Flow Presentation

By Ahsan Pasha
DELIBERATION TOPICS:

Basic Terminology and Flow Parameters

Flow Measurement Principle
Different Technologies of Flow Meter and Working
Industrial Applications
Conclusion
Basic Terminologies and Flow Parameters
 Important Terminology and Flow Parameters

1. Laminar, Turbulent and Transitional (Fluid Flow Types)

2. Reynold Number
3. Upstream and Downstream
4. Bernoulli's Principle
5. Factors of Temperature, Pressure, Density and Viscosity
 Fluid Flow Types

Laminar: Steady, Usually High Viscosity and No Mixing between Layers

Turbulent: Usually Fluid have High Velocity and Mixing of Layers
Transitional: Mixture of Both, Laminar at edges and Center have Turbulence
Reynold Number
1. Ratio of Inertial Forces to Viscous Forces within a fluid.
2. Used to Determine Fluid Flow Type
3. Low Reynold= Laminar, High Reynold=Turbulent
4. Selecting Criteria:
Laminar when Re < 2300
Transitional when 2300 < Re < 4000
Turbulent when 4000 < Re
• Upstream:
Moving against the flow.
Pressure in a pipe or duct on the inlet side of a piece of mechanical equipment.
• Downstream:
Moving towards the flow
Pressure in the outlet pipe or duct.
Bernoulli’s PrincIPLE
• Bernoulli's principle states that an increase in the speed of a fluid
occurs simultaneously with a decrease in PRESSURE or a decrease in
the fluid’s potential energy

where f represents the total friction loss that is usually assumed

negligible.
• Based on Bernoulli's Principle
• As Velocity Increases Pressure decreases
• To increase fluid velocity we use:
Orifice Plate, Venturi Tube, Flow Nozzle
• Flowrate “Q” is a function of the differential pressure developed across the
restriction.

Upstream pressure Downstream pressure h

Inches
H2O

Flow Rate
Q Q= 2gh

Restriction in the
A headmeter produces
flow line reduces an non-linear signal
the area
(Square Root Output)
Viscosity, Pressure and TEMPERATURE

• Density decreases when T increases

• Viscosity effects Process Condition
• Viscosity is inversely affected by temperature
• The higher the temperature, the lower the viscosity
• If mass remains constant:
*Decrease in pressure causes substances to expand
*Increase in pressure causes substances to compress
• Gases are highly affected; solids and liquids are hardly affected
Flow Measurement PRINCIPLE
AND Technologies
 SELECTION OF TECHNOLOGIES
• 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 where explosive gases may be
present?
• Is the fluid flow continuous or intermittent?
• What type of output signal or readout do you need?
 Basics of Flow Measurement TECHNOLOGIES:

1. Mass Flow Meters

2. Volumetric Flow Meters
(i) Velocity Flow Meters
3. Inferential Flow Meters
4. Flow Computers
 Turbine
Coriolis

Mass
Thermal Ultrasonic

Flow Volume Magnetic

Meters
Velocity
Inferential Vortex

Flow Comp P-D

 Basics of Flow Measurement TECHNOLOGIES:

 Mass Flow Meters

• Mass meters measure the mass flow rate directly.
• Mas Flow Rate: The Mass of substance which passes per unit time.
• Measurement of Mass Flow:
Coriolis Effect, Thermal Effect, Density Compensation
• More effective in mass related processes as they measure the force that results from the acceleration
of mass.
• Force is measured as the mass moving per unit of time, instead of the volume per unit of time..
• Typical Applications for mass flow meters are chemical processes.
• Industries using mass meters include pharma, power, mining and wastewater.

Examples: Coriolis and Thermal Flowmeter

Mass Flow Meters
1. Coriolis Flowmeter
2. Thermal Flowmeter
 Coriolis flowmeters
• Coriolis Mass Flowmeter uses the Coriolis effect to measure the amount of mass moving
through the element.
• The fluid to be measured runs through a U-shaped tube that is caused to vibrate in an angular
harmonic oscillation.
• Due to the Coriolis forces, the tubes will deform and an additional vibration component
• This additional component causes a phase shift on some places of the tubes which can be
measured with sensors.
• In a Coriolis mass flowmeter, the “swinging” is generated by vibrating the tube(s) in which the
fluid flows.
• The amount of twist is proportional to the mass flow rate of fluid passing through the tube(s)
• Coriolis flowmeters are universal meters.
• The Coriolis flow meters are in general very accurate, better than +/-0,1% with an turndown
rate more than 100:1.
• The Coriolis meter can also be used to measure the fluids density.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS:
• Coriolis mass flowmeters are found in Chemical Processes where
fluids can be corrosive and difficult to measure.
• Usually used where the physical properties of fluid are not well
known
• Industries: Chemical, Oil and Gas, Food and Beverage,
Pharmaceutical, Pulp and Paper, Power, Metals and
Mining and Wastewater
 Thermal Flowmeter
• Thermal mass flowmeters use heat transfer to measure flowrate.
• The thermal mass flowmeter operates independent of density, pressure,
and viscosity.
• Thermal meters use a heated sensing element isolated from the fluid flow
path where the flow stream conducts heat from the sensing element.
• The conducted heat is directly proportional to the mass flow rate and the
temperature difference is calculated to mass flow.
• The accuracy of the thermal mass flow device depends on:
• variations in the temperature, pressure, flow rate, heat capacity and
viscosity of the fluid.
Different Designing
 Usages:
• Thermal mass flowmeters can be applied where thermal properties of
fluid must be known.
• Thermal flowmeters should not be applied to abrasive fluids because
they can damage the sensor
• Fluid which changes thermal properties can cause it to give inaccurate
reading
• Mostly used to measure mass flow of gases:
Air, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Helium, Ammonia, Argon
and other industrial gases.
 Volumetric Flow Meters
• The volumetric flow rate is the volume of fluid which passes per unit time
• Represented by the symbol Q and Units:m3/s or gpm
Example: Positive Displacement Flow Meters

• PD flowmeters measure flowrate through the continuous filling and emptying of a

chamber of known volume
• The number of times that the chamber is filled represents the flow.
• In PD flow meters, output is directly related to the volume passing through the flow
meter.
 Positive Displacement Flow Meters
• Positive displacement (PD) Flow Meters measure the volume filled with fluid, deliver it ahead and
fill it again, which calculates the amount of fluid transferred.
• PD flow meters include:
Piston Meters, Oval-Gear Meters, Nutating disk meters, Rotary Vane type meters, etc.
• Positive displacement flow meters are known for their accuracy.
• They are commonly used in the transfer of oils and fluids, like gasoline, hydraulic fluids as well as
in-home use for water and gas applications.
Nutating Disc Rotating Lobe Rotating Impeller

Oval Gear Rotating Vane

 Usages:
• Good For Low Flow rate
• Suitable For Smaller Line Size
• Operating in Dirty Fluid can cause blocking so need Maintenance
• Support Clean fluid such as Clean Water
• Mostly used to measure water and gas consumption in Residential
Areas (For Gas we use PD of Diaphragm Type )
• Not Suitable For Chemical feed System in Industry For where fluid are
Corrosive Liquid
Velocity Flow Meters
• Popular Flow Meters
• Measure Velocity of Fluid Directly
• Sensitive to Process Conditions
• Inaccurate for Laminar Regime
• Less sensitive when the Reynolds Number of fluid is higher than 10000.
• Examples:
1. Turbine
2. Magnetic
3. Ultrasonic
4. Vortex
 Turbine
• Utilize Mechanical Energy to rotate Pinwheel in fluid
• Turbine Flow Meter constitute 7% of World Market
• Angular velocity of the rotor is proportional to the velocity of the fluid.
• A magnetic pickup coil is mounted outside the pipe.
• Each one of these pulses represents a discrete volume of fluid.
• The frequency or pulse repetition rate represents the volumetric flow rate
• The accumulated pulse total represents the total volume measured.
• Working Principle:
• Magnetic Material, Pulse Generated, Passing Coil, Detected By Sensor
Turbine Flow Meter
 ElectroMAGNETIC
• Also Known as Mag Meter OR ElectroMag Meter
• Uses Magnetic Field apply to Metering Tube
• Pot Diff directly proportional to flowing fluid
• Works on Faraday law of Electromagnetic Induction
• Electrodes in Fluid detect voltages
• LIMITATIONS:
Measured liquid shall be conductive and
Non magnetic
 UlTRASONIC
• Two Types:
(i) Droppler Effect
(ii) Time Transit

• Send and Receive Ultrasonic Beam

 Droppler:

Transit Time:
USAGES :
• Sanitary, Corrosive and Abrasive Liquid
• Those Liquid in which Ultrasonic Beam/Pulse penetrate
• Ultrasonic FM Dropler wont work in Clean Water
• Different Design Variations (Clamp on)
 vortex
• Work on Principle called Von Kármán Effect
• Blunt Body installed perpendicular to pipe axis
• When the fluid flows through a bluff body in the measuring
tube, vortices are formed.
• The frequency of vortex shedding down each side of the bluff
body is directly proportional to mean flow velocity and to
volume flow.
• Flowrate is calculated by multiplying the area of the pipe times
the velocity of the flow.
Usages AND LIMITATION:
• Not Designed For LOW Rey No AND Low Velocity
• It gives Zero Value
• No Piping Vibrations It will give you inaccurate reading
• Used in Corrosive Liquid
• General applications are found in the water, wastewater, mining,
mineral processing, power, pulp and paper, chemical, and
petrochemical industries
Inferential Flow Meters
• Not by volume, velocity or mass.
• Flow is determined by measurement of a phenomenon associated with the flow
• Such as a drop in static pressure at a restriction in a pipe, Rotation of an Impeller or Rotor
• It measures by inferring its value from other measured parameters.
Examples: DP and Variable Areas Flowmeters(Rotameters)

Flow Computers
• Implement Algorithm using analog and digital signals received from Flow Meters
• Used to compensate flow measurements for actual process conditions
i-e Pressure, Temperature, Viscosity and Composition
Price factor comparison
Summary
• Not Choose Technology but focus on Cost, Accuracy, Reliability e.t.c
• Things to Comprehend:
-Technologies
-OEM Competitors
-Installation Conditions Parameters
-Operating Conditions of Fluid
-Budget Factor of Company
Thank You