Flow Meters

By: Derek Adams, Chelsea Adkisson, David Alameer

 What Are Flow Meters?
● Designed to measure the
discharge of a fluid.

● Four major types used:

● Differential Pressure
● Positive Displacement
● Open Channel
● Electromagnetic

Image Courtesy of Encyclopedia of Chemical Engineering Equipment

 History of Flow Meters
● Flow meters have been used since early civilizations to
measure flows of rivers

● Ancient Egypt:
● Measured Nile River flows to predict the quality of harvests

● Ancient Rome:
● Used orifice flow to measure discharge in drainage pipes

● Ancient China:
● Weirs were used to monitor and control natural waterways for
irrigation purposes
 Nilometer
● Used monitor the Nile
river in Ancient Egypt

● Water would fill the

Nilometer, and set water
levels would represent the
quality of the upcoming
harvest.

● High levels indicated great

harvests and very low
levels indicated drought

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

Scientific Advancements
● Key Scienfitic discoveries lead to the advancement of flow
meters into what we have today.

● Bournoulli’s Principal -> Differential Pressure Flow Meters

● Faraday’s Law -> Electromagnetic Flow Meters

● Reynold -> Open Channel Flow Meters

 Bernoulli's Principle
●In 1738, Daniel Bernoulli found that the velocity, potential
energy, and pressure of a fluid body are related:

●For horizontal flow, an increase in a fluid’s velocity must

result in a decrease in pressure.
●Therefore, the velocity or discharge of a fluid system can be
determined by measuring the change in pressure.
 Electromagnetic to measure flow
●In 1831, Michael Faraday an
English scientist discovered
that electromagnetic fields
can be used to measure flow
rate.

F : Force
q : charge

Image courtesy of Lessons In Electric Circuits Image courtesy of StudyHelpine.net

 Coriollis Flow Meter
●Designed by aeronautical
engineer Theodore
von Karman in 1970.

●Measures mass of fluid

moving inside of a pipe.

●Using the fluid’s density,

the volume of fluid per time
can be determined.
 Laminar and Turbulent Flows
●1883, Osborne Reynold a British scientist and engineer
discovered a mathematical relationship to determine if the
flow of a fluid is turbulent or laminar.

Re = ρVD/μ
Re=Reynolds Number
ρ = density of the fluid
V = velocity
D = pipe diameter
μ = fluid viscosity
 How to choose flow meter type?
Consider the following factors when choosing which flow
meter type best fits your purpose

1- Type of fluid
2- Fluid temperature and viscosity
3- Pressure drop
4- Type of flow
5- Maximum and minimum flow rate
 Positive Displacement Flow Meters -
Theory
●Unique in that they directly
measure the volume of the
fluid passing through
●They do this by
temporarily trapping the
fluid

●Similar to recording the time

it takes to fill a bucket of
known volume

●Discharge= Volume/Time

Image Courtesy of 7 Million 7 Years

 Positive Displacement Flow Meters -
Applications
●Provide a high level of
accuracy at a reasonable price

●Not ideal for fluids with large

particles Image Courtesy of Universal Flow Monitors

●Best in smaller lines or where

flow rates are relatively low

●Often used in oil and gas,

water and wastewater, and
chemical industry

Image Courtesy of Semler Industries

Differential Pressure Flow Meters - Theory
● Based on Bernoulli's Equation

● Measure pressure drop over a

constriction and use the
pressures to calculate the flow

● Approximately 21% of the flow

meters used are differential Image Courtesy of Universal Flow Monitors
pressure flow meters
 Differential Pressure Flow Meters -
Applications
●Low cost, however, Orifice Plate Air Velocity Gage
accuracy can be poor or
variable

●Not ideal for fluids with

high viscosity

●Commonly used in oil and

gas, chemical, and power
applications

●There are many different Image Courtesy of Dwyer Instruments, Inc.

types including the orifice

plate, venturi tube, and
flow nozzle
 Orifice Plate
● Orifice plates are the most
common type of
differential flow meter.

● A fluid is passed through a

plate with a small opening.

● The pressure drop can be

measured to find the
discharge, similar to
Venturi Tube.

● Commonly used in pipe

systems Image courtesy of Spirax Sarco
 Venturi Tube
● Venturi Tube are a direct
application of Bernoulli's
Principle.

● This tube forces an increase in a

fluid’s velocity.

● Manometers allow the pressure

head to be directly measured.

● Using Bernoulli's equation, the

discharge can easily be found.
Image courtesy of Industrial Automation and Mechatronics Portal
Open Channel Flow Meters - Theory

●Open channel flow velocities are most commonly measured

with weirs or flumes

●These measurements are based on measuring the height of

the flow before the weir or in the flume

Q=KHn
Where, Q is volumetric flow rate
K is a units coefficient
H is the measured height at the flume or weir
n is the specific coefficient of the type of flume or weir

●Similar to devices and theories used by the Egyptians to

calculate the flow of the Nile river
Open Channel Flow Meters - Applications
Parshall Flume

●Often used for irrigation, streams,

wastewater, and stormwater
measurements

●Have moved from manual readings

to more automated systems
Image Courtesy of TRACOM Fiberglass
●Weirs are relatively inexpensive
Weir
and easy to build but can require
frequent cleaning

●Flumes are more expensive and

slightly more complicated to build
but rarely require maintenance
Image Courtesy of Dwyer Instruments, Inc.
 Electromagnetic Flow Meters - Theory

●Based on Faraday’s law

of electromagnetic
induction

●Requires the fluid to be

conductive

●The flow of the fluid

creates an induced
voltage which is
proportional to the flow
velocity

Image Courtesy of Process Automatic

Electromagnetic Flow Meters -
Applications
●Require the fluid to completely fill
the pipe

●Very accurate

●Not recommended for fluids with

high, very low, or variable
conductivity Image Courtesy of ABB

●Can be used on a wide range of

pipe sizes

●Used in many industries including

water and wastewater, mining,
and utilities
Image Courtesy of Flomotion Systems
References
● "A Brief History of Flow Measurements and Prospect." ZhaoYi Science and TechnologyDevelopment Co. N.p., 2 May 2010. Web.
● BSCT Group. "Historical Development of Electromagnetic Flow Meter." Historical Development of Electromagnetic Flow Meter. GCST Group,
26 June 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
● "Differential Pressure Flowmeter Technology." Universal Flow Monitors. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● Domani. "Venturi Tubes and Basic Principles." Domani Studio. N.p., 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
●"Egyption: The Basics of Open Channel Flow." Spitzer and Boyes, LLC. Spitzer and Boyes, LLC, 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.spitzerandboyes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/FlowLikeAnEgyptian.pdf>.
● "Electromagnetic Flowmeters." ABB. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● "Flumes." TRACOMFRP. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● "How Does the Magnetic Flow Meter Work?" Process Automatic. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● "ISOMAG MS2500 Flange-Style Electromagnetic Flow Meter Sensor." Flomotion Systems. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
●Kuphaldt, Tony R. Lessons In Electric Circuits. Vol. 2. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
●"Liquid Controls/Sponsler." Semler Industries. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● "Magnetic Flowmeter Principles." Thomasnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● " Measuring Air Velocity with an Orifice Plate." Dwyer. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
●"Michael Faraday Biography." StudyHelpline.net. StudyHelpline.net, 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● "Nilemeter." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
● " Open Channel Flow- The New Way." Dwyer. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● "Principles of Flowmetering." Spirax Sarco. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
● "Reynolds Number." Encyclopedia of Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● "The Golden Faucet." 7million7years. N.p., 14 Apr. 2010. Web.
● "Types of Fluid Flow Meters." The Engineering Toolbox. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
● "What Is a Flow Meter?" Max Machinery. Max Machinery, Inc., 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.