Methods and apparatus for determination of flow through a fluid conduit based on a measured convergence of fluid conduit temperature and ambient temperature

摘要

An apparatus for making a flow determination with respect to a flow through a fluid conduit such as a domestic water pipe, the fluid conduit comprising a wall having an inner surface surrounding a flow space through which the fluid flows and an outer surface, the apparatus comprising: a first temperature sensor arranged to be mounted on the outer surface of the fluid conduit and arranged to generate a first temperature signal indicative of a first temperature being the temperature of the outer surface; a second temperature sensor arranged to be positioned spaced apart from the first temperature sensor and to generate a second temperature signal indicative of a second temperature being the ambient temperature outside of the fluid conduit; and a processor having inputs for the first and second temperature signals; in which the processor has an output for the flow determination and is arranged to make the flow determination by determining a measure of the convergence of the first and second temperatures over time.