VARIABLE-HEAD METER THEORY

65

secondary element may be a simple U-tube manometer

or an intricate pressure-recording device. The basis
of operation of this group of meters was set forth by
the Italian, Venturi, who in 1797, after much ex
perimentation, concluded that for an ideal fluid (fric-
tionless, incompressible) flowing in a closed channel,
the sum of the pressure, velocity, and potential heads
was constant.
Since all of the variable-head meters, with the ex
ception of the Pitot tube, have the same basic equa
tion for the computation of the rate of flow, the
equations developed below will apply equally to any
of them. The individual factors and coefficients differ,
however.
Figure 5-4 represents a Venturi or a constriction
placed in a fluid channel so that the fluid flowing
from section 1 to section 2 is caused to pass from a
channel of area ii
toa smaller area A-,. In the case
of the Venturi, a gradually diverging section follows
the contracted one. Other types of variable-head
meters do not employ this diverging section. FIG. 5—4. Schematic arrangement of a Venturi meter.

Since there is no work done between sections 1 and

2 and in most situations the heat transferred may be
considered negligible, the energy equation for steady
(5-3)
flow per pound mass is pi£.2 pi

-P,2 h«i+ — = —
IV in which /3 = the diameter ratio D2/D\.
—
zi + *2 + h«2 + — (5-1) Solving equation 5-1 for P2 and substituting equation
gc 2gc pi gc 2gc p2
5-3 for Vi gives
where g = local acceleration due to gravity, ft per sec2
^2
gc = proportionality factor in the equation F=
1
— ma with F
2gc "<t)1
being force expressed in pounds
gc
= — — - (P1-P±\
(zi

(«, (5-4)
+

r2) «2) +
(lb/) ; m, mass in pounds (lbm) ; a, acceleration gc Vpi P2/
in ft per sec2 ; thus giving gc the value and
units of 32.174 lbm ft per lb/ sec2 The difference in elevation of sections 1 and may

2
z = elevation of center of flow stream, ft be made negligible provided the pressure line to sec
V = average velocity, ft per sec; = Q/A, where tion above the pressure tap at section (length a,
2

Q is the volumetric flow rate in cu ft per sec, Fig. 5-4) so arranged as to be filled with fluid having
is

and A is the corresponding area at right the same density as that in the flow stream between
angles to the mean flow path, ft2
V2

sections and Solving equation 5-4 for

2.

gives
1

u =
internal energy, ft-lb/ per lbm
p = static pressure, lb/ per ft2
p = density, lbm per ft3
2gc

- 04(p2/pi)2 ("i - "2) + (h-PA\i

\Pl p2/J
L
l

For steady flow the mass flow rate at section 1 is equal

to that at section
(5-5)
2 so that
The ideal mass flow rate may then be written as
Mi = M2

pivlA1
-- -
= p2r2.-i2
(5-2)
'i

2gc
.17,- = p2A2 . (a,
+

u2)
Assuming the stream flow cross-sections to be circular, 04(P2/Pl)2 Vpi P2/-
1

and solving for the upstream velocity

(5-6)