Pulsar FLOWPULSE User manual

FlowPulse
Instruction Manual

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PULSAR MEASUREMENT
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FLOWPULSE (FOURTH EDITION REV 1)
February 2021
Part Number M-560-0-004-1P
COPYRIGHT
© Pulsar Measurement, 2012-20. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any
language in any form without the written permission of Pulsar Process Measurement Limited.
WARRANTY AND LIABILITY
Pulsar Process Measurement Limited guarantee for a period of 2 years from the date of delivery
that it will either exchange or repair any part of this product returned to Pulsar Process
Measurement Limited if it is found to be defective in material or workmanship, subject to the
defect not being due to unfair wear and tear, misuse, modification or alteration, accident,
misapplication, or negligence.
DISCLAIMER
Pulsar Measurement neither gives nor implies any process guarantee for this product and shall
have no liability in respect of any loss, injury or damage whatsoever arising out of the
application or use of any product or circuit described herein.
Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of this documentation, but Pulsar Measurement
cannot be held liable for any errors.
Pulsar Measurement operates a policy of constant development and improvement and reserves
the right to amend technical details, as necessary.
The FlowPulse shown on the cover of this manual is used for illustrative purposes only and may
not be representative of the actual FlowPulse supplied.
CONTACT
For technical support, please contact:
Europe: [e-mail]
Outside Europe: [e-mail]
If you have any comments or suggestions about this product, please contact:
Europe: [e-mail]
Outside Europe: [e-mail]
Pulsar Measurement website: www.pulsarmeasurement.com
United States
11451 Belcher Road South
Largo,
FL 33773
888-473-9546
Canada
16456 Sixsmith Drive
Long Sault, Ont.
K0C 1P0
855-300-9151
United Kingdom
Cardinal Building, Enigma
Commercial Centre
Sandy’s Road, Malvern
WR14 1JJ
00 44 (0)1684 891371

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CONTENTS
Contents .......................................................................................................................................4
Chapter 1: Start Here… ...........................................................................................................7
About this Manual ...............................................................................................................7
About the Pulsar FlowPulse .............................................................................................8
Functional Description .......................................................................................................9
Product Specification....................................................................................................... 10
EU Declaration of Conformity ......................................................................................12
Chapter 2 Installation...........................................................................................................13
Unpacking............................................................................................................................ 13
Power Supply Requirements.........................................................................................13
Dimensions .......................................................................................................................... 14
Terminal Connection Detail .......................................................................................... 14
FlowPulse IP68....................................................................................................................15
Wiring .................................................................................................................................... 15
Terminal Connections......................................................................................................16
FlowPulse Installation Procedures ..............................................................................17
Flow Pulse PC Installation .............................................................................................. 18
Preparation for Operation ............................................................................................. 19
Maintenance ....................................................................................................................... 19
Chapter 3 Setting Up FlowPulse Using Software ......................................................20
Interface................................................................................................................................ 20
Using FlowPulse PC ..........................................................................................................20
Software Icons....................................................................................................................21
Flow Tab................................................................................................................................ 23
Flow Record Tab................................................................................................................ 24
Trace Tab .............................................................................................................................. 25
Parameters Tab .................................................................................................................. 26
Manual Setting...................................................................................................................35
Setup Menu......................................................................................................................... 36

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System Menu ...................................................................................................................... 36
Tools Menu.......................................................................................................................... 37
About FlowPulse Menu...................................................................................................37
Chapter 4 RS485 Parameter Guide ................................................................................. 38
Parameter System ............................................................................................................. 38
Parameter Access .............................................................................................................. 38
Output Parameters ........................................................................................................... 39
Configuration Parameters.............................................................................................. 40
Chapter 5 Optimisation and Diagnostics .....................................................................52
Interpreting Diagnostic Trace....................................................................................... 52
PC-over-RS485................................................................................................................... 53
Quick-Response Setup....................................................................................................54
Simulated Flow................................................................................................................... 55
Saving & Loading Device Parameters....................................................................... 55
Firmware Upgrade ............................................................................................................ 56
High Noise Environment................................................................................................57
Chapter 6 Common Questions and Answers ............................................................. 58
Will mechanical vibration affect flow measurement?......................................... 58
Is it possible to operate FlowPulse in a high noise environment? ................ 58
What is the effect of poor pipe condition?.............................................................58
What is the effect of pipe lining?................................................................................ 58
Does FlowPulse measurement drift over time? .................................................... 58
Can FlowPulse be operated in a wet environment?............................................59
Chapter 7 Troubleshooting................................................................................................60
LED Indications...................................................................................................................60
Fault Registers and Log File..........................................................................................60
Flow measurement is significantly different from expectation.......................61
Flow reading under no-flow condition.....................................................................62
Flow reading fluctuates or is erratic .......................................................................... 62
No flow indicated when there is flow .......................................................................63

FLOWPULSE INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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Relay state not stable ......................................................................................................63
Chapter 8 Disposal ................................................................................................................ 64
Transducers ......................................................................................................................... 64
Controllers............................................................................................................................64

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CHAPTER 1: START HERE…
Congratulations on your purchase of Pulsar’s FlowPulse sensor. This quality
system has been developed over many years and represents the latest in
high technology ultrasonic level measurement and control.
It has been designed to give you years of trouble-free performance, and a
few minutes spent reading this operating manual will ensure that your
installation is as simple as possible.
About this Manual
It is important that this manual is referred to for correct installation and
operation. There are various parts of the manual that offer additional help
or information as shown.
Tips
TIP: Look for this icon throughout your Pulsar Measurement manual to
find helpful information and answers to frequently asked questions .
Additional Information
Additional Information
At various parts of the manual, you will find sections
like this that explain specific things in more detail.

FLOWPULSE INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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About the Pulsar FlowPulse
The FlowPulse is an ultrasonic non-invasive flow monitor designed for use
on most industrial liquid flow applications. FlowPulse uses a novel spread
spectrum analysis technique never used in flow monitoring. It introduces a
radical new Digital Signal Processing approach for exceptional repeatability.
Ultrasound is fired through the pipe wall at 90 degrees to the flow via a
tangentially mounted high-output ceramic, then refracted at angles across
the axis of the flow and subsequently reflected from bubbles, particles and
vortices in all directions and at a wide range of frequencies. The wide,
refracted, ultrasonic beam maximises the ultrasound energy captured from
flowing particles. These multiple reflections are received back into the unit
via a second crystal.
The mass of data generated is analysed using FlowPulse’s Refracted Spread
Spectrum Analysis (RSSA) digital signal processing platform to derive flow
information. RSSA analyses and integrates the received signals over a wide
frequency range, then uses them for real-time analysis and flow rate
calculation.
FlowPulse operates in a flow range from as little as 0.3m/s through to 4m/s,
with a minimum particle size of 100µ and concentration of 200ppm (the
equivalent of hard water) or above.

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Functional Description
The FlowPulse injects an ultrasonic signal through the pipe and analyses the
returned signal in real-time to extract flow information. This provides robust
and repeatable flow monitoring using a scalable 4 to 20 mA output and a
volt-free relay switch. Interface with the PC over both the RS-485 and RS-
232 serial port is fully supported by the FlowPulse PC software, which can be
used for setting up and operating the device.
In addition, there is a RS-485 with Modbus RTU communication protocol
that interfaces Flow Pulse to Pulsar’s optional controllers which are listed
below:
•Flow Monitor wall mount unit
•Quantum 3
•Ultimate Controller
For further details on how to connect and use the Flow Pulse with the
controllers listed above, please refer to their individual instruction manuals,
which can be downloaded from our website:
www.pulsarmeasurement.com
For the best results, FlowPulse should be applied where:
•There is full pipe flow
•The pipe material is steel, cast iron, ductile iron, plastic, or glass,
but not rubber or flexible plastic pipes
•The pipe diameter is greater than 30 mm
•The pipe wall thickness is less than 20 mm
•The solids concentration in the fluid is greater than 200 ppm
(e.g. hard tap water), and typical particle sizes are larger than
100 microns
•There is no significant build-up within the pipe

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Product Specification
PHYSICAL
Outside dimensions
120 x 65 x 65 mm (4.75 x 2.6 x 2.6 inch)
Weight
Nominal 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs)
Enclosure material/description
Type 316 stainless steel casting
Cable entry detail
1 cable entry M20 x 1.5mm gland
Maximum separation
500m (1,640 ft.)
ENVIRONMENTAL
IP Rating (Wall)
IP68
Max. & min. temperature
(electronics)
-20 ºC to +70 ºC (-4ºF to 158ºF)
CE Approval
See EU Declaration of Conformity
PERFORMANCE
Accuracy/Repeatability
±5% typical subject to installation and pipe conditions
Resolution
3mm/sec.
Pipe wall thickness
Metal or rigid pipe up to 20mm (0.8in) thick
Min. Particle size
>100µ
Max. particle size
>200ppm
Pipe diameter
V1 = 30mm to 350mm (1.2 to 14in), V2 = 30mm to
1250mm (1.2 to 49.2in)
Min. range
0.3m/sec.
Max. range (flow)
4.0m/sec. (10m/sec. for high flow version)
Response time
fully adjustable (1 sec. minimum for fast response
version)
SIGNAL PROCESSING
Description
RSSA (Refractive Spread Spectrum Analysis)
OUTPUTS
Analogue output
4-20 mA into a 1kload (when supply voltage is 22
VDC or greater) with 20µA resolution and user
programmable span.
Digital output
Full Duplex RS232 to PC software, Half Duplex RS485
to PC software, Half Duplex RS485 with Modbus RTU
Volt free contacts, number, and
rating
1 form "C" (SPDT) rated at 1A at 24VDC