The Comprehensive Flowmeters Resource

Flow Meters in General

Flow Meters are a part of everyday life. Most people will have some kind of meters installed in their home to measure household water consumption, natural gas and electricity.

A flow meter is measuring something that flows. It is literally counting how much or how fast a substance and/or it’s energy is moving from one place to another.  Equipment operators normally consider flow meters as devices that measure the movement of fluids.

household-meters
household-meters
household-meters

Explore Flowmeter Types

Each with a unique function for measuring fluid flow accurately in various situations:

Thermal Mass Flowmeter

Ideal for high-precision mass flow measurement in industries like chemical processing and oil and gas.

Ultrasonic Flow Meter

Non-invasive measurement for fluids and gases, often used in water treatment and HVAC systems.

Magnetic Flowmeters

Best for electrically conductive fluids, such as in wastewater and water purification.

Turbine Flowmeters

Suited for clean and non-viscous fluids, frequently used in oil, gas, and beverage industries.

Positive Displacement Flowmeters

Common in fuel dispensing and oil flow measurement for their accuracy and simplicity.

Thermal Mass Flowmeter

Measures the mass flow rate of gases based on the heat transfer from a heated element to the flowing fluid.

Introduction to Flow Meters

Flow meters are commonly found in homes, typically for measuring water usage, but this website focuses on industrial flow meters, which are crucial in sectors like manufacturing, oil and gas, and environmental monitoring. The most popular choices in industrial applications include Coriolis flow meters, differential pressure flow meters, magnetic flow meters, thermal mass flow meters, ultrasonic flow meters, and various types of mechanical flow meters. Each of these technologies offers distinct advantages and limitations depending on the specific application, fluid type, and environmental conditions. Understanding the differences between them is essential for users looking to optimize processes or obtain more precise flow measurements, as the right flow meter can significantly enhance accuracy and efficiency in industrial operations.

Choosing a Flow Meter

A fluid is something that can take the form of a liquid, gas or steam. Surprisingly, even air itself is considered to be a fluid. 

Before selecting a type of flow meter, it is important to know what type of fluid is being measured, what is the range of measurement and what conditions the flow meter will face.

Industrial Flowmeters?

In a manufacturing environment, a flowmeter is going to face a wide range of process conditions. 

There is no universal flow monitor or meter that can handle every application, hence the need for various technologies to be applied to flow meter designs in order to satisfy the user requirements. On this website you will find several different kinds of flow meters. 

Introduction to Magnetic flow meters

An electromagnetic flow meter is just one example of an industrial flowmeter and would be a good place to start if the application is water or wastewater.  Magnetic flow meters need minerals in the water to work. Having mentioned that – How exactly does the magnetic flow meter work? What are the two electrodes in the magmeter actually reading and how is this converted into a flowrate? The magnetic flow meter presentation attempts to break down the inner workings and possible flow applications within minutes.

FLOWMETER TYPES

FLOWMETER FOR AIR/GAS

What is the Best Flowmeter?

Some might imagine this to be a malformed question but it is a question asked on a regular basis by consultants, engineers, technicians and businessmen. From a business perspective, a flowmeter should be expected to have some sort of return – often financial. If a flowmeter is expected to fulfill  a measurement requirement but the expected costs associated with the product and it’s installation exceed a point where there is no financial return, then it should not be considered an economically viable choice. However, some technologies are expensive but they might improve the efficiency of a system or the quality of a product , so spending more money actually saves you money. 

Often a particular flowmeter type is mandated because of local or international regulations. Some of the requirements in these cases may involve issues to do with safety, security or because the particular technology meets an accuracy requirement not met by other technologies. 

There are a myriad of flowmeter types to suit all ranges of applications in different industrial environments, locations and applications. Since there exists no universal flow solution met by only one product, it justifies the need for experienced individuals familiar with such a wide range of scenarios to offer and provide services  

FLOW METER FOR LIQUID

FLOW METER RELATED

Feature of the Month.  What is watercut for crude oil?

How to Solve a Flow Problem without Buying a Flow Meter?

A flow meter rental is an easy way to troubleshoot flow velocities or volumes passing through pipes without having to fork out the expenditure for the capital equipment. Sometimes someone might be baffled by what has now become a questionable piping arrangement when it was not designed to be. Of course, the layout of the piping is known, but they are seeing some strange happenings in the process i.e things are not working out exactly as planned. They might be asking the question “Just how much flow is actually going from A to B, and to C?” These questions can be easily answered by conducting a flow survey using a clamp on flow meter.

Not surprisingly, unique problems have been solved by a flow meter rental. It is so much easier to know the real situation once you get your hands on a decent flow meter that works straight off and gives accurate readings. When you are confident that you have solved the most important factor in the initial stage (the right tool for the job) , then the rest is a much easier. Operators can troubleshoot a process or a piping configuration by using a rental flowmeter. Step by step, the origin of the flow issue (whether it is a pump issue, pipe configuration issue, cooling water flow, a leak or even a valve that is in the wrong position. Flow measurement often gives the results we need to pinpoint a process issue or identify where it all started. Common issues might be  under rated pumps, cavitation, eroded impellers etc.

Volume Flowmeters - Volumetric Flow Calculator

Volumetric Flowmeters are often classified as either technologies using a direct volume measurement or an inferential measurement which first of all measures the fluid velocity and then calculates the volumetric flow by using the formula Q = v · A

The calculator gives you an indication which approximates the volume flow rate without considering other factors (like the Reynolds number) which when calculated, improve the corrected volume calculation.

Calculation Example For Velocity Rate to Volumetric Flow in a Pipe

What flowmeter will perform direct volume measurements?

Positive Displacement flow meters are the only flow measuring technology to directly measure the volume of fluid that passes though a flow meter. How is this achieved? An oval gear meter is an example of a positive displacement flowmeter. 

This type of meter is a common solution for hydrocarbon based liquids and is widely adopted because of it’s ability to self-lubricate with the added advantage of a high accuracy and repeatability within certain ranges.

Featured Company

Leading through innovation… right from the start
It began in 1946: the first full year of peace after World War II; ENIAC, the first computer was unveiled; the word “automation” came into use. And Brooks Rotameter Company, founded by Stephen A. Brooks, opened for business in Lansdale, Pennsylvania.

The new company was built on the strength of an innovative side-plate, dowel-pin principle of rotameter construction. It was a better instrument that delivered more reliable results — and from the start, that commitment to technology that helps transform how industries measure and control essential processes has been our heritage.

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