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Density and Specific Gravity
Density and Specific Gravity
The vibrating densitometer in Figure 7-22 shows two vertical tubes housed in a metal
enclosure. The two tubes and end pieces form a mechanical resonant vibrating system.
Fluid entering at the bottom of the left tuve travels to the top, crosses to the right tube,
flows down, and exits at the bottom. The two tubes are mechanically vibrated at a
resonant frequency by an electronic oscillator, and the fluid flowing through the two
tubes is a function of the resulting vibration. The resonant frequency of the vibrating
tubes will vary with the density of the fluid. The driver piezoelectric element attached
to the left tube is used to vibrate the tube at the resonant frequency. The pickup
piezoelectric element attached to the right tube responds to vibration of the entire
assembly, which depends on the density of the fluid passing through the instrument. A
high-density fluid tends to slow down the vibrations, while a lower density causes it to
return to the natural resonant frequency. The resulting output frequency is amplified
and converted into a signal that is proportional to the density of the fluid passing
through the instrument. The output can be converted into a 4 to 20 mA analog signal or
a digital signal with a changing frequency that can be counted.
Fluid density or specific gravity can be determined by instruments that respond to the
pressure of liquid in a container with a fixed height. Instruments of this type are
commonly referred to as hydrostatic-head devices or bubbler instruments. This
approach to density measurement is very similar to that of the head-level measuring
technique. In level measurement, the specific gravity of a liquid was known and level
was determined by a difference in pressure. In density measurements, the head or tank
level is maintained at a constant value, with different specific-gravity values producing
changes in pressure.