OIL AND GAS METERING

GROUP MEMBERS INDEX NUMBER

ISAAC HONNY JNR. UE20032716
FIAVEH WISDOM UE2003
EWUR KOBINA ALFRED UE2003

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Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Flowmeters ............................................................................................................................................... 3
The main groups of flow meters ............................................................................................................... 3
MECHANICAL FLOWMETERS ......................................................................................................................... 4
Positive displacement flowmeters ............................................................................................................ 4
Differential Pressure flowmeter ............................................................................................................... 6
TYPES OF DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE FLOWMETERS....................................................................................... 7
Orifice Flowmeters.................................................................................................................................... 7
V-Cone Flowmeters................................................................................................................................... 7
INFERENTIAL TYPE FLOW METERS ................................................................................................................ 8
Turbine meters.......................................................................................................................................... 8
ELECTRICAL TYPE FLOW METERS .................................................................................................................. 9
Ultrasonic flow meter ............................................................................................................................... 9
Thermal mass flow meters...................................................................................................................... 10
OTHER FLOWMETERS ................................................................................................................................. 11
Coriolis flowmeter................................................................................................................................... 11
Methods of calibration of flowmeters ........................................................................................................ 12
Calibration interval ................................................................................................................................. 12
SP calibration capabilities ....................................................................................................................... 12
Flow in lab ............................................................................................................................................... 12
CALIBRATION IN FIELD ................................................................................................................................ 13
Provers .................................................................................................................................................... 13
Weighing ................................................................................................................................................. 14
Gravimetric and volumetric approaches ................................................................................................ 14
Gas displacement method ...................................................................................................................... 15
Critical flow Venturi-nozzle (sonic nozzle) .............................................................................................. 15
OTHER CALIBRATION AND VERIFICATION METHODS ................................................................................. 16
Insertion meters...................................................................................................................................... 16
On-site verification methods .................................................................................................................. 17
Reference meters.................................................................................................................................... 17
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ........................................................................................................................ 18

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INTRODUCTION
Metering devices are devices that shows the extent or amount or quantity or degree of something.
When connected to a natural gas system, metering device can provide a fast, accurate, close to
real time measurement of physical gas properties such as thermal conductivity, speed of sound
and carbon dioxide content.

Metering devices monitors how a substance is used related to its specified devices by which the
device was designed for. In the application of metering devices, the meter is designed to the
specification of the substance or flow to be metered.

A metering device is a device for measuring a physical quantity. In the physical sciences, quality
assurance and engineering measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical
quantities of real-world objects and events. Established standard objects and events are used as
units, and the process of measurement gives a number of relating the item under study and the
referenced unit of measurement. Metering devices and formal test methods which define the
instruments use, are the means by which these relations of numbers are obtained. All metering
devices are subject to varying degrees of instrument error and measurement uncertainty.
Scientists, engineers and other human use a vast range of devices or instruments to perform their
measurements. These instruments may range from simple objects such as rulers and stopwatches
to electron microscopes and particle accelerators. Virtual instrumentation is widely used in the
development of modern metering devices.

Flowmeters
Flow measurement is the quantification of bulk fluid movement. Flow measurement is vital to
many different industries such as oil and gas. These industries require that they know exactly
how much fluid is passing through a pipeline or medium at any given time. Flow meters are
designed to help determine information about the flow of liquids through a pipeline
A flow meter is an instrument used to measure linear, non-linear, mass or volumetric flow rate of
a liquid or gas. Most flow meters work by forcing flow through a known confined space and
measuring different properties to determine the flow rate of fluid. Examples of measured
properties include pressure, thermal, magnetic, etc. Depending on the liquid that is flowing,
various distinct types of meters may be employed. Different industries may also prefer specific
meter types depending on the conditions the meter.

The main groups of flow meters

There are several ways by which flow meters can be classified, we however decide to group all
flowmeters under four main classifications.
They are:

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1. Mechanical type flowmeter
2. Inferential type flowmeter
3. Electrical type flowmeter
4. Other flowmeter

MECHANICAL TYPE FLOWMETER

Discussed in this chapter are various types of mechanical flowmeters that measure flow using an
arrangement of moving parts, either by passing isolated, known volumes of a fluid through a
series of gears or chambers (positive displacement, or PD) or by means of a spinning turbine or
rotor.

Positive displacement flowmeters

All positive displacement flowmeters operate by isolating and counting known volumes of a
fluid (gas or liquid) while feeding it through the meter. By counting the number of passed
isolated volumes, a flow measurement is obtained. Each PD design uses a different means of
isolating and counting these volumes. The frequency of the resulting pulse train is a measure of
flow rate, while the total number of pulses gives the size of the batch. While PD meters are
operated by the kinetic energy of the flowing fluid, metering pumps (described only briefly in
this article) determine the flow rate while also adding kinetic energy to the fluid.

The turbine flowmeter consists of a multi-bladed rotor mounted at right angles to the flow,
suspended in the fluid stream on a free-running bearing. The diameter of the rotor is very close to
the inside diameter of the metering chamber, and its speed of rotation is proportional to the
volumetric flow rate. Turbine rotation can be detected by solid state devices or by mechanical

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sensors. Other types of rotary element flowmeters include the propeller (impeller), shunt, and
paddlewheel designs.

Positive displacement meters provide high accuracy (±0.1% of actual flow rate in some cases)
and good repeatability (as high as 0.05% of reading). Accuracy is not affected by pulsating flow
unless it entrains air or gas in the fluid. PD meters do not require a power supply for their
operation and do not require straight upstream and downstream pipe runs for their installation.
PD meters are available in sizes from in to 12 in and can operate with turndowns as high as
100:1, although ranges of 15:1 or lower are much more common. Slippage between the
flowmeter components is reduced and metering accuracy is therefore increased as the viscosity
of the process fluid increases.

Although slippage through the PD meter decreases (that is, accuracy increases) as fluid viscosity
increases, pressure drop through the meter also rises. Consequently, the maximum (and
minimum) flow capacity of the flowmeter is decreased as viscosity increases. The higher the
viscosity, the less slippage and the lower the measurable flow rate becomes. As viscosity
decreases, the low flow performance of the meter deteriorates. The maximum allowable pressure
drop across the meter constrains the maximum operating flow in high viscosity services.

Advantages of positive displacement flowmeters

1. Good accuracy
2. Low maintenance, long life
3. It gives excellent accuracy and repeatability
4. Accuracy not affected by the upstream conditions. It requires very little straight upstream
piping.
5. Suitable for high viscosity fluids.
6. Little sensitive to uneven flow distribution across the area of pipes, it does not matter the flow
is pulsing.
7. Read out directly in volumetric units

Disadvantages of positive displacement flowmeters

1. In large pipe diameter PD flowmeters are heavier and expensive than the differential pressure
type flow meters
2. They are normally limited to higher viscosity fluids, with very low viscosity liquid or in gas
this meter is less accurate because there is more leakage in the internal sealing surface.

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3. Sudden change in flow may damage the moving parts due to inertia.
4. Periodic calibration is required for meter using in extreme conditions.

5. Moving parts subjected to wear and construction materials susceptible to corrosion.

6. Not suitable for sticky abrasive liquids.
7. It may cause pulsation in flow.

Differential Pressure flowmeter

Differential pressure flowmeters, create a cross sectional change in the flow tube, which causes
the velocity of the flowing fluid to change. A change in velocity occurs whenever there is a
change in flow cross-section; i.e., with a decrease in velocity, an increase in pressure occurs.
Differential pressure flowmeters can be used as liquid flowmeters or gas flowmeters; however, a
single flow meter may not be configured to measure both liquid and gas phases.

Differential pressure flow meters operate by introducing a restriction in the cross sectional area
of a flowing fluid. Restricting the flow area causes a pressure drop across the constriction, this
pressure drop is cause by a change in the fluids velocity. The operating principal is based on the
Bernoulli equation and the continuity equation of fluid flow, combining these equations you can
find the relationship between the flow rate and pressure drop. This theory can be seen below.
Bernoulli’s equation can be written as.
The primary and secondary devices (element) in differential type flow meter. These types of
flow meter always consist of two components, primary devices and secondary devices. The
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primary device is placed in the pipe to restrict the flow and hence to develop a differential
pressure. They are an orifice plate, venture, flow nozzle, dall tube, pilot tubes,annular tube,
elbow tap, flume, etc.

The secondary device measures the differential pressure and provides a readout or signal for
transmission to the control system,. They are manometers, bellow meters, force balance
meters,ring balance meters etc. with restriction flow meters, calibration of the primary measuring
device dis not required. The primary device can be selected for compatibility with specific fluid
or application and the secondary device can be selected for the type or readout or transmission
signal desired.

TYPES OF DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE FLOWMETERS

Orifice Flowmeters
Flat metal plate with an opening in the plate, installed perpendicular to the flowing stream in a
circular pipe. As the flowing fluid passes through the orifice, the restriction causes an increase in
velocity and decrease in pressure. A differential pressure transmitter is used to measure pressure
between the orifice and the pipe flow stream. There is always a permanent pressure loss. No dirty
liquids allowed. Orifice differential pressure flowmeters can be constructed to measure gas,
liquid or steam. Orifice plates are primary flow elements which measure flow as a function of
differential pressure

V-Cone Flowmeters
It consists of a V-shaped cone element placed at the centre of the pipe which creates an annular
space for the passage of fluid. It has lower permanent pressure loss than orifice flowmeter. The
cone element conditions the flow at the same time it is creating the pressure differential,
providing for smoother and less noisy differential pressure readings vs. the orifice technology. A
differential pressure transmitter is used to measure pressure before and after the cone. This type
of differential pressure flow meter can be constructed to measure gases, liquids, or steam.
Advantages of differential pressure flow meter

1. Simple and robust construction

2. Easy installation and removal

3. Inexpensive

Disadvantages of differential pressure flow meter

1. Causes relatively high performance drop

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2. Flow rate rangeability is low because of the square root relationship between flow rate and
pressure head
3. Difficult to measure the flow rate of pulsating flow
4. It may cause condensation and freezing at the connecting piping

INFERENTIAL TYPE FLOW METERS

Inferential meters operate on the basis of deducing total volumetric flow rate by measuring some
property of the flow stream. There are two basic types of inferential meters, turbine and orifice
flow meter.

Turbine meters
In a turbine, the basic concept is that a meter is manufactured with a known cross sectional area.
A rotor is then installed inside the meter with its blades axial to the product flow. When the
product passes the rotor blades, they impart an angular velocity to the blades and therefore to the
rotor. This angular velocity is directly proportional to the total volumetric flow rate. In a turbine
(inferential) meter, the product to be measured is pumped through the meter where it drives a
turbine suspended within the flow. The rotation of the turbine is proportional to the volume
passed through it for a given set of temperature, pressure and flow rate values. As these values
change, so too can the proportional rotational value of the meter. For these reasons, the output of
the turbine meter is usually coupled to an electronic indicating meter which then makes the
necessary corrections and outputs a volume indication. Turbine meters are best suited to large,
sustained flows as they are susceptible to start/stop errors as well as errors caused by unsteady
flow states. Turbine meters are very susceptible to flow disturbances. For this reason, they are
usually installed in a meter run with flow straighteners to help control swirl (+/- errors depending
on direction), jetting (+ errors) and pulsations (+ errors). The Turbine Flow meter Principle is
used for the measurement of liquid gas and gases of very low flow rate. It works on the principle
of turbine. It consists of a multi bladed rotor (called turbine wheel) which is mounted 90° to the
axis of the flowing liquid as shown. The rotor is supported by the ball or sleeve bearings on a
shaft which is retained in the meter housing by a shaft support section. The rotor is free to rotate
about its axis. The flowing liquid strikes the turbine blades (rotor) imparting a force to the blade
surface which causes the rotation of the rotor. At a steady rotational speed, the speed of the rotor
is
15 proportional to the fluid velocity and hence to the volumetric flow rate. The speed of rotation
is monitored by a magnetic pick up which is fitted to the outside of the meter housing. The
magnetic pick-up coil consists of a permanent magnet with coil windings which is mounted in
close proximity to the rotor but internal to the fluid channel. As each rotor blade passes the
magnetic pick-up coil, it generates a voltage pulse which is a measure of the flow rate. The total

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number of pulses gives a measure of the total flow. The electrical voltage pulses produced can be
totalled, differenced or manipulated by digital techniques, so that a zero error characteristic,
using this technique, is provided from the pulse generator to the final read.

Advantages of Turbine Flowmeter

 Good accuracy
 Excellent repeatability and range
 Fairly low pressure drop
Disadvantages of Turbine Flowmeter

 High cost (expensive)

 Limited use for slurry applications
 Problems caused by non-lubricating fluids

ELECTRICAL TYPE FLOW METERS

Ultrasonic flow meter
An ultrasonic flow meter (non-intrusive Doppler flow meters) is a volumetric flow meter which
requires particulates or bubbles in the flow. Ultrasonic flow meters are ideal for wastewater
applications or any dirty liquid which is conductive or water based. Ultrasonic flow meters will
generally not work with distilled water or drinking water. Aerations would be required in the
clean liquid applications. Ultrasonic flow meters are also ideal for applications where low
pressure drop, chemical compatibility, and low maintenance are required.
Advantages of ultrasonic flow meter for Gas flow measurement

 High Accuracy

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  Approved for custody transfer
 High turndown measure low and high pressure
 .Can clamp on pipe with no penetration
Disadvantages of ultrasonic flow meter for gas flow measurement

 High initial cost

 Dirt and fluid impact performance and measurement accuracy
 Noise even beyond human hearing range interfere with ultrasonic signals for clamp-on
meter
 Pipe walls can interfere with ultrasonic signals for clamp-on meter.

Thermal mass flow meters

Thermal mass flow meters measure the mass flowrate of gases and liquids directly. Volumetric
measurements are affected by all ambient and process conditions that influence unit volume or
indirectly affect pressure drop, while mass flow measurement is unaffected by changes in
viscosity, density, temperature, or pressure. Thermal mass flow meters are often used in
monitoring or controlling mass-related processes such as chemical reactions that depend on the
relative masses of unreacted ingredients. In measurement errors are usually in the 1-2% full-scale
range detecting the mass flow of compressible vapors and gases, the measurement is unaffected
by changes in pressure and/or temperature. One of the capabilities of thermal mass flow meters is
to accurately measure low gas flowrates or low gas velocities (under 25 ft. per minute)--much
lower than can be detected with any other device.

Thermal flow meters provide high rangeability (10:1 to 100:1) if they are operated in
constanttemperature-difference mode. On the other hand, if heat input is constant, the ability to
detect very small temperature differences is limited, and both precision and rangeability drop off
at normal flows. This meter is available in high-pressure and high-temperature designs, and in
special materials.

Advantages of thermal mass flow meters

 High accuracy
 Approved for custody transfer
 Have now been developed for large line sizes up to 14 inches
 Can handle sanitary applications
Disadvantages

 High initial cost

 Pressure lost for bent tube meters

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  Gas flow measurement can be difficult due to low density of gas
 Become expensive and unwieldy in line sizes above four inches

OTHER FLOWMETERS
Coriolis flowmeter
Coriolis flowmeters are relatively new compared to other flowmeters. Coriolis meters are
available in a number of different designs. A popular configuration consists of one or two U-
shaped, horseshoe-shaped, U-shaped flow tube with inlet on one side and outlet on the other
enclosed in a sensor housing connected to an electronics unit. The flow is guided into the U-
shaped tube. When an oscillating excitation force is applied to the tube causing it to vibrate, the
fluid flowing through the tube will induce a rotation or twist to the tube because of the Coriolis
acceleration acting in opposite directions on either side of the applied force. For example, when
the tube is moving upward during the first half of a cycle, the fluid flowing into the meter resists
being forced up by pushing down on the tube. On the opposite side, the liquid flowing out of the
meter resists having its vertical motion decreased by pushing up on the tube. This action causes
the tube to twist. When the tube is moving downward during the second half of the vibration
cycle, it twists in the opposite direction. This twist results in a phase difference (time lag)
between the inlet side and the outlet side and this phase difference is directly affected by the
mass passing through the tube. A more rescent single straight tube design is available to measure
some dirty and/or abrasive liquids that may clog the older U-shaped design. An advantage of
Coriolis flowmeters is that it measures the mass flow rate directly which eliminates the need to
compensate for changing temperature, viscosity, and pressure conditions. Please also note that
the vibration of Coriolis flowmeters has very samll amplitude, usually less than 2.5 mm (0.1 in),
and the frequency is near the natural frequency of the device, usually around 80 Hz.

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Advantages of Coriolis mass flow meter

 Capable of measuring difficult handling fluids

 .Independent of density changes, flow profile and flow turbulence. Hence straight lengths
are not required.
 No routine maintenance required since no moving parts

Disadvantages of Coriolis mass flow meter

 High flow velocities required for detection resulting in high pressure drop
 Expensive compared to other flowmeters
 Difficulty in measuring low pressure gases.

Methods of calibration of flowmeters

Almost each type of flow meter application requires its own calibration procedure. Therefore
quite a lot of information is needed before running a calibration. Examples of questions we
would like to ask before calibrating your meter are; - What type of meter is it? - What liquid is it
operating in? - How is it used (continuous, batching, installation)? - What accuracy is needed?
On instruments with multiple output signals we also prefer to know what signal (like frequency,
mA or field bus) is used during normal operation. This is of course due to the fact that different
outputs have different measuring errors.

Calibration interval
"How often do we need to recalibrate" is a very common question. There are really no general
answers, but among factors that have to be considered are operating environment, media, meter
type, requested uncertainty and how the meter is used.

SP calibration capabilities
In the flow laboratory there are a number of different liquids available, including cold and hot
water, petroleum products and alcohol. Flow rates range from droplets to approximately 720
cubic meter per hour. Our laboratory resources in detail are listed under the links "in laboratory"
and "in field" below.

Flow in lab
We perform hundreds of flow meter calibrations each year, and have done so for more than 30
years. The experience this has given us now can be passed on to you, when having your meter
calibrated here.

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CALIBRATION IN FIELD
Most flow meters are sensitive to their working conditions, installation and liquid type. It is
therefore quite often that the TOTAL uncertainty gains from a field calibration, even if the field
calibration method has an accuracy that is not as good as in a lab. Another important benefit with
field calibration is that process disturbances and production stops can be minimized.

Provers
A compact prover is basically a cylinder with a known volume. During a flow calibration, this
cylinder is mounted in series with the flow meter under test. By measuring the speed of a shaft
introduced in the cylinder, the true flow rate can be measured (and compared to the signal from the flow
meter). Our largest prover, mounted on a truck, can measure up to 26 000 l/min. Besides many types of
liquids (up to 120 degC) our provers also work with LPG

Three different connection spots, by a valve-arrangement (1), spool-piece (2) or at ship-side

Beside a flow connection, also electrical power and a signal connection is needed on site. All
instrumentation on-board is Ex-proof. In addition, a sump for draining must be available.

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Weighing
For meters that are not very large, we have portable weighing tanks that can be used for flow
meter calibrations. The flow is then simply re-routed to the tank, placed on a high accuracy
balance. Under good conditions, this calibration method will allow for a very small uncertainty.

Gravimetric and volumetric approaches

For gravimetric systems the vessel is weighed before and after filling. Generally, the vessel has
to be disconnected to prevent the connection pipes interfering with the weighing and gas vented
during disconnection has to be accounted for. For small systems dynamic weighing has been
employed both as a collection system and also by a delivery system. The vessel is pressurised
and then discharged through the device under test and the effect of filling hoses accounted for in
the weighing. For volumetric systems the vessel must be very stable and of known volume. The
pressure and temperature in the vessel is measured before and after the fill which allows the mass
of gas to be calculated. Filling and emptying the vessel will create significant temperature effects
due to the changes in pressure. In the most accurate systems the vessel is submerged in a water
bath to maintain the wall temperature as stable as possible hence minimising temperature
corrections to the vessel. For both methods, as gas enters the vessel the pressure rises the
flowrate will reduce as equalisation of pressure takes place between the test line and the tank. To
get round this, these
systems are usually used in conjunction with a sonic or critical flow device to ‘de-couple’ the
pressure. As will be explained in Section 5.4, the mass flow through a critical nozzle is
dependent on the upstream pressure and independent on the downstream (vessel) pressure. This
allows the mass flow through an upstream device to remain constant while the tank fills, as
long as the sonic device is ‘choked’. The calibration of devices such as mass meters upstream of
the choke point can be calibrated at a constant mass flow. Alternatively if an accurate sonic
nozzle is used, the nozzle can be used as a transfer device to calibrate a lower pressure meter
downstream with the nozzle itself being calibrated against the vessel. Any restrictive device (e.g.
a valve) may be used to de-couple the system however using a nozzle allows superior control and
the simultaneous calibration of the nozzle as a secondary device. Due to gas compressibility
effects, it is more difficult to maintain a closely controlled flowrate than it is for liquid flow
systems. As pressure changes, potentially large changes in temperature can occur making it
difficult to obtain stable conditions.

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Gas displacement method
For low pressure systems, gas can be displaced from a closed vessel by filling a transfer vessel
with liquid. This can be likened to filling the bath of a bell prover rather than allowing the bell to
move. The liquid transferred can be weighed or measured in some other way, and the volume
calculated. The volume of liquid can be equated to the volume of gas displaced, with suitable
pressure and temperature corrections. In one design the liquid is allowed to flow from a weighing

vessel which is located on a rising platform which maintains a constant pressure on the system as
the liquid runs out.

Critical flow Venturi-nozzle (sonic nozzle)

Sonic nozzles are effectively reference flow meters which can be used to calibrate other devices.
As explained previously they can also be a more fundamental part of a primary standard. They
are mentioned specifically due to their extensive use as the calibration reference standard in
many applications and laboratories. Although not a primary method of calibration, sonic nozzles
can form part of a system when combined with primary methods. Sonic nozzles provide the
reference system for many calibration facilities where their stability requires infrequent
calibration of the nozzle or simply reliance on the performance outlined in documentary
standards. If the pressure drop between the inlet and the throat of a nozzle or restriction is
increased, the flowrate rises until sonic velocity is reached at the throat. At this point the nozzle
is ‘choked’ and from this point, the mass flowrate through the nozzle will be constant for any
given upstream pressure. The expression for the mass flowrate of the gas is: If the pressure drop
between the inlet and the throat of a nozzle or restriction is increased, the
flowrate rises until sonic velocity is reached at the throat. At this point the nozzle is ‘choked’ and
from this point, the mass flowrate through the nozzle will be constant for any given upstream
pressure. The expression for the mass flowrate of the gas is

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At this condition the mass flow rate is dependent on the geometry of the nozzle, the properties of
the gas, and the upstream pressure and temperature. This makes the device particularly suitable
for calibrating meters which can introduce pressure pulsations into the flow. A standard toroidal
throat sonic Venturi as specified in the ISO standard is shown. Other designs based on conical
entries, or parallel throat orifice plates can be used but these provide a larger pressure loss and
hence a narrower operating range.

OTHER CALIBRATION AND VERIFICATION METHODS

Insertion meters
Using an insertion flow meter, the flowrate is estimated by measuring the velocity at a single
point location in the duct and from that estimating the volumetric flow. The device used to
measure the point velocities may be a pitot tube, insertion turbine or an insertion electromagnetic
meter and other types are available. To use this method, the installation and the positioning of the
sensor has to be carried out accurately. The cross sectional area of the duct has to be known, and
an ideal flow profile present to allow the calculation of volume flow from point velocity.
Insertion meters

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On-site verification methods
Meters can be calibrated on-site using any of the methods previously described such as mobile
pipe provers, volume tanks and reference flow meters. Care has to be taken during installation to
ensure the influence factors such as weather and temperature etc. does not add uncertainty.
Establishing a steady flowrate is also recommended. Three methods, suitable for verifying
(rather than calibrating) flow meters on site, are described. Generally these methods are used to
calibrate meters where standard laboratory methods or portable calibration standards are not
suitable for installation in the field. This may be due to access, the product in use, the meter size,
or an inability to stop the process. Generally they are methods which do not give the best
uncertainty, and may be in some cases poorer than the expected uncertainty of the meter. If doubt
exists however these may be the methods which can be employed to verify meter performance.

Reference meters
Any reliable, stable and predictable flow meter type can be used, either in a laboratory or in
the field, as a calibration reference. Reference meters are used when a ‘primary’ method is
restricted due to lack of resolution, capacity or inadequate response time. A single meter may be
used as the reference in series with the meter to be calibrated. Equally, multiple meters in parallel
can be assembled to achieve a flowrate range in excess of what may be economically managed
through a primary system. In this way calibration facilities have been designed to double their
flowrate capacity by using two meters in parallel. Manifolds of six, eight or more reference
meters in parallel can be assembled to test and calibrate very large flow meters. The use of
reference meters will add uncertainty to the quantity measured when compared with that of a
primary system. However there is no significant reduction in uncertainty using multiple meters
as against a single meter or a primary system. Improvement in the uncertainty of the calibration
of a test meter may be lower when using a reference meter as compared with a primary system

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calibration of the same device; through reduction of uncertainties due to longer test times,
reduced resolution uncertainty and removal of response time issues. The correct selection and
installation of a reference meter is vital. Predictable behaviour with changes of fluid properties
must be assured and the installation effects on both the reference meter and the device under test
should be understood. The installation must ensure that the reference meter does not interfere
with the test device by generating pulsations, electronic, vibration or acoustic interference, or
flow disturbance.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. How many major classifications of flow meters do we have?

a. Six
b. Two
c. Four
2. The two basic types of inferential meters are:

a. Turbine and orifice meters

b. Coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters
c. Vortex and v-cone flowmeters

3. A compact prover is basically a cylinder with a known

a. Mass
b. Volume
c. Weight

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4. Which of the following is not an advantage of a turbine flow meter?
a. Good accuracy
b. Low cost
c. Easy to install and maintain

5. Ultrasonic flow meter is also known as ………..

a. High power flow meters
b. Non-intrusive Doppler flow meters
c. Ultrasonic flow meters

6. Which of the following is a type of differential pressure flowmeter

a. Orifice flow meters
b. Turbine flow meters
c. Thermal flow meters

7. ………….. Measures the mas flow rates of gases and liquids directly

a. Thermal flow meters

b. Positive displacement flow meters
c. Coriolis flow meters

8. Flow may be measured by determining ………………. of fluid over a known area.

a. acceleration
b. displacement
c. velocity

9. Flow measuring devices are generally classified into four groups, name them ii. Give two
examples of one of the classifications stated in i

Solution

Mechanical type flow meters. Eg. Orifice plate, Venturi tube, flow nozzle, Pitot tube, Dall tube,

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Inferential type flow meters. Eg. Variable area flow meters (Rota-meters), turbine flow meter,
target flow meters etc.
Electrical type flow meters. Eg. Electromagnetic flow meter, Ultrasonic flow meter, Laser
doppler Anemometers

Other flow meters. Eg. Purge flow regulators, Flow meters for Solids flow measurement, Cross-
correlation flow meter, Vortex shedding flow meters, flow switches.

10. A liquid of specific gravity 1.3 flows in a pipe at a rate of 800 l/s, from point 1 to point 2
which is 1 m above point 1. The diameters at section 1 and 2 are 0.6 m and 0.3 m respectively. If
the pressure at section 1 is 10 bar, determine the pressure at section 2.

Solution
Using Bernoulli equation in the following form
Taking the datum as section 1, the pressure P2 can be calculated.

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