Flow Meter Selection Table

Gases
Liquids
Pipe Sizes in (mm)
Slurries
Clean Dirty Clean Viscous Dirty Corrosive
Fibrous Abrasive
Square Root Scale; maximum single range 4:1

Sr No Flow Meter

2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)

Orifice
a) Square Edge
b) Honed meter run assembly
c) Integral
d) Quadrant Edge
e) Eccentric
f) Segmental
g) Annular
Target
Conical Flow Meter
Venturi
Flow Nozzle
Lo-Loss
Pitiot
Averaging Bar
Elbow

11)
12)
13)
14)

Laminar Flow
Gilflo
Magnetic
Mass Flow

1)

15) Positive-displacement

>1.5 (40)
0.5 - 1.5 (12-40)
<0.5 (12)
>1.5 (40)
>2 (50)
>4 (100)
>4 (100)
>0.5-4 (12-100)
>0.5-72 (12-1800)
>2 (50)
>2 (50)
>3 (75)
>3 (75)
1 (25)
>2 (50)
Linear Scale: typical range 10:1
0.25-16 (6-400)
0.1-72 (2.5-1800)
0.1-72 (2.5-1800)
<12 (300)

16) Thermal Mass

17) Turbine Flow

0.25-24 (6-600)

18) Ultrasonic - Time-of-flight

19) Ultrasonic - Doppler

>0.5 (12)
>0.5 (12)

20) Variable area

<3 (75)

21) vortex

0.5-16 (12-400)
Normally applicable
designed for this application
Not Suitable for this application'
URV Upper range Value of the flow rate: formally known as full-scale flow rate
reffer to manufacturer for specification

Temperature ('F)

Pressure (kPa)

Accuracy, Uncalibrated
including transmitter

1-2% URV
1% URV
2.5% URV
2% URV
2% URV
Process temprature
2% URV
to 1000'F (540'C)
To 6000 psig 2% URV
Transmitter limited
(41000kPa) 1% URV
to -20'F - 250'F ( 1.5 - 5% URV
30'C - 120'C)
1 - 2% URV
1 - 2% URV
1.25% URV
5% URV
1.25% URV
4.25% URV
Typical Calibrated accuracy
<200 (93)
<100 (700)
0.5 - 2% URV
<600 (315)
<600 (4200)
1% URV
360 (180)
<1500 (10500) 0.5 of rate to 1% URV
<570 ( 300)
<2000
0.2 - 1% of rate
Gases 250(120)
Gases 1% URV Liquids
< 1400 (10000)
Liquids 600(315)
0.5% of rate
<1000 (537)
<3000 (21000) 1% URV
Gases 0.5% of rate Liquids
-450-500 (-268-260) <3000 (21000)
1% of rate
-300-500 (180-260) = pipe rating
1%of rate to 5% URV
-300-250 (180-120) = pipe rating
5% URV
Glass 350
Glass <400 (200)
(2400) Metal
0.5% of rate to 1% URV
Metal <1000(540)
720 (5000)
<750 (400)
<1500 (10500) 0.5 - 1% of rate

Reynolds Number

Rd > 2000
Rd > 1000
Rd > 100
Rd > 200
Rd > 10000
Rd > 10000
Rd > 10000
Rd > 10000
Rd > 100
Rd > 75000
Rd > 10000
Rd > 12500
No Limit
Rd > 10000
Rd > 10000
Rd > 2000
Rd <10000
No Limit
No Limit
<8000 cSt
No Limit
< 2-15 cSt
No Limit
No Limit
To Highly Viscous Fluids
>10000