A turbine flow meter is a volume sensing device. As liquid or gas passes through the turbine housing, it causes the freely suspended turbine blades to rotate. The velocity of the turbine rotor is directly proportional to the velocity of the fluid passing through the flow meter.
The external pickoff mounted on the body of the flow meter, senses each rotor blade passing, causing the sensor to generate a frequency output. The frequency is directly proportional to the volume of the liquid or gas.
Depending on your flow meter application, there are many types of turbine flow meters to choose from. And after understanding the application several factors come into effect when choosing a flow meter, such as:
Fluid Type
Viscosity
Connection
Pipe Sizing
Process Temperature (min & max)
Flow Range (min & max)
Pressure Range (min & max)
Accuracy Range
Specific Application
If you need volumetric total flow and/or flow rate measurement, a turbine flow meter is the ideal device. Turbine flow meters are used in a wide variety of liquid and gas flow sensing applications. They can be built to endure high pressure, and high and low temperatures. They offer a high turn-down with minimum uncertainty and excellent repeatability. Turbine flowmeters are also simple to install and maintain only requiring periodic recalibration and service.
Specifications:
Accuracy is generally expressed as a percentage of true volume, measuring how close the instrument indicates actual flow.
Repeatability is determined on how well the flow meter can indicate the same reading whenever the same flow conditions exist. It also ensures quality measurement of fluids over a wide range of flow rates, temperatures, compositions and viscosities.
Depending on the type of turbine flow meter, the specifications vary.
Turbine Meter – (FM Series) Tangential Turbine Flowmeter – (FMT Series) capable of measuring extremely low flow rates. Insertion Turbine Flow Meter – (FMP Series) used economically usually in pipes 6” and larger in diameter
Liquid Service Flow Range: 0.03 – 15,000 GPM Accuracy: ±0.5% Linearity over Normal Range 10:1 Turndown ±0.05% Repeatability Sizes: 1/4″ to 72″ Gas Service Flow Range: 0.25 – 1500 ACFM Accuracy: ±0.1% Linearity over Normal Range 10:1 Turndown ±1% Repeatability Sizes: 1/4″ to 72″
With so many different technologies in the industry, choosing flow meters and dry gas seals to work with your equipment can be quite daunting. Ultimately, what fits your needs may not work for another business in the same industry. You have to look at the entire system that you are trying to monitor and improve.
Fortunately, technology is changing to make the right improvements to your system, to help you understand flow rate and to keep your compressor operating at its best. Engineers want your system to meet the needs of your business and help your bottom line. It might be an investment to make changes in your current system, but in the long run, you could save money through efficiency and constant production times.
Do You Need a Flow Meter?
Every gas and liquid behaves differently when moving through a pipeline. Temperature and resistance can affect flow, which in turn affects your bottom line. The flow meter needs to be able to measure how the fluid is moving through the pipeline. Flow meters have different profiles for measuring the conditions of the application. You should work with the engineers to make sure you have the right one.
You should not select your parts, flow meters or dry gas seals based on cost. Look at the most cost-effective installation of your product, from the time it is installed to the back-up and track record of the part. When the flow meter is not calibrated right, you might be shut down while the part gets repaired.
Pay attention to where the flow meter is installed. Joints and bends in the pipeline can affect the flow of the fluid, which in turn causes distortions in the measure. Always check the manufacture’s installation recommendations for installing a flow meter. What is it you need to know or want to measure and why? This allows you to choose what suits your needs.
Be aware of the calibration claims. You will never achieve 100 percent accurate calibration. Typically, the best you can hope for is +/- 0.1 percent. Note how often the flow meter needs to be re-calibrated to achieve the most accuracy. Some recommend using the same supplier for all your equipment, to get a fully matched system. You want all the parts manufactured to the same quality and standards.
Dry Gas Seals
Dry gas seal systems keep your compressor running more efficiently. The dry gas seals operate at high speeds and pressures, which prevents compressor failure. The reliability of dry gas seals is affected by many different factors, including:
The seal
Seal selection
The dry gas seal panel
Auxiliary systems
Separation and process seals
Having a more reliable compressor keeps your production on target. It makes a big difference to your bottom line.
Saving Money by Increasing Reliability
Technology is always improving. Even small advancements can provide for higher reliability. Today’s systems have been carefully created to better match the entire system, which makes the flow meters and dry gas seals keep your system operating more efficiently and prevent unnecessary shutdowns. Work with professionals who know and industry flow meters and dry gas seals to help you find the right parts to fit your goals.
All good things come to an end and flow control systems are no exception to this rule. Most equipment in the flow measuring industry are supplied along with an estimation of the products estimated lifetime. Sometimes this is also supplemented by a technician to account for specific factors that can effect it, due to the intended application of the device during the installation process. These guidelines should be treated as what they are, though, and that is a guide. With regular maintenance being the most competent method of assessing the condition of the equipment, you will be able to identify the tell-tale signs that will indicate all is not well, enabling you to take the correct form of action. Below we identify five common signs that are effective signals in letting you that your flow control equipment is due for an upgrade.
1. Changing Times
The most common need to change or upgrade flow control equipment is brought about with a change in the system that it’s monitoring. This can involve either a new or extended operation within the business or a simple change to the layout of the existing equipment.
As such, any change in practice by the business should factor the systems new needs and circumstance into the planning and budgetary stages of the implementation. This will account for equipment becoming redundant and in need of an upgrade, but also potentially provide an alternative use for the old equipment at another point in the system, assuming that it’s still in good working order of course.
Factors that can have a knock-on effect with monitoring equipment can range from new piping networks which alter the fluid dynamics, different compositions of the fluids contents which therefore exerts different properties that fall outside of the equipment’s operational parameters, or environmental conditions such as increased humidity or increased vibrations in the monitoring area that alters the performance of the control equipment.
2. Incompatible New Systems
A change in physical operations is not the only revision that can trigger the need for additional upgrades. Changes to the computer systems in a business can also play a large part in out-dating old technologies and control systems too can be vulnerable to this.
As the central point of control, flow monitoring equipment can be viewed as the nervous system within an operation. If the networking ability is compromised between either the components of the flow control equipment or to the central processing hub, then this too will require remedial action.
One advantage within this area is that partial upgrades are a more common solution and also much cheaper and easier to execute. With software upgrades being offered free of charge by many manufacturers for their equipment and patches, in both hard and software, available to bridge communication issues, upgrading computer programs to accommodate new protocols can be a much more straight-forward task. This will still require a trained engineer to implement the changes ensuring there is no faults or bugs which could disrupt the system, but it can also be quickly remedied resulting in less downtime for the business operation.
3. Historic Maintenance and Performance Records
One of the main parts of a maintenance schedule is recording all information discovered and corrected during the service. This might seem to many on the outside as an unnecessary complication which is yet another sign of overreaching bureaucracy, but these records are particularly useful in identifying patterns.
Certainly within larger companies, the maintenance tasks, both scheduled and ad-hoc, will be completed by different technicians and so the written record of events provides a clear and detailed communication of the equipment’s actual performance. Through analyzing these records it becomes easy to find re-occurring problems being experienced and a reduction in equipment reliability shown through an increasing number of services.
The performance logs, meanwhile, can point towards the system’s overall efficiency over time. This can be used to highlight a deterioration in the equipment’s functional ability which can be more than the sum of its part, meaning that the flow control equipment is becoming compromised beyond the nurture of re-calibration and maintenance.
4. Who Watches the Watchmen?
Whilst historic data provides one avenue, real-time information should also be used to check the accuracy levels being produced by flow control equipment. Through the use of secondary equipment to validate the data being generated from the control system, you provide a safety net and a greater overall level of reliability within the operation.
Portable and clamp-on devices can verify that measurements are correct and within operating parameters, working robustly as intended. More importantly, cross-checking these results can also ensure the equipment is producing accurate information at each point of this parameter range.
When a piece of monitoring equipment begins to fade in reliability, one of the first aspects of its performance to be affected is the range at which it effectively operates. This can, therefore, be used as an early warning that the equipment is reaching the end of its life-cycle or is in need of an overhaul to restore it to maximum operating efficiency.
5. Financially Beneficial
The most central aspect of any business is always the sustained level of profitability being achieved. This can lead to decisions being made that are irrelevant to the condition of existing flow control equipment if a more financially viable alternative is possible.
Not only is the cost of increased maintenance likely to tip a decision, but an increase in the price of spare parts or specialist technical support from third-party companies can also be a major factor to consider, especially if this is brought about because a piece of equipment is outdated and becoming obsolete, as the problem is only likely to intensify.
Another financial factor is the rise of new technology and equipment entering the market. A new solution may become available which offers the business greater savings in running costs. It could, therefore, prove beneficial for the company to replace and upgrade this equipment despite an initial economic outlay and a potentially unavoidable period of operational downtime if the rewards of doing so prove to be favorable in the long-term.
Flow meters come in all shapes and sizes, designed to perform critical duties relates to ensuring flowrates are proper, or the correct amount of product has been supplied. This makes them vital to numerous industries, including:
The flow meter industry is a diverse and multi-faceted enterprise that has applications across many different types of businesses and areas of work.
With new flow meter technology showing faster growth signs than traditional market devices, it is clear that businesses are still looking for improved solutions that will perform complicated tasks with ease and reliability as well as deliver financial savings for the company.
Safety needs to be a priority in any business, especially those that operate in the industrial sector. Working around heavy machinery, mechanical equipment, and potentially harmful fluids means being aware of and preventing hazards are a part of daily operations. That means it is critical to have safety protocols for managing your equipment during use as well as periods of maintenance.
Mass flow as opposed to volume flow is a pivotal factor in capturing the full potential from a system, due to the degree of control that it provides the engineer.
While the accuracy of flowmetering devices in laboratory environments needs to be as precise as possible, because of the often delicate procedures that they monitor, this is further complicated by the low flowrate with which they’re measuring across the system.
Propane is a commonly used fuel that is vital to many operations and industries. Typically, propane is stored in tanks designed specifically for the purpose of holding the fuel in its liquid state. Whenever a particular tank is low, you are often left with two choices: you can purchase a new, full tank or have an existing tank refilled. If you choose the former, all you need to do is make the purchase. If you decide on the latter course, then various propane transfer tools are required.
Technology has played a significant part in the evolution of kitchen appliances.
The food industry has seen substantial development in recent years, incorporating new technologies to provide higher production rates at lower costs, which have made businesses more financially competitive. With the United States food processing industry generating $750bn in 2015, this represents a sizeable market and a figure that will continue to rise due to increasing demand.
