We are especially good at selection of flow meter types. One specific flowmeter cannot meet all the applications; custom flow meters are manufactured according to different industrial applications. We generally sort flow meters as below based on the technique of measurements.
volume flow metre types
A flow meter, also known as a flow sensor
is a mechanical device that measures the flow of liquids and gases. This flow
rate can be volumetric, mass, linear or nonlinear. Different flow meters
monitor the flow of gases and liquids contained in pipes and cylinders and give
the value of flow rate digitally. Many types of such flow meters are present
that vary in their working principle, accuracy, applications, and limitations.
Flowmeter is also called flow transmitter, flow sensor and flow indicator in
different industries. Some inline flow meters are designed to measure fluid
flow in closed pipes and cylindrical containers whereas some flow sensors can
also measure water flow in streams, open channels, canals, and rivers. Such flow
sensors use radiation to operate. Flow meters bring about the
quantification of fluid movement. The units of measurement used by these meters
are either volumetric or mass flow rates, for example , water flow meter gpm is with volumetirc units, Thus a flow is measured in liters per
second or kg per second. Both liquids and gases are applicable to these
measurements. There is also mechanical flow meter or digital flow meter
available.
Different
flow meters are for different applications, they are selected according to the fluids
characters, operation condition and user’s budget These
characteristics include accuracy, measuring ranges, bearable temperature and
pressure ranges, and other features. The choice however largely depends upon
the application required. Different industries use flow meters of different
types. Moreover, some other features are also necessary to be kept in mind
while selecting a economical and proper flow meter. This secondary set of requirements
includes user requirements, risk factors, knowledge of calibration and
maintenance, availability of spare parts and cost of the liquid flow sensors or
gas flow sensors. Therefore there are many aspects to be taken care of while
selecting a flow meter of the best choice. A list of the basic and most
necessary things to consider is presented as follows.
The flowmeter information in different flow sensors can be gas or liquid flow rate and total flow. Also the mode of transmission is different in various flowmeters. Some meters have digital mode (which we called digital flow meter) whereas others have analog mode of transmission. Moreover, the data frequency can be very low to very high. All these factors are the basic requirements before selecting a flow meter therefore they must be kept in mind. For example, customers often request digital oil flow meter, digital gas flow meters, digital air flow meter or digital water flow meters, whiles some request mechanical oil flow meter.
The type of fluid and its flow to be measured is an important influencing factor. Fluids applicable to flow meters include liquids and gases or air. Based on their density and other features, these fluids can be subcategorized. For example liquids may include tap water, wastewater, oils, honey and others. The different types of flow meters are not applicable to all liquids. Some have high accuracy flow meter for clean water and gases whereas others are more effective for low cost wastewater flow meter and cheap acid flow meter or in-expensive chemical flowmeter . Similarly the flow rate and characters of fluids can be steady and turbulent. This feature also has special flow meter applications. According to the fluids characters, low flow flow meter, high viscosity flow meter ,acid flow meter often needed by customers.
This includes their accuracy, limitations, pressure and temperature ranges and piping and fitting characters. If a non-commercial measurement is required a low-cost flow meter with average accuracy can be selected but if commercial use is needed, high accuracy flow meters and measurable ranges must be preferred, it is custody transfer flow meter.
Based on their accuracy, principle of working and their applications, the flow meter are subdivided different types. A brief overview of these types is given below
A magnetic or electromagnetic flowmeter measures conductive fluid flow involving the induction of a magnetic field. It quantifies the flow of fluid and is best for acid, corrosive, slurry or rough liquids.
How it work ?
A mag meter contains a metering tube through which a magnetic field is applied to the flowing fluid. A potential difference is created that causes a change in velocity of fluid and therefore flux is altered. The change of flux creates a voltage which is sensed by the magnetic flow meter sensor and calculated in form of fluid flow rate.
Application
Magnetic
flow transmitters are highly applicable for industries
concerned with wastewater management or municipal section, use as digital waste water flow meter or irrigation flow meter. Full
bore electromagnetic flow meters are also used as electronic tap water flow
meter and sewage management plants.Some chemical factories also buy magnetic inductive flow sensor to
measure chemical solution, acid, alkali, paste, mud and other corrosive solution.These magnetic type flow meters have an
advantage of bulk flow measurement that makes its wide range of applications. By
choosing different liners and electrodes material, magnetic inductive flow
sensor can handle a lot tough applications, such as corrosive liquid flow
meter, acid flow meter, HCL flow meter, slurry flow meter, brine flow
meter.etc.
A turbine flow meter is a device for the measurement of the volume of fluid. These meters have an accuracy of 0.5% and are used mostly in clean liquid or gas. There are 2 types turbine flow meters, liquid turbine flow meters and gas turbine flow meters. Liquid turbine flow sensor is intended to measure clean and low viscosity fluids, such as water, fuel, palm oil, edible oil, RO water, tap water, diesel, gasoline, alcohol.milk.,etc. gas turbine flow meter is used to measure air, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, biogas, natural gas , helium (He) gas.etc
Working of turbine flow meter
The turbine type flow sensor consists of a rotor with multiple blades placed at right angle to each other. As fluid passes through the flow sensor, it puts a pressure on the blades of the rotor. The rotor starts to rotate under the fluid pressure and this rotation is directly proportional to fluid velocity. A turbine flow sensor mounted externally to the rotor measures the velocity of rotation and generates the reading stating the volume of fluid. Turbine flow transmitters with digital indicator to show fluids total flow and flow rate, also transmitter 4-20mA or pulse output. Electronic turbine flow meter can be also with HART protocol or MODBUS.
Applications of turbine meter
Due to high accuracy and lower risks, turbine type flow meter has a wide range of commercial applications. Turbine meters are used in oil and gas industries, aerospace technologies, pharma and biotech plants, food processing plants and other industries related to cryogenics. This vast application is due to its bulk volume measurements; better repeatability and wide bearable range of temperature. According to the different applications, low flow turbine flow meters, sanitary turbine flow meters, air turbine flow meters, natural gas turbine flow metre, LWGY turbine flow meter are often purchased.
Oval gear flow meters are used for precise and accurate measurement of fluid volumes. Gear type flow meters are positive displacement type flow meters (PD flow meter) that give precise volume readings of passing liquid. This oval meter remains stable function even in harsh environments; it is heavy duty gear type flow sensor.
How Oval gear flow meter is working ?
The oval gear flow sensor consists of an oval-shaped wheel with 2 tooth on its side. As the fluid passes through the device, oval meter causes the rotation of the wheel. The frequency of this rotation is directly proportional to the volume of fluid which is sensed and generated by the gear flow sensor.
Applications
These oval gear flow meters maintain high accuracy even in conditions of high viscosity and pressure. This stability of accurate readings is applied in different industries including food industry, shipping building & marine Industry, oil and gas industry, paper and pulp industry and other paint and petroleum industries. There are mechanical oval gear flow meter and oval gear digital meters. It is suitable flow measurement instrument for viscous liquid ,such as heavy oil, asphalt, gear oil .,etc. it is also perfect inline oil flow meters ,such as diesel, fuel, gasoline.,etc. We also offer micro and microfluidic Oval Gear Flow Meter for customers .Silver Automation Instruments sell low price and rugged oval gear flow meter from China flow meter workshop.
A Coriolis flowmeter measures mass flow rates making use of motion mechanics. It is a type of mass flow meter that measures fluid flow in units of kilogram per second or tone/hour. Coriolis meter is unique from other meters because it also measures temperature, density, viscosity and mass flow.
Working principle of coriolis mass flow meter
Coriolis meter consists of a tube which twists due to fluid flow. An inertia is created due to this twisting and a pair of sensors then sense phase difference which is created due to oscillations in measuring tube. This phase difference is directly proportional to mass flow which is calculated by the sensor itself. Mass flow transmitter has electronic flow rate, total flow, temperature and density information, it can even have digital outputs for various controls.
Applications
The high measuring accuracy of 0.2% ~.0.1% makes
it a widely applicable mass flow meter sensor. Its commercial use involves the
oil and gas industry, food processing units, chemicals, and petrochemical
industries and other life sciences industries. This Coriolis meter is also used
for a variety of fluids. These fluids include crude oil, fuels, alcohol, refrigerant,
vinegar, liquefied gases and cleaning agents. It is a perfect high viscosity
flow meter for grease, chocolate, bitumen, resin.,etc
A vortex flow meter is a versatile device for measuring fluid flow in closed pickings. It's a broad spectrum vortex flow sensor that is specifically useful for conditions where mobile parts can pose a problem. They are applied to closed conduits where they meter the fluids flow and find the flow rate.
How vortex shedding flow meter works?
This vortex shedding flow meter consists of a specialized sensor that can sense pressure changes. As the moving fluid flows through the bluff body of the sensor, a vortex bluff is created. This creates a continuous pulse of pressure on the side of the generator. This pulse is related directly to the flow rate .
Applications
The operating system of vortex flowmeters is simple and easy. Also the maintenance is easily maintained. This meter has broad spectrum of applications. It is used in heavy industries, power and energy production plants especially steam processes (vapor flow meter).It can be used as compressed air flow , condensate water flow meter, high temperature flow meter.
This variable area rotameter measures flow rate of liquids and gases using float principle. variable area meter is a volumetric flow meter with great accuracy and ease of management.
Working principle of metal tube rotameter
This metal tube variable area flow meter comprises a metallic tube with tapered ends. A float of magnetic nature is inserted in this tube where it can easily float. Fluid flows from the lower part of the meter to the upper part. As the fluid movement occurs, a differential pressure is created which monitors the movement of the float. When this movement of fluid stops, the float returns to its original point. This directory movement of the float is proportional to the flow rate that is sensed and calculated by the built-in variable area type flow meter sensor.
Applications of Variable area flow indicator
This area flow meter is versatile for many types of fluids. Oil, gas, saline and produced water,fuels, crude solvents and other fluids are measured with great accuracy and precision.It is a kind of low cost flow sensor, it is a solution for mini flow rate measurement. It can be local indicator flow meter without any power supply or can be rotameter with transmitters and 4-20mA output.
This flow meter makes use of Bernoulli's equation to measure fluid movements in a pipe or a container. They can be used a liquid and gas measuring meters that are about 21% of market flow meters. They possess high accuracy and very lower risks of inaccurate measurements. V-cone flow meter, Orifice plate flow meter, balance flow meter,venturi flow meter，wedge flow meter are common typs DP flow meters.
How DP flow meter works?
This meter is applied to closed pipes where it imposes a partial obstruction to flowing fluid. Due to this obstruction a pressure difference known as "differential pressure" is created on upper and lower sides of the meter. The sensor measures this pressure difference to calculate the fluid flow rate. Bernoulli's equation is used to calculate the relation between differential pressure and fluid flow rate.
Applications
Differential pressure meter are simple,
cheap and high-performance meters with high range of industrial applications.
They are used in wastewater management plants, tap water and saline water
industries, food industry, pharmaceutical industry, and various chemical and
petrochemical industries. We encounter lot differential pressure flow meters
applications, such as steam flow meter, coke oven Gas, flare gas flow meters
Ultrasonic flow meter use radar principle to calculate volume flow of liquids and gases. The sensor generates sound waves towards the flowing water source which are reflected back towards the transmitter which measures the velocity.
How it works ?
These meters make use of Doppler’s effect to calculate flow rates. It consists of a sensor that produces ultrasonic sound waves to the flowing medium.The frequency of waves returning after striking the fluid are varied following the Doppler’s phenomena. A transmitter substance which is the part of the meter measures this returning frequency to calculate the velocity and thus the flow rate of the fluid.
Applications.
Ultrasonic meter uses a unique working method than the other flow meters. This working way allows the meter to
measure the flow rates of clean water from canals, streams, and rivers. It can
also measure the rate of flow of saline water of seas and oceans. It is also
employed in different industries to measure flow rates of gases and liquids.
Here we address both the general workings and specific features of thermal mass flow meters. Thermal dispersion flow meters, like all gas mass flow meters measure the mass flow of passing gases or air through an interchange of heat and energy. Hailed as a wildly accurate way to measure mass, thermal flow sensors find themselves employed across a breadth of industries in various applications. Let’s get into the details and discuss exactly how these fascinating devices function. Thermal mass flow meters have large applications ,such as used as air flow meter, N2 flow meter, flare meter,biogas flow meter, LPG flow meter, hydrogen flow meter,Co2 flow meter, natural gas flow meter, nitrogen flow meters.
How thermal mass flow meter work
In order to understand how thermal mass
flow meters accurately measure the mass of gases and air, we first
need to grasp a concept known as convective heat transfer. Often simply
referred to as convection, convective heat transfer is the transfer of heat
from one source to another through gases or fluids. In this case, thermal mass
flow meters are placed in tubes or pipes with two sensors on either side. One
thermal sensor functions as the gas flow sensor while the other works as a
simple reference sensor, dependent on its partner. Each sensor is connected to
a power supply that at times increases or decreases power to one side after
another.
As gases and fluids are pumped through the
pipe or tube, the electrical imbalance between the sensors creates, in turn, a
heat imbalance. Through convective heat transfer the gas or fluid within the
pipes conveys heat between each sensor. Immediately the sensors receive more or
less power from the electrical supply to restore the heat levels to their
baseline and to return balance to the circuit. The amount of electrical power
used to restore said circuit is measurable, and by collecting that data
scientists and technicians are able to deduce the mass of the passing gas or
fluid with remarkable accuracy. This is how mass flow measurement occurs.
Gas flow meter is a kind of flow measuring instruments that measure the flow of a gas. This article talks about mainly gas flow instruments such as thermal mas...
Turbine flow meters are volumetric in-line sensor to detect gas or liquid flow rate; it detects low to middle flow rate, clean, low corrosive and viscosity flui...
Magnetic flow meter provides many obvious merits over traditional flow measurement and instrumentation in wide applications. It take measurement of conductive l...
Coriolis mass flow meter has many obvious merits and has been successfully used in a lot crucial flow metering applications. It is operated on Coriolis effect p...
Metal tube rotameter is a kind variable area flow meter; it is rugged also versatile in many fluids volumetric flow measurement applications, such as liquid, ai...
We supply inline or insertion probe thermal dispersion flow meter for gas or air measurement. It is a perfect solution for gas or air measurement from small pip...
STLU Series vortex flowmeter is a very versatile flow meter that can be used for flow metering, measurement and control of virtually all gases, liquids and vapo...
LC series oval gear flowmeter is a kind of positive displacement flow meter (PD flow meter); it is also a kind of in-line volumetric flow meter. Its measuring f...
