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Different Types of Flowmeters
There is a wide variety of flowmeters available. The rate of flow of a fluid is measured by each kind using a methodology that is unique to itself. We’re going to take a look at the most common varieties of flow meters that are available on the market right now, and those are flow meters that measure differential pressure, velocity, positive displacement, mass flow, and open channels.
Flowmeters That Use Differential Pressure
A differential pressure (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/differential-pres) flowmeter, often known as a DP flowmeter, is the name of one of the most popular varieties of flowmeters. This particular kind of flowmeter is founded on the scientific principles that control the way fluids, including gasses and liquids, move through pipes.
When moving from a broader pipe to a smaller pipe, a fluid will need to go through at a faster speed in order to maintain the same flow rate during the whole journey. When the speed of a fluid rises, the pressure of the fluid will drop. Flow rate has nothing to do with changes in pressure.
The Flow Of Velocity
Vessel cross-sectional area multiplied by fluid velocity yields a velocity flowmeter’s operating principle. To assess the fluid’s flow rate, a velocity flowmeter measures the flow rate of the fluid in the pipe. The term “velocity flow” may refer to a number of different types of flowmeters. Although each method calculates velocity in order to measure flow rate differently for various fluids, they are all able to do so overall.
Positive Displacement
Positive displacement flowmeters, often known as PD flowmeters, are another frequent form of flowmeter. All flowmeters are not created equal, but only PD meters can accurately measure flow rate by measuring volume rather than relying on some other property of the liquid that is linked to flow rate to calculate it.
The meter has revolving parts that look like gears or cogs, and they are all mechanical. The passage of the liquid through the meter is what causes these gears to turn in a clockwise direction. These rotating components, in contrast to gears, leave a little amount of space between themselves, which allows for the formation of fluid-filled pockets as they revolve.
The mechanism monitors the amount of fluid that has gone through by counting the rotational rate of these components. This procedure is successful because the rotational velocity of the gears is exactly proportional to the flow rate of the fluid.
Mass Flowmeters
A mass flowmeter is a device that, as its name indicates, determines the mass flow rate of a fluid as it travels through a pipe. The pharmaceutical industry, along with the mining industry, the wastewater treatment industry, the power industry, and the chemical and gas sectors all often use mass flowmeters. Mass measurement or serving as a controller of mass flow with an extremely viscous material call for these flowmeters.
Heating up a portion of the fluid in question and seeing how the temperature changes as a consequence is a common approach to doing mass flow measurements. It’s also possible to measure the energy required to maintain a constant temperature using a probe.
Thermal dispersion flow meters are a kind of mass flow meter that measure flow by using heat as one of the variables. The Coriolis mass meter is an additional popular kind of mass flowmeter. However, your mass flow meter measures it, you should be aware that mass flow and volumetric flow have a difference.
In contrast to a positive displacement flowmeter, a mass flow meter measures the fluid’s mass as opposed to its volume. Cubic meters per second, for example, might be used as a volume measurement for a certain time period. Volume is not the same thing as mass. You could see it measured in kilos per second or some other unit of measurement that’s comparable to that.
Open Channel
If you know how depth relates to flow in the pipes, then you can employ an obstruction to have the meter remain aware of the change in depth and then utilize this information to determine the flow rate. The form of the structure is the primary distinction between weirs and flumes.
Weirs are apertures that are located at the top of a dam and may be either rectangular or V-shaped in design. Click here to read more information on weirs. As water or even other fluid pours over the dam, via the weir, it rises. It is indicative of a larger flow rate when there is a bigger rise in depth.
Weirs and flumes serve the same purpose; however flumes restrict the flow of water over a wider area than weirs do. The water level shifts, which is directly proportional to the flow rate, as the fluid makes its way into the channel’s more constricted segment.
Open-channel flowmeters may be used to measure the rate of flow in free-flowing water bodies, such as streams and lakes, in addition to industrial uses like wastewater treatment.
