Density Measurement by

Vibrating Tube

1. Theory:

1-1 Introduction to liquid density-vibrating Densitometers:

A variety of widely used and accurate densitometers have been designed by exploiting the
phenomenon that the natural frequency of oscillation varies with the mass of the oscillating body.
Therefore, if the mass varies with density, the frequency of oscillation can be used to measure the
density. The shape of the oscillating elements in the densitometers distinguishes their designs, and
they are grouped on that basis. Groups include the vibrating U-tube; the vibrating cylinder and
straight tube; the vibrating twin-tube; the vibrating fork; and multivariable transducers combining
vibrating elements with other useful sensor principles for the concentration analysis of multi
component liquids.

1-2 Basic theory of vibrating Densitometers:

Most of the theory behind vibrating densitometers can be derived from a simple mass-spring model
(Figure 1). The start of the derivation is the well-known formula defining the period T of resonant
oscillation of a mass-spring model with mass m and spring constant c:

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 Figure 1: Mass-spring model of a vibrating densitometer [1]

𝑚
𝑇 = 2𝜋√ (1)
𝑐

The oscillating mass of a vibrating densitometer consists of the following: the mass of the vibrating
element M and the mass of the fluid participating in the oscillation, being the volume of the
participating fluid V times its density ρ.

𝑚 =𝑀+𝜌×𝑉 (2)

Replacing m in Equation (1) with the right side of Equation (2) and rearranging leads to:

𝑐 2
𝑀
𝜌= × 𝑇 − (3)
4𝜋 2 𝑉 𝑉

Equation (3) relates the period of oscillation of a vibrating densitometer to the density of the fluid
it is measuring. The two terms containing c, V, and M are now renamed for reasons of clarity:

𝑐
𝐴= (4)
4𝜋 2 𝑉

𝑀
𝐵= (5)
𝑉
2
This leads to the “fundamental” equation for density measurement using vibrating sensors:

𝜌 = 𝐴 × 𝑇2 − 𝐵 (6)

Equation (6) contains two unknowns, A and B, often referred to as transducer constants, which are
determined by a process called calibration. This is carried out by measuring at least two standard
materials of known density, typically air and water.

Real life behavior:

Now the question arises whether real life densitometers behave in such a simple way. The answer
is that they do behave almost as simply as that. However, it is now time to reveal some of the
difficulties associated with real life vibrating densitometers.

The first question is: How do damping forces, which are always present, influence the system?
The answer is that, in a properly designed vibrating densitometer, the excitation system (an
electronic device which keeps the densitometer oscillating at its natural frequency) exactly
compensates for the damping effects. Therefore, damping forces do not need to be considered for
normal operation.

Effects of temperature, pressure, and flow:

What happens with changing measuring temperatures? Looking at Equations (4) and (5) it can be
seen that both transducer constants should be influenced by temperature, as a volume and a spring
constant are involved. Therefore, an extended equation is necessary which is able to compensate
for temperature influences on the transducer constants, provided that the temperature t is also
measured:

𝜌 = 𝐴 × 𝑓𝑎 (𝑡) × 𝑇 2 − 𝐵 × 𝑓𝑏 (𝑡) (7)

𝑓𝑎 (𝑡) and 𝑓𝑏 (𝑡)are functions of the temperature 𝑡 which are again determined by calibration with
standard materials of known density, this time at different temperatures within the operating range
of the densitometer. Accurate temperature compensation can become very demanding if rapid
measuring temperature changes occur.

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A very similar extension of the fundamental Equation (6) can be made if the compensation of
pressure variations is needed. However, in many cases, the oscillating element is designed to
minimize pressure influences to an extent that pressure compensation is not necessary. Flow
variations also have a small, typically negligible influence on vibrating densitometers. As its speed
increases, the fluid stream increasingly resists the lateral deflection caused by the oscillation of the
sensing element. This can result in slight changes of the oscillation frequency of the sensor and
consequential measurement errors.

There is still more to consider. All the equations above are based on a mass-spring model which
is supported by an unlimited amount of “counter mass.” In real life, the counter mass is either some
additional mass built into or attached to the densitometer, another (counteracting) vibrating
element, or, as in the case of circumferential oscillations, a part of the same vibrating element. If
the counter mass does not behave like an unlimited amount of mass, the volume of fluid
participating in the oscillation changes as its density changes. This is due to the fact that the nodal
points of the oscillation of the vibrating element shift as the mass load changes with different
densities. To compensate for this, for most densitometers a third transducer constant is introduced
into Equation (7). This third transducer constant is multiplied by the period of oscillation or a
function thereof.

Effects of sample properties:

The validity of Equation (7) is subject to another important limitation: the underlying model is
only accurate if all of the fluid participating in the oscillation always follows the movement of the
surface of the vibrating element in the same way. In real life, there are three cases in which this
rule is broken:

1. The “sound velocity effect:” If the speed of the vibrating element’s surface becomes
significant in relation to the sound velocity in the fluid, part of the participating fluid will
lag behind the movement of that surface depending on the actual sound velocity. This
causes the fluid to exert different inertial forces with different sound velocities, leading to
different oscillation frequencies of the sensor and consequential measurement errors. In the
case of gas density measurement with high frequency oscillating sensors, this effect can
lead to excessive error if no countermeasures are provided.

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 The “viscosity effect:” If the movement of the vibrating element’s surface is such that shear
flow is generated in the fluid, the flow pattern will change depending on the actual viscosity
of the fluid. This causes the fluid to exert different inertial forces with different viscosities,
again leading to different oscillation frequencies of the sensor and consequential
measurement errors if no countermeasures are provided. The viscosity effect has to be
taken into consideration for high-precision density measurement when the viscosity varies
greatly.
2. Measurement of highly inhomogeneous fluids: If the constituents of an inhomogeneous
fluid differ considerably in their density and flow behavior, they will move relative to each
other when subject to oscillating forces. This leads to different inertial forces depending on
the degree of inhomogeneity, again causing different oscillation frequencies of the sensor
and consequential measurement errors.

Some additional, practical aspects are as follows: if a fluid forms deposits on surfaces, the mass M
of the vibrating element will increase and the fluid volume V will decrease. This leads to drifts of
the densitometer and requires suitable periodic cleaning and readjustment of the sensor. If abrasive
fluids are measured, M and c will typically decrease and V will increase, again resulting in drifts
of the densitometer. The solution is to use abrasion-resistant materials or to carry out frequent
readjustments and replace the sensor once it is seriously degraded.

1.3 Vibrating U-tube:

In this section, two different designs based on the vibrating U-tube concept are discussed. The first
design utilizes the period of oscillation measurement for density determination; the second design
relies on vibration amplitude measurement.

A) Vibrating U-Tube with Period of Oscillation Measurement:

Figure 2 shows a typical design in which the sample fluid flows continuously through a U-shaped
tube and the frequency of oscillation is measured. This design is mainly used in high precision
online density measurements, as required for the determination of concentration in the brewing,
soft drink, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. Here, the oscillating U-tube is driven by a
magnet and coil assembly and a feedback amplifier so as to maintain the oscillation at the resonant
frequency of the system. A resistance-type platinum temperature sensor is attached to the U-tube

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for automatic temperature compensation. In order to avoid measurement errors at measuring
temperatures below ambient, the U-tube is sealed in a metal box to prevent humidity condensations
forming.

Figure 2: High-precision vibrating U-tube densitometer [1]

The resonant frequency of the U-tube and the measured temperature are transmitted to a controller
through a twin wire cable which also supplies power to the densitometer. Resonant frequency and
temperature are converted into density at measuring temperature, density at reference temperature,
and concentration by the microprocessor-based controller. There, analog and digital outputs
provide corresponding signals for further processing.

This densitometer type is also available with a built-in controller and 4–20 mA output at the
expense of a slightly increased error. Several design variations with special materials for the wetted
parts and U-tube diameters from 1 /8 in. (3 mm) up to 1 in. (25 mm) are available. Intrinsically
safe versions are provided for applications in hazardous atmospheres.

This design can handle gases, homogeneous fluids, and light slurries with low to medium
viscosities. Larger amounts of entrained gas cause the oscillation to stop due to excessive damping.
Therefore, such samples cannot be measured unless increased line pressure causes the gas bubble
volume to be compressed to a suitable extent and/or causes the gas to become dissolved in the
liquid. Connecting the densitometer to the process with flexible hoses prevents influence from pipe
vibration. If the densitometer is used in a bypass configuration, proper means have to be provided
to secure a representative sample flow through the bypass (orifice in main line; bypass around
pump in main line; pump in bypass; etc.).
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B) Vibrating U-Tube with Vibration Amplitude Measurement:

A different, low cost/low accuracy concept is used in the detector illustrated in Figure 3. The
process fluid flows continuously through a 1/2 in. (12.5 mm) diameter U-tube section which is
welded at the node points. The total mass of the U-tube assembly is affected by the process fluid
density. A pulsating current through the drive coil brings the U-tube into mechanical vibration. An
increase in process density increases the effective mass of the U-tube and, therefore, decreases the
corresponding vibration amplitude. An armature and coil arrangement is provided to detect the
vibration at the “pickup” end. The armature vibrates together with the U-tube and induces an AC
voltage proportional to the fluid density in the pickup coil. This AC voltage is then converted into
DC millivolts, which is more compatible with remote recorders or controllers. In installations
where the process temperature is expected to vary, an automatic temperature compensating circuit
performs the required temperature correction.

If the process stream contains entrained gases, then low flow velocities can cause separation and
trapping of the gas. The measured value then represents some average value of the liquid and gas
density. As with most vibrating densitometer designs, the entrained gas influence on the measured
density can be compensated to some degree by offsetting the measurement result, provided that
line pressure and flow remain suitably constant.

Several different materials for the wetted parts are available for this densitometer, e.g., for
applications with aggressive liquids or abrasive slurries. This densitometer can handle
homogeneous fluids or light slurries with low or moderate viscosities. High-viscosity streams or
heavy slurries are likely to plug the small diameter U-tube. If the densitometer is used in a bypass
configuration, proper means have to be provided to secure a representative sample flow through
the by-pass [1].

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 Figure 3: Vibrating U-tube density detector [1]

2. References:

1. Béla G. Lipták, "Instrument engineers handbook. Process measurement and analysis", pages
844- 848, CRC Press, 2003