Applications for a Turbine Flow Meter

Turbine Flow Meter Overview:

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.

Either a magnetic or modulated carrier (RF) pickup can be used to sense the rotational speed of the turbine rotor.

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″

Industries:

How to Choose a Flowmeter for Chemical Processing

Chemical Processing | Flowmetrics

Installing the correct flowmeter is a vital part of chemical processing and choosing the wrong product could lead to losses within your business.

When it comes to chemical processing, there is little room for mistakes when adhering to regulations and providing accurate data. So, this means that purchasing a meter should not be something you take lightly.

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Choosing the Right Flow Meter For Your Needs

Flow Meter | Flowmeters

Types of Flow Meters

Flow meters measure the rate at which mass moves through a pipe or tube. The rate can be expressed as the volume moved per unit time such as gallons per minute or the quantity of mass moved per unit time such as kilograms per second. The flow measured is usually considered a fluid, either liquid or gas. It is important to measure flow for any application so that you know how much mass is transported through the system. Some application examples include:

  • Measuring the flow of water on the suction side of a pump to ensure the proper amount of fluid is entering the system
  • Measuring the flow of sludge on the discharge side of a pump to determine the pumping efficiency
  • Measuring the flow of polymer entering a holding tank to determine how much time it will take to fill the tank
  • Measuring the flow of pressurized air through a backwash line so that the proper amount of pressure is applied

There are a variety of flow meters that utilize different principles of physics to measure fluid dynamics. For example, there are mechanical, pressure-based, thermal and electromagnetic types of flow meters. Each type of flow meter is useful for a specific set of applications. This article discusses three mechanical types of flow meters: turbine, positive displacement and variable area.

 

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5 Best Practices for Calibrating Your Flow Meter

Calibrating Your Flow Meter | Flowmetrics

Flow meters are constantly utilized to ensure the proper function of various industrial machines. Its function is to measure the rate at which fluids or gases flow through it. Too much or too little flow could result in malfunction of a machine, so it is important that the flow meter present a proper reading. For this reason, it is generally critical that flow meters be regularly calibrated to ensure that the readings they provide are accurate. There are some standard practices regarding calibrating your flow meter that should be applied, but here are five best practices that you should keep in mind to make sure that your flow meter works at its optimum capacity.

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7 Steps to Selecting the Proper Flow Meter

Proper Flow Meter | FlowmetricsFlow meters help to ensure the proper function of a variety of industrial machinery. Just as the machines vary, so do their flow needs, therefore they may benefit from different types of flow meters. To determine the proper flow meter for your needs, it may be helpful to follow these seven steps.

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Flow Meter Demonstration

 

The inner workings of a flow meter is quite an interesting thing. The way they work and calibrate the matter that is running through them is truly remarkable. This video shows a flow meter used in chemical engineering.

Flow meters are becoming a vastly used tool in the engineering, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing fields. These tools, give accurate readings of the materials that flow through them. 

 

For more information and experiments visit Ahmed Elkhatat HERE

Video: What is a Positive Displacement Flow Meter

 

This video is an introduction to the positive displacement (volumetric) flow meter technology. It gives a basic overview of volumetric and positive displacement flow measurement and provides an example of flow calculation and output. Positive displacement flow meters measure the volumetric rate of moving fluid or gas by dividing the media into fixed, metered volumes (finite increments or volumes of the fluid).

 

For more on flow meters visit Max Machinery 

How Flow Computers Work

How Flow Computers Work | Flowmetrics

A flow computer is a specialized type of computer that uses complex calculations to interpret the data from flow meters and to calculate and record the volume of a particular flowing substance at a particular point in time. Flow computers can be used for gases or liquids and are in demand across various industries. For most accurate and consistent results, flow computers should possess sophisticated programming, a user-friendly interface and damage-resistant hardware components.

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Water Control for Agricultural Innovation

Water Control for Agricultural Innovation | Flowmetrics

California is no doubt dealing with an epic drought, and agricultural innovations are working to lessen the impact of farming on water availability. For vineyards in central California age-old business practices have been better at using just the right amount of water when needed, preventing overflow from sweeping sediments downstream. Rain catchment systems above buildings on Jackson Family Wines, and reservoirs on the properties have been able to save enough water to supply the vineyards for more than a year with no additional rain. Recycling winery processing water for irrigation conserves water further. New technologies are helping to more accurately measure exactly when and how much to irrigate a field of grape vines. 

New agricultural flow meters measure the flow rate of sap within the grape vines and report when irrigation is needed. This practices saves on excess water used during irrigation, and allows the plants to “tell” the farmer when they need water. Jackson Family Wines has found that quality has improved as grapevines which are over-watered produce diluted flavors. 

 

Click here for the full article by Christopher Skroupa.