Introduction

A turbine flow meter is a widely used tool for measuring the rate of flow of a given fluid.
It works on the principle that a turbine or a device similar to it rotates in a constant rate
when a fluid is passing through it. Any kind of measurement device affixed to it can
measure the given rate of flow to provide the required reading. There are various kinds
of flow meters, but each has its given set of advantages and disadvantages. The turbine
flow meter advantages and disadvantages will be outlined presently in this article

Typically, their applications are found across various industries such as petroleum,
automotive, laboratory and water treatment. In some cases, applications are also found
in the beverage and chemical industry as well.

A few examples of applications include:

Particle cleanliness testing

Water treatment

Monitoring input flow to an analyzer

Dispensing chemicals in a laboratory

Turbine flow meters come with their own set of advantages and
disadvantages.

advantages of turbine flow meters include:

-Suitable for gases AND liquids

-Highly accurate and precise

-Economical to purchase

-Easy to set up and operate

-Useable for a wide range of applications

Some disadvantages include:

-Requirement of clean, dry liquid/gas samples

-Errors caused by high viscosity in samples

-Frequent calibration checks needed

Turbine Flow Meter Working Principle

The flowmeter is a volumetric measuring turbine type. The flowing fluid engages the
vaned rotor causing it to rotate at an angular velocity proportional to the fluid flow rate.
The angular velocity of the rotor results in the generation of an electrical signal (AC sine
wave type) in the pickup. The summation of the pulsing electrical signal is related
directly to total flow. The frequency of the signal relates directly to flow rate. The vaned
rotor is the only moving part of the flowmeter.

Turbine Flow Meter

The Turbine flow meter (axial turbine) was invented by Reinhard Woltman and is an
accurate and reliable flow meter for liquids and gases. It consists of a flow tube with end
connections and a magnetic multi bladed free spinning rotor (impeller) mounted inside;
in line with the flow. The rotor is supported by a shaft that rests on internally mounted
supports.

The Supports in Process Automatics Turbine Flow Meters are designed to also act as
flow straightners, stabilizing the flow and minimizing negative effects of turbulence. The
Supports also house the unique open bearings; allowing for the measured media to
lubricate the bushes – prolonging the flow meters life span. The Supports are fastened
by locking rings (circlips) on each end.

The rotor sits on a shaft ,which in turn is suspended in the flow by the two supports. As
the media flows, a force is applied on the rotor wings. The angle and shape of the wings
transform the horizontal force to a perpendicular force, creating rotation. Therefore,
the rotation of the rotor is proportional to the applied force of the flow. Because of this,
the rotor will immediately rotate as soon as the media induces a forward force. As the
rotor cannot turn thru the media on its own, it will stop as soon as the media stops. This
ensures an extremely fast response time, making the Turbine Flow Meter ideal for
batching applications.

A pick-up sensor is mounted above the rotor. When the magnetic blades pass by the
pickup sensor, a signal is generated for each passing blade. This provides a pulsed signal
proportional to the speed of the rotor and represents pulses per volumetric unit.; and as
such the flow rate too.
If we change the turbine flow meter what will we put instead of it?

There are numeric type of flow meter like

1- Nutating flow meter

2- Oval gear flow meter
3- paddle wheel flow meter

In here we can put NUTATING FLOW METER to do the same work that turbine flow
meter can do. I will talk about it more briefly .

Nutating Disk Displacement Flow Meter is sometimes refered to as a Nutating disk

meter. The most common type of displacement flow meter is the nutating disk, or wobble
plate meter. A typical nutating disk is shown in Figure A1.

Figure A1
This type of flow meter is normally used for water service, such as raw water supply and
evaporator feed. The movable element is a circular disk which is attached to a central
ball. A shaft is fastened to the ball and held in an inclined position by a cam or roller. The
disk is mounted in a chamber which has spherical side walls and conical top and bottom
surfaces. The fluid enters an opening in the spherical wall on one side of the partition and
leaves through the other side. As the fluid flows through the chamber, the disk wobbles,
or executes a nutating motion. Since the volume of fluid required to make the disc
complete one revolution is known, the total flow through a nutating disc can be
calculated by multiplying the number of disc rotations by the known volume of fluid.

To measure this flow, the motion of the shaft generates a cone with the point, or apex,
down. The top of the shaft operates a revolution counter, through a crank and set of gears,
which is calibrated to indicate total system flow. A variety of accessories, such as
automatic count resetting devices, can be added to the fundamental mechanism, which
perform functions in addition to measuring the flow.