CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY 1

CHE150-1L/B41

Experiment 3: Discharge Coefficient (Orifice Meter)

Mendoza, Theresa C1
1
Student, School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Mapúa Institute of Technology, Manila, Philippines

ABSTRACT

Two types of flow meters have been observed in this experiment; Area meter and head meter. Mass flow rate, rotameter
reading, and manometer reading are the axes used in generating a calibration curve for rotameter and orifice meter. It was
found that the curve of rotameter was more linear than orifice meter that has a square root relationship. Moreover, pressure
drop and discharge coefficient of the orifice was also calculated. Areas and velocities for both pipe and orifice were
computed for the needed values. Pressure drop was observed to be increasing with the mass flow rate. For pipe taps, the
pressure difference has been found to be really permanent loss and not orifice differential. However, discharge coefficient
had no trend with values 0.859, 0.863, 0.905, 0.817, 0.683 since the Reynolds number was large enough for it to be
independent of mass flow rate. The possible sources of error are the square root relationship itself and straight pipe that has
not been provided.

Keywords: Rotameter, Orifice Meter, Manometer Reading, Calibration Curve

1. Introduction

Head meters comprise a class of devices for fluid flow

A standard sharp-edged
measurement including orifice plates, venturi tubes, weirs,
flumes, and many others. They change the velocity or the
direction of flow, creating a measurable differential
pressure in the fluid.

orifice consists of an rately machined and

The orifice is the most common type of head meter. An drilled plate mounted between two
orifice plate is inserted in the line, and the differential flanges with the
Figure 1.1 Diagram of an orifice
pressure across it is measured (See figure 1.1). This section hole concentric plate with pressure profile
is concerned with the primary device; the orifice plate and with pipe in which
the differential pressure connections. (Liptak, 1993) it is mounted. The opening in the plate may be beveled on
the downstream side. Pressure taps above and below the
orifice plate are installed and are connected to a
manometer. The positions of the taps are arbitrary, and the

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coefficient of the meter will depend upon the position of time. It also has an orifice which measures the amount of
the traps. Accuracy of the maximum reading can be assured fluid flowing through a fixed area of constriction. The
when the position is located at vena contracta, minimum amount of fluid flow was measured using weighing scale
cross-sectional area. and stopwatch recorded the time.
(See Figure 1.2)
Experimentation

Initially, factors that are needed to meet the aim of

this experiment were identified. These factors are rotameter
reading, manometer reading, time, and mass of water. Mass
of the tank has been weighed since it is needed for the
computation of mass of water using weighing scale. The
rotameter valve was opened slowly until the reading has
become one and the plummet was assured to be stable.

As the plummet became stable, the discharge valve

Figure 1.2 Orifice Flow Meter
was opened. The water was allowed to flow inside the tank
for thirty seconds, recorded using stopwatch. The tank with
water was again weighed labeled as the mass of tank with
The reduction of the cross section of the flowing water. The manometer reading and the temperature were
stream in passing through the orifice increases the velocity also noted. Procedures were repeated with increasing
head at the expense of the pressure head, and the reduction rotameter reading which has an increment of .5. Calibration
in the pressure between the taps is measured by the curve for the orifice was generated from the data.
manometer. Bernoulli’s equation provides a basis for
correlating the increase in velocity head with the decrease Note that the mass of water was measured by
in pressure head. (Mccabe, 2006) subtracting the weight of the previous tank with water and
In this experiment, calibration curve for orifice to the latest weighed mass of tank with water.
has been generated and the effect of increasing mass flow
rate of water to the coefficient of the discharge of the
3. Results and Discussion
orifice has been determined.
2. Methodology Table 3.1 shows the calculated data of mass for water
and the recorded time from stopwatch. From the
Materials and Equipment
methodology, it has been explained how mass of water can
The materials and equipment that were utilized in this be calculated. It can be observed that the mass of water
experiment are fluid-flow set-up with rotameter, orifice, increased for every trial in this experiment. The reason
water tank, weighing scale, and stopwatch. The fluid-flow behind this trend will be further discussed in the preceding
set-up is the main equipment used in this experiment. It has part of this discussion.
a rotameter that measures the amount of fluid flow per unit

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 For time in seconds, the exact time must be noted in
spite of what has been said in the procedure that the time Figure 3.1 shows the calibration curve of the

should be in 30 seconds. The excess in time, whether it rotameter. The curve represents the relationship of the mass

seem to be small, should be added into account and cannot flow rate and rotameter reading which is directly

consider to be negligible. It is because this time was used in proportional. As shown, it has a positive slope but is not

calculating values that is essential to the experiment. quite linear which is unusual to the rotameter. If data from
table 3.2 was checked again, it can be observed that the

Mass of water, kg Time, s difference in the mass flow rate of trial 1 and 2 which is
3.5 30.16 0.027 was way greater that the difference of the rest which
4.3 30.03 just fall on the range of from 0.004-0.007.
4.5 30
4.7 30.04
4.85 30.24 Calibration Curve for Rotameter
Table 3.1 Noted and Calculated Data of Mass and 3.5
Time 3

One of the objective of this experiment is to generate a 2.5

calibration curve for the rotameter. This objective was met 2

Rotameter Reading
by calculating the mass flow rate using equation 3.1 and 1.5

getting the rotameter reading. 1

0.5
mass of water 0
ḿ= (Equation 3.1) 0.1 0.15 0.2
time
Mass Flow Rate (kg/s)

The tabulated data for the values of these two is shown

in table 3.2. The rotameter used in this experiment is
limited its reading to 3, so, the values of the rotameter For theFigure 3.1 Calibration
calibration Curve for
curve of orifice, Rotameter
Table 3.3 shows the

reading were so close with an increment of just 0.5. Then, values of mass flow rate and manometer reading which will

with these values, a calibration curve was able to generate serve as the x- and y-axis. Manometer readings were the

with mass flow rate as the x-axis and rotameter reading as ones from the manometer recorded every trial.

the y-axis. Mass flow rate, kg/s Manometer Reading,

cmHg
0.116 0.2
Mass flow rate, kg/s Rotameter Reading 0.143 0.3
0.116 1 0.150 0.3
0.143 1.5
0.156 0.4
0.150 2
0.160 0.6
0.156 2.5
0.160 3 Table 3.3 Values of Mass Flow Rate and
Manometer Reading
Table 3.2 Values of Mass Flow Rate and
Rotameter Reading

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Figure 3.2 shows the calibration curve for orifice. Specific Gravities Diameters, inch
Compared to the curve of the rotameter, the curve of orifice Water 1.0 Orifice, do 0.60
Mercury 13.534 Pipe, d1 1.049
shows no linearity. This is because one of the
characteristics of the head meter is the square root Table 3.4 Properties of fluids, orifice and pipe
relationship. One of its consequences is that it develops a Since the diameters of the pipe were given, areas of the
head or differential pressure. A simple linear readout of this orifice can be calculated using the formula for the area of
the circle which is
differential pressure expands the high end of the scale and
compreeses the low end in terms of flow. Errors in the π
more complex square root transducer tend to decrease
S= d 2
4
overall accuracy. (Liptak, 1993)

Area of the orifice was 1.824 x 10 -4 while for the pipe is

Calibration Curve for Orifice 5.576 x 10-4 in square meters. β can also be computed
0.8 for it is just the ratio of diameter of orifice over the
0.6 diameter of pipe which results to 0.572. Density was
known by interpolation to the temperature of 30 degrees
Manometer Reading 0.4
Celsius and was found to be 995. 895 kg/m3

0.2 Table 3.5 shows the values of the velocity of the pipe,
velocity of orifice, pressure drop, and the discharge
0
0.1 0.15 0.2 coefficient (left to right column). These are computed using
Mass Flow Rate (kg/s)
equations 3.2 – 3.5.

m1
U 1= (Equation 3.3)
Figure 3.2 Calibration Curve for Orifice
S1 ρ

Aside from generating a calibration curve, this experiment U1

also ask to find or compute for the Discharge Coefficient of
U 2= (Equation 3.4)
β4
the orifice. The discharge coefficient can be calculated
using the formula in equation 3..
−∆ P ρ g
Uo =R m ( Hg −1)( ) (Equation 3.5)
C o= ρ ρ gc

√ 2 gc

1−β
( −∆ρ P )
4
(Equation 3.2)

Properties of the fluid, orifice and the pipe were given in

U1
0.209
0.258
0.270
Uo
0.639
0.787
0.825
((-∆P)/ρ)
0.247
0.371
0.371
Co
0.859
0.863
0.905
0.281 0.859 0.494 0.817
table 3.4. They will serve as the initial properties needed
0.288 0.880 0.740 0.683
to solve for the unknown properties for the discharge
coefficient of the orifice. Table 3.5 Data Calculated using formulas
given in the manual

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 As for discharge coefficient, the results show no trend. constant, straight pipes might not have been provided
It is not increasing nor decreasing as the readings increase enough to both upstream and downstream of the orifice to
or the mass flow rate increases. The reason behind this is ensure a flow pattern that is normal and undisturbed. This
that the Reynolds number is greater than 10000, hence, it is can cause abnormal distribution in velocity and will affect
independent of β or Reynolds Number. The value must lie the coefficient in an unpredictable way. (Mccabe, 2006)
just between the 0.6 and 0.7. Since mass flow rate is one of
the parameter of Reynolds number, discharge coefficient of 4. Conclusion

the orifice is also independent of the mass flow rate. Most

Two kinds of flow meters have been observed in this
of the values do not lie between 0.6 and 0.7 and therefore
experiment. Calibration curve for rotameter, an area meter
error exists. (Kharagpur, n.d)
and for orifice meter, head meter was compared. It was
found that rotameter has a linear curve rather than the head
From table 3.1 and 3.3, the mass flow rate can be
meter. The characteristic of a head meter which is square
observed together with the pressure drop in table 3.4. For
root relationship explains the curve of the orifice.
an increase in rotameter reading, the mass flow rate
Quadratic equations always have curves and not lines.
increases as the pressure drops. The major disadvantage of
the orifice plate is the permanent pressure drop. The
Relationship of mass flow rate to coefficient of
pressure recovery in an orifice meter is poor due to large
discharge and pressure was also explained. For the
friction losses from the eddies generated by the
coefficient of discharge, it was supposed to be constant for
reexpanding jet below the vena contracta. The pressure
the Reynolds Number is greater than 10000. The value
difference measure by pipe taps is really a measurement of
must just be in between 0.6 and 0.7 and independent of the
permanent loss rather than of the orifice differential.
value of the mass flow rate. However, the pressure drop
(Mccabe, 2006)
increases as the mass flow rate increases.

The possible errors of this experiment are the

characteristic of a head meter which is the square root
relationship and the provision of straight pipes to the
orifice’s up and downstream. Failure to do so might affect
the coefficient of discharge.

References

Gutierrez, C., & Ngo, R. (2005). Chemical Engineering

Laboratory Manual.
Figure 3.3 Orifice plate and the permanent
pressure drop
Kharagpur. (n.d.). Flow Measurement. Retrieved May 17, 2016,
One of the possible errors in this experiment is primarily from Measurement Systems:
http://www.nptel.ac.in/courses/108105063/pdf/L-07(SS)(IA&C)
the square root relationship characteristic of the orifice. It
%20((EE)NPTEL).pdf
will always give 1% error to every result in this
experiment. In terms of discharge coefficient being not Liptak, B. (1993). Flow Measurement. Chilton Book Company.

Experiment 3│ Group No. 3│ May 17, 2016 5 of 6

 Mccabe, W., Smith, J., & Harriott, P. (2006). Unit Operations of
Chemical Engineering. McGraw-Hill Asia.

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