Flow Measurement

Introduced by : Ammar Wahid

Khbab Hussain
Supervised by : Dr. Zaid Abu Ghnam
Date : 3 / 3 / 2015

Introduction
The measurement of fluid flow is important in
applications ranging from measurements of blood-flow
rates in a human artery to the measurement of the
flow of liquid oxygen in a rocket.
Many research projects and industrial processes
depend on a measurement of fluid flow to furnish
important data for analysis.
For many industrial operations the accuracy of a fluidflow measurement is directly related to profit (i.e.
gasoline station or water meter at home ) It is easy to
see how a small error in flow measurement on a large
natural gas or oil pipeline could make a difference of
thousands of dollars over a period of time.

What is flowmeter ?
A flow meter is a device used to measure the flow rate or
quantity of a gas or liquid in a pipe. Flow measurement
applications are very diverse; consider these examples:
water flow through an open channel, hydraulic valve
leakage, fuel measurement through a fuel injector, or
respiratory flow through a peak expiratory flow meter.

Selecting a Flow Meter

There are no universal flow meters which are suitable for all
applications. Selecting the proper technology for your application
requires writing a flow specification which covers the use of the
meter. There are usually trade-offs with each meter type, so knowing
the critical specifications will be important.

Things you must know :

What Gas or Liquid will be measured .

Minimum and maximum flow rates.
What are the accuracy requirements .
The fluid temperature and viscosity.
Fluid compatibility with the materials of construction.
The maximum pressure at the location.
What pressure drop is allowable .
Will the meter be mounted in a hazardous location .
Is the fluid flow continuous or intermittent .
What type of output signal or readout do you need .
Is the fluid clean .
What is the minimum and maximum process
temperature .
what is the size of the pipe .

Units of flow
Flow rate is expressed in both volume and mass units of varying
sizes. Some commonly used terms are
1 gallon per minute (gpm)
= 231 cubic inches per minute (in3/min)
= 63.09 cubic centimeters per second (cm3/s)
1 liter

= 0.26417 gallon = 1000 cubic centimeters

1 cubic foot per minute (cfm, or ft3/min)

= 0.028317 cubic meter per minute (m3/min)

= 471.95 cubic centimeters per second (cm3/s)

Flow Devices
Rotameter

The rotameter is a very commonly used flow-measurement

device. The flow enters the bottom of the tapered vertical
tube and causes the bob or float to move upward. The
bob will rise to a point in the tube such that the drag forces
are just balanced by the weight and buoyancy forces. The
position of the bob in the tube is then taken as an indication
of the flow rate. The device is sometimes called an area
meter because the elevation of the bob is dependent on the
annular area between it and the tapered glass tube.

Application :
Volume flow measurement of liquids
and gases

Components :

Vertical conical measuring

tube .
Mobile float .
Balance of forces :
Weight = Drag + Buoyancy
W and B = constant
D = variable
The position of the float is a
flow indicator .

Flow Devices
Ultrasonic Flowmeter
The Doppler effect is the basis for operation of the
ultrasonic flowmeter . A signal of known ultrasonic
frequency is transmitted through the liquid. Solids,
bubbles, or any discontinuity in the liquid will reflect
the signal back to the receiving element. Because of
the velocity of the liquid, there will be a frequency shift
at the receiver which is proportional to velocity.
Accuracies of about 5 percent of full scale may be
achieved with the device. Most devices require that the
liquid contain at least 25 parts per million (ppm) of
particles or bubbles having diameters of 30 m or
more. The price is quite high.

Flow Devices
Electromagnetic Flowmeter

The principle of operation for the magnetic flowmeter is based on the

Faradays Law of Electromagnetic Induction.
An electrical current (I) is applied to a coil package inside the flowmeter.
As a result, a magnetic field (B) is created across the metering pipe.
When a conductive liquid flows through the magnetic field, a
small voltage (u) is induced. This voltage is proportional to the velocity of the
flow and is accurately measured by two stainless steel electrodes mounted
opposite each other inside the metering pipe. The two electrodes are connected
to an advanced electronic input circuitry which processes the signal and in
turn feeds it to the a microprocessor inside the electronics module. The
microprocessor then calculates the volumetric flow and controls the various
outputs on the terminal board.

Flow Devices
Turbine Flowmeter
Turbine flowmeters use the mechanicalenergyof the fluid to
rotate a pinwheel (rotor) in the flow stream. Blades on the rotor
are angled to transform energy from the flow stream into
rotational energy. The rotor shaftspinson bearings. When the fluid
moves faster, the rotor spins proportionally faster.
Shaft rotation can be sensed mechanically or by detecting the
movement of the blades. Blade movement is often detected
magnetically, with each blade or embedded piece of metal
generating a pulse. Turbine flowmeter sensors are typically
located external to the flowing stream to avoid material of
construction constraints that would result if wetted sensors were
used. When the fluid moves faster,morepulses are generated.
The transmitter processes the pulse signal to determine the flow
of the fluid. Transmitters and sensing systems are available to
sense flow in both the forward and reverse flow directions.