FLOW MEASUREMENT

DEVICES

PADDLE TYPE ORIFICE PLATE

C STAMPED AVCO
TAG No.
BORE SIZE
AVCO

INLET
1/4" HOLE SIZE RATING
B MATERIAL
USA

"G" VENT

45°
A D Dw d
e

"G" DRAIN E
CAT No. A520 PADDLE ORIFICE PLATE
D = Inside Line I.D. d = Orifice Bore Diameter
G = Vent & Drain Hole Diameter E = Orifice Plate Thickness
Dw = Diameter of Vent & Drain Hole Circle e = Orifice Throat Thickness
emax = The Smaller of D/50 or d/8

Per I.S.A. RP 3.2

UNIVERSAL TYPE ORIFICE PLATE

STAMPED
AVCO
MATERIAL
LINE SIZE

45° OUTLET
BORE
TAG NO.

A
d
e

The Universal Type Orifice Plate is designed to be used in an orifice fitting. Line sizes 2”-10” require a
removable Orifice Plate Seal. Depending on the service, these seals are made of Nitrile, TFE, or
stainless steel. Line sizes 12” and above require the seal to be vulcanized to the O.D. of the plate. The
bore geometry of the Universal Type Orifice Plate is the same as the Paddle Type Orifice Plate. Care
must be taken installing Eccentric Bored Plates and Orifice Plates with weep holes, to assure they are
rotated in the correct position. Segmental Orifice are not recommended in Universal Type Orifice Plates.

3087 S. Harbor Blvd, Santa Ana, CA 92704 Tel (714) 427-0877 Fax (714) 427-6392 Web-site: www.avcovalve.com
AVCO CONTROLS ORIFICE PLATES
AVCO manufactures Orifice Plates from 1/4”-96” in line size. The standard material of construction is 316 stainless steel. Orifice Plates
are manufactured in strict accordance to AGA, ISA, ASME, API, and ISO standards. Special custom designs are also available. AVCO has
a complete engineering department to assist in product selection and application.

STANDARD CONCENTRIC ORIFICE COUNTER BORED ORIFICE

This is the standard flow element “FE” type orifice plate. The orifice is
beveled on the downstream edge, in accordance to AGA report #3.
The purpose of the bevel is to reduce the width of the throat to the “e”
dimension. The ratio of the orifice bore divided by the line I.D. is called
the beta ratio“β”. The “β” ratio should be between .2 and .7. The ac-
curacy of the flow coefficient diminishes beyond these limits.
Instead of beveling the downstream face of the orifice plate at 45°, a
Counter Bore is another method of reducing the throat thickness to
the “e” dimension. The Counter Bore diameter is equal to the bore
plus dimension “A”.

QUADRANT
RADIUS

BEVEL
LINE I.D. DIA.

ECCENTRIC ORIFICE QUADRANT BORED ORIFICE

The outside diameter of the bevel of the Eccentric Orifice is tangent to
98% of the line I.D. When set at the top of the line, entrained gases
in a liquid will pass the orifice.
The Quadrant Orifice is designed to measure the flow of high viscosity
fluids, and is recommended when the Reynolds Number is below
10,000. Quadrant Orifices maintain a constant coefficient in laminar
flow. The radius “R” is a function of the β ratio. The thickness of the
orifice is equal to quadrant radius “R”. The thickness of the orifice
plate is equal to “R” rounded up to the next 1/8” increment. For
example if R=.899, the orifice plate would be 1 inch thick. Due to the
thickness and rounded entrance edge, the plate is very durable.

NO BEVEL

LINE I.D.

SEGMENTAL ORIFICE RESTRICTION TYPE ORIFICE

The Segmental Orifice bore is designed for fluids containing heavy
sediments. The diameter ”D” is equal to 98% of the line I.D. “H” is the
height of the circular segment. The β ratio is equal to the equivalent
circular diameter of segment divided by the line I.D. The Segmental
Orifice is the most difficult type of orifice to manufacture, requiring
finishing by hand.
The purpose of the Restriction Orifice is to reduce the flow rate or
to create a pressure drop. The Restriction Orifice plates are placed
downstream of a turbine meter to guard against over-spin. A Restriction
Orifice is denoted by “RO” or “FO”. When specifying a Restriction
Orifice, plate thickness “E” should be thick enough to reduce plate
deflection to a minimum. As a rule, the maximum pressure drop across
a single orifice for a gas is 50%. For greater drops, multiple orifices
may be used. Cavitation and excessive noise can be a problem.

3087 S. Harbor Blvd, Santa Ana, CA 92704 Tel (714) 427-0877 Fax (714) 427-6392 Web-site: www.avcovalve.com
PERMANENT PRESSURE DROP VS. BETA RATIO FOR
ORIFICE PLATES WITH FLANGE TAPS
PERMANENT PRESSURE LOSS PPL 1-0.24 -0.52 -0.16 P

100

% OF DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE
PERMANENT PRESSURE LOSS
90

80

70

60

50

40
0 .10 .20 .30 .50 .40
.60 .70 .80
ORIFICE BORE
BETA RATIO =
LINE I.D.
PERMANENT PRESSURE DROP VS BETA RATIO
FOR ORIFICE PLATE WITH FLANGE TAPS

PERMANENT PRESSURE DROP VS. BETA RATIO FOR

DIFFERENTIAL DEVICES
100
90 SQUARE EDGE ORIFICE PLATE
80
70
60
FLOW NOZZLE

50

40

30

VENTURI 15° EXIT CONE

20
% OF DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE
PERMANENT PRESSURE LOSS

HERSCHEL VENTURI
7° EXIT CONE
10
9
8 UNIVERSAL VENTURI TUBE
7
6
5

4
LOW LOSS VENTURI

1
0 .1 .2 .3 .4 .5 0.6 .7 .75 8

BETA RATIO

3087 S. Harbor Blvd, Santa Ana, CA 92704 Tel (714) 427-0877 Fax (714) 427-6392 Web-site: www.avcovalve.com