FLOW METER

A flow meter is a device used to measure the volume or mass of a gas or liquid. Flow meters are
referred to by many names, such as flow gauge, flow indicator, liquid meter, flow rate sensor, etc.
depending on the particular industry. However, they all measure flow. Open channels, like rivers or
streams, may be measured with flow meters. Or more frequently, the most utility from a flow meter
and the greatest variety of flow meters focus on measuring gasses and liquids in a pipe. Improving
the precision, accuracy, and resolution of fluid measurement are the greatest benefits of the best flow
meters.

Types of Flow Meter

Rota Meter

Venture Meter

Orifice Meter

rotameter
Rota meter is variable area flow meter used to measure fluid flow. It works on the principle of up
thrust force exerted by fluid and force of gravity. The buoyant force exerted on an immersed object is
equal to the weight of liquid displaced by the object. Under this principle, the Rota meter works with
float-tapered tube system.

A rotameter is made up of a tapered tube and a float inside it. The glass tapered tube has a scale on the
surface or a scale is placed adjacent to it, according to purpose.
Construction:
Tapered tube:

The tapered tube is placed vertically in the flow channel with a conical shape inside. The quantity
measured is defined by the height of float going up. Glass tubes are used for both liquid and gas
measurement. Metallic tubes are used where the process fluid with high temperature and pressure.

Float:

Stainless steal floats are commonly used, there are different types of metals from lead to aluminum used
as floats. A float material, shapes are also varied according to applications considering density.

Spherical shape floats are used for small flows.

Working:

Fluid enters from the bottom of the tapered tube, then some of the fluid strikes directly into the float
bottom and others pass aside the float. Now the float experience two forces in opposite direction, drag
force upward and gravitational force downward.

Fluid flow moves the float upward against gravity. At some point, the flowing area reaches a point where
the pressure-induced force on the floating body exactly matches the weight of the float. The float will find
equilibrium when the area around float generates enough drag equal to weight - buoyancy.

As the float weight and gravity are constant, the distance float displaced upward is proportional to the flow
velocity of the fluid passing through the tapered tube.
Measuring Principles of Variable Area Flowmeters:

However, the difference in this application is that the value inside the radicand is constant since the
pressure difference will remain constant and the fluid density will likely remain constant as well. Thus, k
will change in proportion to Q. The only variable within k relevant to float position is the flowing area
between the float and the tube walls.

Advantages:
 No external power needed
 Simple Reliable Design
 Can Measure Liquid or Gas Flows
 Scale is approximately linear
 It can measure flow rates of corrosive fluid
 Better rangeability
 Low cost and low pressure drop

Disadvantages:
 It should be mounted vertically
 And requires lining mounting
 Uncertainty of measurement

Venturimeter
Venturi meter is a device used to measure the flow rate or discharge of fluid through a pipe. Venturimeter is an
application of Bernoulli’s equation. Its basic principle is also depends on the Bernoulli equation i.e. velocity
increases pressure decreases. The principle of venture meter is firstly developed by G.B. Venturi in 1797 but this
principle comes into consideration with the help of C. Herschel in 1887

BERNOULLIS PRINCIPLE:
Bernoullis principle states that with the increase in the velocity of the fluid its pressure decreases (or) decreases the
fluid potential energy. Decreasing the fluid pressure in the areas where flow velocity is increased is called
as Bernoulli effect.
Venturimeter:
CONSTRUCTION:
 Venturi meter is very simple in construction. It has following parts which are arranged in systematic order for proper
operation these are inlet section called as converging cone, cylindrical throat and gradually diverging cone

Reasons for
the limition
of Divergrent
angle:–
1. To reduce adverse pressure gradient and reverse flow (unsteady flow)
2. To prevent flow separation which causes frictional drag.
3. To avoid head loss and cavitation effect

Its working can be discribe into following points.

 The working of venturimeter is based on the Bernoulli’s principle. As the velocity increases pressure decreases.
 In the convergent region as the area and pressure decreases the velocity increases and has a favourable pressure
gradient [ i.e., (dp/dx)<0 ] .
 In the throat region area and pressure are constant and the velocity is also constant and pressure gradient is zero
[ i.e., (dp/dx) = 0 ] .
 The decrase in the pressure in between the inlet and throat is measured with the help of differential manometer.
 The value of height of mercury in the manometer which is obtained from difference of pressure heads is used to
calculate discharge by using bernoullis equation.

APPLICATIONS:
1. As discussed above venturimeter is used to measure the discharge in flow through pipes.

2. In medical applications it is used to measure the rate of flow in the arteries.

3. It has some other industrial applications like in gas, liquids, oil where pressure loss should be avoided.

4. It also measures the discharge of fluid which has some slurry or dirt particles because of its smooth design
 Orifice Meter

An Orifice Meter is basically a type of flow meter used to measure the rate of flow of Liquid or Gas,
especially Steam, using the Differential Pressure Measurement principle. It is mainly used for robust
applications as it is known for its durability and is very economical.

When a liquid / gas, whose flow-rate is to be determined, is passed through an Orifice Meter, there is
a drop in the pressure between the Inlet section and Outlet Section of Orifice Meter. This drop in
pressure can be measured using a differential pressure measuring instrument.

Since this differential pressure is in direct proportion to the flow-rate as per the Bernoulli's Equation
hence the differential pressure instrument can be configured to display flow-rate instead of showing
differential pressure.

The working principle of Orifice Meter is the same, as that of Venturi meter.

Construction:

Shape & Size of Orifice meter:

Orifice meters are built in different forms depending upon the application specific requirement, The
shape, size and location of holes on the Orifice Plate describes the Orifice Meter Specifications as
per the following:

 Concentric Orifice Plate

 Eccentric Orifice Plate
 Segment Orifice Plate
 Quadrant Edge Orifice Plate
 Operation of Orifice meter:

 The fluid flows inside the Inlet section of the Orifice meter having a pressure P1.
 As the fluid proceeds further into the Converging section, its pressure reduces gradually and it finally
reaches a value of P2 at the end of the Converging section and enter the Cylindrical section.
 The differential pressure sensor connected between the Inlet and the and the Cylindrical Throat
section of the Orifice meter displays the difference in pressure (P1-P2). This difference in pressure is
in direct proportion to the flow rate of the liquid flowing through the Orifice meter.

Applications of Orifice meter:

 Natural Gas
 Water Treatment Plants
 Oil Filtration Plants
 Petrochemicals and Refineries

Advantages of Orifice meter:

 The Orifice meter is very cheap as compared to other types of flow meters.
 Less space is required to Install and hence ideal for space constrained applications
 Operational response can be designed with perfection.

Limitations of Orifice meter:

 Easily gets clogged due to impurities in gas or in unclear liquids

 The minimum pressure that can be achieved for reading the flow is sometimes difficult to achieve due
to limitations in the vena-contracta length for an Orifice Plate.
 Unlike Venturi meter, downstream pressure cannot be recovered in Orifice Meters. Overall head loss
is around 40% to 90% of the differential pressure .