Flow Measurements
Introduction
Flow measurement is an important topic in the study of fluid dynamics. It must be made
in chemical plants, refineries, power plants, and any other place where the quality of the
product or performance of the plant depends on having a precise flow rate. Flow
measurements also enter into our everyday lives in the metering of water and natural gas
into our homes and gasoline into our cars.
There are many instruments used in flow measurements. In this experiment, we are going
to use the following devices:
1) Venturi.
2) Orifice plate.
3) Rotameter.
Objectives
This experiment aims to:
1- Familiarize students with some common devices and methods used in measuring
flow rate.
2- Each flow measurement device will be compared to the standard method of using
the catch-tank and stopwatch to measure the flow rate.
3- Determine the energy loss incurred by each of these devices.
4- Determine the energy loss arising in a rapid enlargement and a 900 elbow.
Apparatus
Figures (1) and (2) show the Flow Measurement apparatus. Water from the Hydraulic
Bench enters the equipment through a Venturi meter, which consists of a gradually
converging section, followed by a throat, and a long gradually diverging section. After a
change in cross-section through a rapidly diverging section, the flow continues along a
settling length and through an orifice meter. This is made from a plate with a hole of
reduced diameter through which the fluid flows. The water then continues around a bend
and up through a rotameter-type flowmeter. The rotameter is a transparent tube of
gradually diverging cross section in which the “float” takes an equilibrium position; the
vertical position of the float is a measure of the flow rate.
After the rotameter, the flow returns via a control valve to the hydraulic bench where the
flow rate can be measured using the catch-tank and a stopwatch.
