Measurement corrections for temperature effects in Coriolis mass flow meters for cryogenic, liquid hydrogen (LH2) applications

To link traceable flow calibrations of Coriolis meters at ambient conditions to flow measurements in cryogenic, liquid hydrogen (LH2) applications, physical effects of very low temperatures on the calibration factor must be satisfactorily predicted by temperature correction methods. In this paper, four correction models are investigated, which differ in the sense of which temperature effects they cover and how these effects are determined. These correction models were applied to three Coriolis meter designs – straight, arc and U-tube. As a reference value in the evaluation, we use the simulation results with the finite element model that incorporates temperature effects related to elastic material properties, thermal strains and thermal stresses. The best agreement (within ± 0.2 % for the curved tubes) is achieved by the correction model that considers the known temperature dependence of the tube elastic properties as well as the dimensional changes due to thermal strain.