First things first; what is a liquid flow meter? It is a device that measures the following in the flow rate of a liquid:
- Mass
- Volumetric
- Nonlinear
- Linear
The flow rate is calculated by calculating the liquid’s tempo. Liquid flow meters come in many varieties. The one you choose should depend on the use and the type of liquid. It is important to find out flow meter applications in order to get them right.
Applications
How many types of liquid flow meters are there? All of five! They are:
- Differential pressure
- Velocity flow meters
- Positive displacement
- Mass flow meters
- Open channel flow meters
Differential pressure
These include:
- Venture tubes
- Orifice plates
- Flow nozzles
- Elbow tap meters
- Pilot tubes
- Variable area meters
- Target meters
Differential pressure meters are mostly used for determining a liquid’s flow rate. Nearly half of the world’s flow meters fall in this category. These meters have a primary and a secondary part.
- Primary: It causes a change in the energy of the movement and adds to the differential pressure inside the pipe.
- Secondary: It calculates the pressure differential, giving the signal readout. The signal readout is converted to the flow value.
Velocity flow meters
These include:
- Turbine
- Vortex shedding
- Swirl
- Conada effect and momentum exchange
- Electromagnetic
- Ultrasonic
- Doppler
- Transit time
This one determines flow by measuring the tempo at multiple flow points. It then integrates the speed over the whole flow area.
Turbine flow meters work best in petroleum pipelines. They look out for leaks along the pipeline and are also used for loading light hydrocarbon products into road tankers and rail cars. They are also applicable to oil drilling procedures.
Positive displacement flow meters
- Reciprocating piston
- Oval gear
- Nutadingdisk
- Rotary vane
In here, liquid gets measured by rotors which are fitted to precision and the volumes which are fixed and known are alternated between the rotors.
Mass flow meters
- Coriolis
- Thermal
Coriolis is the more preferred of these two. These meters are high in accuracy levels in the measurement of the flow of mass related processes like chemical reactions and heat transfers. Mass flow meters are used in:
- Mining
- Pharmaceuticals
- Wastewater
- Power industries
Open channel flow meters
- The weir
- Flume
Any area within which liquid flows is referred to as an open channel. Examples of the open channel include
- Tunnels
- Non-pressurized sewers
- Canals
- Rivers
- Streams
To monitor the flow in these channels, depth is an important factor to consider. The instant flow rate can be found by checking how deep the water is.
Liquid flow meters are all important for industrial use. All you have to do is choose the right flow meter for the application you need it for.
It is of great importance to know the different types of flow meters and their applications to avoid using them for the wrong applications which would not work at all and would definitely affect the quality of your work.
