How Liquid Flow Meters Are Used In Process Applications

Unlike other flow meters that are used in the process industry

, liquid flow meters are much more common than one may think. You may have even come across one in your daily travels. These meters can be found in industrial, commercial and even municipal services with the dispensing being one of the most common uses for one of these meters.

If you have ever pumped gas for your car, then there is a good chance that you had some sort of interaction with one of these meters and you probably didn't even know it.

The liquid flow meters work by measuring the rate at which a particular liquid passes through a structure, otherwise known as the liquid flow rate. These flow meters come in a variety of different types with differential pressure, positive displacement and mass being some of the most common. The differential pressure flow meter works by measuring the drop in pressure as the fluid passes over an obstruction.

These are commonly used to measure the flow of liquids, gases or vapors in pipes with some of the most common ones being water, chemicals, air, steam, and industrial gases. They can be used in almost any application, but tend to work best with fluids of low viscosity.

Positive displacement liquid flow meters work by measuring the volume of the fluid as it passes through the meter. This process works by entrapping the fluid that is being measured in order to measure its flow. In simple terms, the positive displacement flow meter works a lot like a bucket. The system repeatedly fills the bucket to capacity before its contents are dumped back into the stream. The amount of times the bucket is repeatedly filled and emptied equates to the flow that is passed through the meter.

This type of meter is commonly used to measure the flow of fluids through pipes such as water, chemicals, hydrocarbons or cryogenic liquids. Some models can measure gas flow, but liquid applications are much more common. Caution should be taken with more viscous fluids as their use can have an effect on the meter's accuracy.

A mass flow meter works by measuring the force that results from the acceleration caused by any mass that is moving towards or away from the center of rotation. The most commonly known meter is the coriolis mass flow meter. These meters are most commonly used to measure the mass flow of liquids, acids, chemicals and even gases. Since the system is measuring the mass, any changes to the fluid's density will not have an effect on the results. Caution should be used only when measuring gases since flow rates tend to be at a lower pressure which can hinder the meter's accuracy.

Many of these liquid flow meters are used in our daily lives. Whether it is something as simple as the machine that pumps our gas, or more complex like the one that calculates how much water our home or business uses in an average month, these meters make our lives easier than ever before.

by: Andrew Long

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