control capability on each path. The intervalometer further has a "slipped cycle" capability for accurately determining arrival time when is is known that the signal pulse will be within a certain range of times. In addition, the relative time difference between two arriving signal pulses can be accurately determined using this method so long as the range of time difference is sufficiently small.

Abstract: An ultrasonic flowmeter for determining fluid flow velocity within a conduit by determining the difference in transit time between interrogating ultrasonic pulses transmitted upstream between a pair of transducers and transmitted downstream between them. A high frequency clock pulse operating for one or more cycles of interrogation allows for accurate digital computation.