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FLOW MEASUREMENT

BY—

ASHISH SINGH

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AVINASH CHAUDHARY
Definitions Of Flow Meter

 A gauge indicating the velocity of wastewater


moving through a treatment plant or of any
liquid moving through various industrial
processes.

 A device for measuring the rate of fluid flow,


usually in pipes.

 A device for monitoring and measuring the


flow of a substance (typically fluid or gas).
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Definitions Of Flow Meter

 An instrument for measuring the flow of


liquids.

 Any device that measures the flow of a


specific gas or gas mixture passing through.

General definition of flowmeters.


 A flowmeter is a device that meters


movement of fluid in a conduit or an open
space. This fluid could be water,chemicals,
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air, gas , steam or solids

Selection of flowmeters

 Accuracy requirements in the particular


application

 Repeatabililty requirements in the particular


application

 Price /economic constraints


 Personal or company preference


 5
Selection of flowmeters

 Brand preference

 Robustness or ability to work in harsh or


hazardous type conditions

 Size

 Ease of installation

 6
Selection of flowmeters

 Longevity

 Response time

 Special requirements

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Flow Measurement
 Flow Rate
 Mass Flow rate
 Volume Flow rate

 Velocity

 Types of flow –
 Stream Line - parabolic velocity profile
 Turbulent - vortices

 Methods of measurement
 Direct: positive displacement (batch
sensors,metering pumps)
 Indirect: measurement of velocity or kinetic
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energy
Classification

 Volume Flow Rate



 Mass Flow Rate


 Velocity

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Flow Sensors

 Volume Flow Rate Sensors :


 Rotameters (float)
 Batch/Oval gear

 Mass flow rate sensors :


 Thermal
 Coriolis Force

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Flow Sensors

 Velocity Sensors :

 Turbine, paddle wheel


 Vortices

 Electromagnetic

 Ultrasonic

 With moving marks

 Obstruction devices

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Calibration Of Flowmeters
 Source of error in flowmeter :

 Variation in fluid property -


 Density
 Viscosity

 Temprature

 Pressure

 Orientation of the meter


 Flow disturbance.

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Calibration Of Flowmeters (cont…)

 Step required for calibration of a flowmeter :


 Running operation before test.
 Start the preliminary fill.

 End of pre-fill, start weighing cycle.

 Weighing cycle in operation.

 End of weighing cycle.

 Empty for recycling.

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Calibration Of Flowmeters (cont…)

 Gravimetric Calibration of Liquid Flowmeters


 Standing-start-and-finish method
 Flying-start-and-finish method

 Volumetric Calibration of Liquid Flowmeters


 Calibration of Gas Flowmeters

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Turbine meter

 Turbine type flowmetering devices are applied


worldwide to the measurement and control
of liquid products in the industrial, chemical
and petroleum marketplaces.

 The unit consists of a multiple-bladed rotor


mounted with a pipe, perpendicular to the
liquid flow. The rotor spins as the liquid
passes through the blades.

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Turbine meter (cont…)

 The rotational speed is a direct function of


flow rate and can be sensed by magnetic
pick-up, photoelectric cell, or gears.
Electrical pulses can be counted and
totalized

 The number of electrical pulses counted for a


given period of time is directly proportional
to flow volume.

 16
Turbine meter (cont…)

 A tachometer can be added to measure the


turbine's rotational speed and to determine
the liquid flow rate.

 Turbine meters, when properly specified and


installed, have good accuracy, particularly
with low-viscosity liquids.

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Turbine meter (cont…)

 A major concern with turbine meters is


bearing wear.

 A "bearingless" design has been developed to


avoid this problem.

 Liquid entering the meter travels through the


spiraling vanes of a stator that imparts
rotation to the liquid stream.

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Turbine meter (cont…)

 This stream acts on a sphere, causing it to


orbit in the space between the first stator
and a similarly spiraled second stator.

 The orbiting movement of the sphere is


detected electronically. The frequency of the
resulting pulse output is proportional to flow
rate.

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Turbine meter (cont…)

 Advantages :
 Good accuracy (± 0.25 to ± 0.5%).
 Fairly low pressure drop.

 Easy to install.

 Good temperature and pressure rating.

 Can be compensated for viscosity variation.

 Exellent repeatability and range.

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Turbine meter (cont…)

 Disadvantages :
 High cost.
 Limited use for slurry applications.

 Problems caused by non-lubricating fluids.

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Turbine meter (cont…)

 Applications :
 Military application.
 In blending system in the petroleum industry.

 Airborne application for energy fuel and cryogenic

flow measurement.

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Turbine Flowmeter

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Vortex Meter

 Vortex meters make use of a natural


phenomenon that occurs when a liquid flows
around a bluff object.

 The frequency of the vortex shedding is


directly proportional to the velocity of the
liquid flowing through the meter.

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Vortex Meter (cont…)

 The three major components of the flowmeter


are
 a bluff body
 a sensor

 a signal amplification and conditioning transmitter

 The meter is equally suitable for flow rate or


flow totalization measurements. Use for
slurries or high viscosity liquids is not
recommended

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Vortex Meter

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Electromagnetic Flowmeter

 Electromagnetic meters can handle most


liquids and slurries, providing that the
material being metered is electrically
conductive.

 Major components are the flow tube (primary


element. The flow tube mounts directly in
the pipe.

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Electromagnetic Flowmeter (cont…)

 Pressure drop across the meter is the same as


it is through an equivalent length of pipe
because there are no moving parts or
obstructions to the flow.

 The voltmeter can be attached directly to the


flow tube or can be mounted remotely and
connected to it by a shielded cable.

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Electromagnetic Flowmeter (cont…)

 The operating principle of magnetic


flowmeters is based upon Faraday's Law of
electromagnetic induction

“ It states that a voltage will be induced in a


conductor moving through a magnetic field.”

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Electromagnetic Flowmeter (cont…)
 Faraday's Law :

E=kBDV

Where

E = Induced Voltage,
B = Strength of the magentic field,
D = Conductor Width,
V = Velocity of the conductor

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Electromagnetic Flowmeter (cont…)

 The liquid serves as the conductor; the
magnetic field is created by energized coils
outside the flow tube.

 The amount of voltage produced is directly
proportional to the flow rate.

 Two electrodes mounted in the pipe wall
detect the voltage, which is measured by
the secondary element.

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Electromagnetic Flowmeter (cont…)

 Pulse-type excitation techniques have reduced


power consumption, because excitation
occurs only half the time in the unit.

 Zero settings are no longer required.


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Electromagnetic Flowmeter (cont…)

 Disadvantages of earlier designs were:


 high power consumption.
 the need to obtain a full pipe.

 no flow to initially set the meter to zero.

 Recent improvements have eliminated these


problems.

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Electromagnetic Flowmeter (cont…)
 Where to use
 High percentage of solids
 Sludges, slurries, minerals, paper, sewage - flows

with high levels of solids which cannot be


measured other types of meters.
 Obstructionless measurement

 Nothing projects into the flow stream, no head

loss, no parts to maintain.


 Very corrosive liquids

 Acids, caustics and corrosive chemical additives

are isolated from the meter by inert linings and


electrodes.
 Conductive Liquids

 Liquids where conductivity is at sufficient levels to

induce measurable voltage 36



Electromagnetic Flowmeter (cont…)

 Advantages :
 Can handle corrosive material.
 Can handle slurries and greasy material.

 Obstructionless.

 Available in large pipe sizes.

 Can handle low flows and very high volume flow

rate.
 Have very less pressure drop.

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Electromagnetic Flowmeter (cont…)

 Disadvantages :
 Expensive
 Heavy (in larger size)

 Must be full all times

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Electromagnetic Flowmeter

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Ultrasonic Flowmeter

 Ultrasonic flowmeters can be divided into


Doppler meters and time-of-travel (or
transit) meters.

 Doppler meters measure the frequency shifts


caused by liquid flow. Two transducers are
mounted in a case attached to one side of
the pipe.

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Ultrasonic Flowmeter (cont…)

 A signal of known frequency is sent into the


liquid to be measured. Solids, bubbles, or
any discontinuity in the liquid, cause the
pulse to be reflected to the receiver
element.

 Because the liquid causing the reflection is


moving, the frequency of the returned pulse
is shifted. The frequency shift is proportional
to the liquid's velocity.
 42


Ultrasonic Flowmeter (cont…)

 A portable Doppler meter capable of being


operated on AC power or from a
rechargeable power pack has recently been
developed.

 The sensing heads are simply clamped to the


outside of the pipe, and the instrument is
ready to be used.


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Ultrasonic Flowmeter (cont…)

 Total weight, including the case, is 22 lb


(approx 10kg) .

 A set of 4 to 20 millampere output terminals


permits the unit to be connected to a strip
chart recorder or other remote device.

 Time-of-travel meters have transducers


mounted on each side of the pipe.

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Ultrasonic Flowmeter (cont…)

 The configuration is such that the sound


waves traveling between the devices are at
a 45 deg. angle to the direction of liquid
flow. The speed of the signal traveling
between the transducers increases or
decreases with the direction of transmission
and the velocity of the liquid being
measured.

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Ultrasonic Flowmeter (cont…)

 A time-differential relationship proportional to


the flow can be obtained by transmitting the
signal alternately in both directions.

 A limitation of time-of-travel meters is that the


liquids being measured must be relatively
free of entrained gas or solids to minimize
signal scattering and absorption.

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Ultrasonic Flowmeter

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Rotameter

 A Rotameter is a device that measures the


flow rate of liquid or gas in a closed tube. It
is occasionally misspelled as "rotometer.“

 It measure flow rate by allowing the cross-


sectional area the fluid travels through to
vary, causing some measurable effect.

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Rotameter (cont…)

 A rotameter consists of a tapered tube,


typically made of glass, with a float inside
that is pushed up by flow and pulled down
by gravity.

 At a higher flow rate more area (between the


float and the tube) is needed to
accommodate the flow, so the float rises.

 Floats are made in many different shapes,


with spheres and ellipsoids being the most 50

common.
Rotameter (cont…)

 The float is shaped so that it rotates axially as


the fluid passes. This allows you to tell if the
float is stuck since it will only rotate if it is
free.

 Readings are usually taken from the top of the


float.

 float has to have a higher density than the


fluid, otherwise it will float to the top even if
there is no flow. 51


Rotameter (cont…)

 Advantages :
 A rotameter requires no external power or fuel, it
uses only the inherent properties of the fluid,
along with gravity, to measure flow rate.
 A rotameter is also a relatively simple device that

can be mass manufactured out of cheap


materials, allowing for its widespread use.

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Rotameter (cont…)

 Disadvantages :
 Due to its use of gravity, a rotameter must always
be vertically oriented and right way up, with the
fluid flowing upward.
 Due to its reliance on the ability of the fluid or gas

to displace the float, graduations on a given


rotameter will only be accurate for a given
substance. The main property of importance is
the density of the fluid; however, viscosity may
also be significant. Floats are ideally designed to
be insensitive to viscosity; however, this is
seldom verifiable from manufacturers specs.
Either separate rotameters for different densities
and viscosities may be used, or multiple scales
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on the same rotameter can be used.

Rotameter (cont…)
 Disadvantages (cont…) :
 Rotameters normally require the use of glass (or
other transparent material), otherwise the user
cannot see the float. This limits their use in
many industries to benign fluids, such as water.
 Rotameters are not easily adapted for reading by

machine; although magnetic floats that drive a


follower outside the tube are available.

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Rotameter (cont…)

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Thanking 
You
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