Choosing the Type of Flowmeter
Models and types of flow meter that populated the market is quite varied where types can be adjusted to flow meter’s functions and flow meter’s applications in the field. These matters are worth noticing to be used as our reference when choosing types of flow meter that suits our needs.
Type of flowmeter
Choosing types of flow meter must be suited with what we need and what to achieve, fluids specification and method. Depends on the flow meter methods, can be divided into some type of flow meter:
1. Ultrasonic Flowmeter
Ultrasonic can be defined as many things. Since Portable Ultrasonic flow meter became popular, technicians think that flowmeter is a Portable Ultrasonic flowmeter. However, the ultrasonic flowmeter is a tool that is needed to measure flow velocity, volume, mass flow from liquids or gases with characteristics which can be moved around.
There is numerous company that tried to develop this technology to be applied on steam, but so far the application of this tool is still uncommon and very limited.
Ultrasonic flow meter so far has been made in various types and applications ranging from transmitting time or Doppler as base flow or liquid flow, low anemometer to describe the high cost of natural gas as a housing transfer application.
The price for an ultrasonic flow meter can range from USD 25 to USD 150,000 depending on the application, and there is also handheld ultrasonic flow meter.
Prinsip of Operation of Ultrasonic Flow Meter
Basically, people will distinguish one technology from two types of measurement techniques but this is not entirely true. An Ultrasonic flowmeter will be categorized into Doppler type (which is used to shift the Doppler principle). Or time transfer equipment in the form of measuring time difference.
This difference may have brought a fairly simple reason to easily classify ultrasonic in the industry. If someone learns ultrasonic flowmeter measurement techniques, they will find that some technologies are still not suitable to be used.
The principal used in Doppler flow meter has Doppler shift which measures using continuous-wave in constant frequency or variations such as changes happening inside the Doppler shift is measured using vibrations.
For Ultrasonic flowmeter transmission from a wave that passes the sensor indirectly connected with fluids, is called non-contact type. There can also be misconceptions or simplification on transit time flowmeter.
This type of flowmeter ultrasonic is quite popular especially for those who want the type of flow meter that can be moved around or in other words, it is portable and it is also referred to as a hand-held flow meter. Its operation method is quite simple, just clamp it on to the pipe in which flow is going to be measured.
2. Glass Tube Flow Meter
Glass tube flowmeter type widely used for installment applications with a vertical system and the amount of flow rate can be read directly and immediately. The tube is usually made from excellent glass material, the pyrex glass. The Glass tube flowmeter type often used when pipe does not have a horizontal area because this type of flow meter does not need a large area for its installation.
On its application, a glass tube flowmeter can only stand maximum temperature at 120 C. And for this type, maximum pressure is not very high only around 10 bar. This glass tube flowmeter type only available for liquid and gas types of fluids. If flow meter with higher working pressure is needed, around 60 bar, metal tube flow meter can be used.
3. Thermal Mass Flow Meters
4. Coriolis Mass Flow Meter
5. Positive Displacement PD Meter
6. Turbine Flow Meter
Turbine Flowmeter basically uses the same principle as Woltmann rotating vane meter, where vane or turbine or impeller is placed inside the Flowmeter. Turbine his vane will rotate when fluid flows into the flow meter and make it very accurate when used to measure fluid with the slow flow but with really high pressure.
7. Electromagnetic Flowmeter
Magnetic flowmeters in its method are using the Faraday law of electromagnetic induction. Based on this principle, when a conductive medium passed a magnetic field, voltage is generated.
This voltage is s directly proportional to the conductive medium speed, magnetic field density, and conductor length. In Faraday’s Law, the three values are multiplied together, together with a constant, to produce the amount of voltage. therefore the liquid measured by an electromagnetic flowmeter must be conductive.
Electromagnetic Flowmeter is a type of flow meter that is mostly used out of all types of the flowmeter. It is used to measure fluid flow in the form of water or other liquids both corrosive, dirty and mudflow. Because of its considerable usage, most of the flow meter manufacturers have electromagnetic flowmeter types.
Electromagnetic Flowmeter is most widely used in water and waste and chemical flow measurement applications. Most of the applications of electromagnetic flowmeter for industries such as the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, hospitality, and waste processing industries, because they have to use a flowmeter that meets certain sanitation requirements.
8. Orifice Flow Meter
This type of Flowmeter on its method uses pressure differences and can be used in both high temperature or high pressure. Orifice flowmeter aside from being used to measure liquid flow and gas; can also be used for the steam flow.
Flowmeter is available in various materials, from UPVC, PE, and PP or PTFE which really suitable to be applied to the chemical with corrosive characteristics. There is an Orifice flowmeter type that is used for heavy/thick material, such as sludge, in the WWT process or when measuring gas with high humidity.
9. Laminar Mass Flowmeter
10. Variable Area Flowmeter
