8/24/13 VENTURI METERS

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VAPOR ABSORPTION CYCLE
VAPOR BUBBLE, EQUILIBRIUMOF
VAPOR EXPLOSIONS
VAPOR PRESSURE
VAPOR PRESSURETHERMOMETER
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
VENTURI METERS
Reader-Harris, Michael J.
DOI: 10.1615/AtoZ.v.venturi_meters
Venturi meters are flow measurement instruments which use a converging section of pipe to give an increase in the flow
velocity and a corresponding pressure drop from which the flowrate can be deduced. They have been in common use for
many years, especially in the water supply industry.
The classical Venturi meter, whose use is described in ISO 5167-1: 1991, has the form shown in Figure 1
Figure 1. Classical Vetituri meter design. (From B. S. 7405 (1991) Fig. 3.1.4, with permission of B.S.I.)
For incompressible flow if the Bernoulli Equation is applied between two planes of the tappings,
where p, and are the pressure, density and mean velocity and the subscripts
1
and
2
refer to the upstream and
downstream (throat) tapping planes.
From continuity
where is the volumetric flowrate and D and d the pipe and throat diameters.
Combining Eqs. (1) and (2)
where is the diameter ratio, d/D. In reality, there is a small loss of total pressure, and the equation is multiplied by the
discharge coefficient, C, to take this into account:
where p is the differential pressure (p
1
p
2
). The discharge coefficient of a Venturi meter is typically 0.985, but may be
even higher if the convergent section is machined. Discharge coefficients for uncalibrated Venturi meters, together with
corresponding uncertainties, are given in ISO 5167-1: 1991.
If the fluid being metered is compressible, there will be a change in density when the pressure changes from p
1
to p
2
on
passing through the contraction. As the pressure changes quickly, it is assumed that no heat transfer occurs and because
no work is done by or on the fluid, the expansion is isentropic. The expansion is almost entirely longitudinal and an
expansibility factor, , can be calculated assuming one-dimensional flow of an ideal gas:
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8/24/13 VENTURI METERS
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VAPOR PRESSURE, EQUILIBRIUM,
CHANGEWITH TEMPERATURE
VAPOR SHEAR STRESS EFFECTS
VAPOR SHEAR, EFFECT ON
CONDENSATION
VAPOR SORPTION REFRIGERATION
CYCLE
VAPOR-COMPRESSION
REFRIGERATION CYCLE
VAPOR-LIQUID EQUILIBRIUM
VAPOR-LIQUID SEPARATION
VAPORIZATION
VARIABLEAREA FLOWMETER
VARIABLEFLUID PROPERTIES
VARIABLEREFRACTIVEINDEX MEDIA
VARIABLEVISCOSITY EFFECTS
VARIATION OF FLUID PROPERTIES
VDI
VECTORS
VEHICLES INTERSECTION
VELOCITY BOUNDARY LAYER
VELOCITY DEFECT
VELOCITY HEAD
VELOCITY MEASUREMENT
VELOCITY OF LIGHT
VELOCITY OF SOUND
VELOCITY OF SOUND IN TWO-PHASE
MIXTURES
VELOCITY RATIO
VELOCITY, AVERAGEPHASE
VELOCITY, SUPERFICIAL
VENA CONTRACTA
VENTILATION
VENTURI EJECTORS
VENTURI METERS
VENTURI NOZZLE
VENTURI SCRUBBER
VENTURI TUBES
VEREIN DEUTSCHEUR INGENIEUR, VDI
VERTICAL SHAFT KILNS
VERTICAL THERMOSYPHON REBOILER
VIBRATION
VIBRATION IN HEAT EXCHANGERS
VIBRATION, FLOW INDUCED
VIENNA CONVENTION
VIEWFACTOR
VINYL CHLORIDEMONOMER
VIRIAL COEFFICIENT
VIRIAL EXPANSION
VIRTUAL MACHINE
VIRTUAL MEMORY
VISCOELASTIC FLUIDS
VISCOELASTIC SOLIDS
VISCOMETER
(5)
where is the pressure ratio, p
2
/p
1
, and the isentropic exponent. The expansibility factor is applied to the flow equation
in the same way as the discharge coefficient.
Various forms of construction of a Venturi meter are employed, depending on size, but all are considerably more expensive
than the orifice plate. However, because most of the differential pressure is recovered by means of the divergent outlet
section, the Venturi causes less overall pressure loss in a system and thus saves energy: the overall pressure loss is
generally between 5 and 20 per cent of the measured differential pressure. The Venturi meter has an advantage over the
orifice plate in that it does not have a sharp edge which can become rounded; however, the Venturi meter is more
susceptible to errors due to burrs or deposits round the downstream (throat) tapping.
The lengths of straight pipe required upstream and downstream of a Venturi meter for accurate flow measurement are
given in ISO 5167-1: 1991. These are shorter than those required for an orifice plate by a factor which can be as large as 9.
However, Kochen et al. show that the minimum straight lengths between a single upstream 90 bend and a Venturi meter
in the Standard are too short by a factor of about 3.
References
1. British Standards Institution (1991) Guide to selection and application of flowmeters for the measurement of fluid flow
in closed conduits, BS 7405.
2. International Organization for Standardization, Measurement of fluid flow by means of pressure differential devices
Part 1: Orifice plates, nozzles and Venturi tubes inserted in circular cross-section conduits running full. ISO 5167-1:
1991.
3. Kochen, G., Smith, D. J. M., and Umbach, A. (1989) Installation effects on Venturi tube flowmeters, Intech Engineers
Notebook, October 1989,41-43.
Number of views: 23715 Article added: 2 February 2011 Article last modified: 11 February 2011 Copyright 2010-2013 Back to top
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VISCOPLASTIC BEHAVIOR OF METAL
POWDERS
VISCOSITY
VISCOSITY MEASUREMENT
VISCOSITY OF AIR
VISCOSITY OF BUBBLY MIXTURES
VISCOSITY OF GASES
VISCOUS DISSIPATION RATE
VISCOUS DISSIPATIVEFLUID
VISCOUS FINGERING MECHANISMS
VISIBILITY
VISIBLELIGHT
VISUALIZATION OF DRYOUT
PHENOMENON
VISUALIZATION OF FLOW
VISUALIZATION OF STREAMLINES
VISUALIZING VORTEX FORMATION
VOID FRACTION
VOID FRACTION DISTRIBUTION
PATTERN
VOID FRACTION MEASUREMENT
VOID WAVEPROPAGATION
VOIDS
VOLATIZATION
VOLTERRA INTEGRAL EQUATIONS
VOLUMEFILLING
VOLUMEFORCES
VOLUMEMEAN DIAMETER, VMD
VON KARMAN CONSTANT
VON KARMAN STREET
VON KARMAN VELOCITY
DISTRIBUTION
VON KARMAN VORTEX STREET
VON KARMAN, THEODORE(1881-
1963)
VORTEX
VORTEX BREAKDOWN
VORTEX CHAMBER
VORTEX EFFECTS
VORTEX EXCITATION OF TUBES
VORTEX FLOWMETERS
VORTEX GENERATORS
VORTEX INSTABILITY
VORTEX MIXER
VORTEX SEPARATORS
VORTEX SHEDDING
VORTEX STREET
VORTEX VIBRATIONS
VORTICAL FLOWS
VORTICES
VORTICITY
VORTICITY TRANSPORT EQUATION
VULCANISTATION
W
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