ORIFICE PLATE

PREPARED BY LEOBERT G. DE VILLA

What is an Orifice Plate ?
An Orifice Plate is an instrumentation device which
is used for measuring the gas or liquid flow rate,
reducing the pressure of flowing fluid or gas, and
restricting the flow rate.
Sometimes an orifice plate is also known as a
restriction plate as it restricts the flow rate of liquid or
gas.
Construction
Orifice plates are placed at the joints in the pipes.
These are thin metallic plates which have a hole in
between them. The working of orifice plates is based on
the “Bernoulli’s Principle” which provides a direct
relationship between the fluid (liquid or gas) pressure
and its velocity.
PRINCIPLE
When a liquid / gas, whose flow-rate is to be
determined, is passed through an Orifice Meter, there is
a drop in the pressure between the Inlet section and
Outlet Section of Orifice Meter. This drop in pressure
can be measured using a differential pressure measuring
instrument.
 Since this differential pressure is in direct
proportion to the flow-rate as per the Bernoulli's
Equation hence the differential pressure instrument can
be configured to display flow-rate instead of showing
differential pressure.
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Orifice Plate
Advantages

They have a simple construction & less space required

They are inexpensive
They are easily fitted between flanges
They have no moving parts
They have large range of sizes
They are suitable for most gases and liquids
They are well understood and proven
Price does not increase dramatically with size
Disadvantages

 Easily gets clogged due to impurities in gas or in unclear liquids

 Flow straighteners are required at the inlet and the outlet to attain
streamline flow thereby increasing the cost and space for
installation.
 Accuracy is affected by density, pressure and viscosity fluctuations.
 Their installation causes some unrecoverable pressure loss
 Requires straight pipe to ensure accuracy is maintained
 Pipeline must be full especially for liquid flow measurement
 Types of Orifice Plates and their
Application
SQUARE EDGE (STANDARD) BORE
For the common square edge concentric bore
orifice, the bore and bevel is the standard method of
limiting the plate edge thickness. Unless otherwise
specified, plates will be beveled to the current
accepted standards. concentric orifice plate is
recommended for clean liquids, gases, and steam
flows when Reynolds numbers range from 20,000 to
107 in pipes under six inches.
QUADRANT EDGE BORE

The quadrant edge bore is an orifice with

the inlet edge rounded. Instead of beveling,
the plate is counterbored to the desired edge
thickness. The radius of the quartercircle bore
is a function of the orifice-to-pipe ratio (d/D).
Thickness at the throat is equal to the radius.
This bore is specifically designed for viscous
fluids such as heavy crudes, syrups, and
slurries with Reynolds Numbers below
100,000.
ECCENTRIC BORE

Eccentrically bored orifice plates are

plates with the orifice off-center, or
eccentric, as opposed to concentric. The
bore of the eccentric orifice normally is
inscribed in a circle which is 98% of the
pipe diameter, so that solids or slurries
may pass through. Eccentric orifice plates
are used in many industries including
heavy and light chemicals, steel, paper,
nuclear and petrochemicals.
SEGMENTAL BORE

Segmentally bored orifice plates are

provided for measurement where solids are
entrained in a gas or liquid flow stream. The
circular portion of the bore is inscribed
within a circle which is normally 98% of the
pipe diameter. The segmental opening may
be placed either at the top or bottom of the
pipe. Industries using these bores include
sewage treatment, steel, chemical, water
conditioning, paper and petrochemical.
ORIFICE PLATE.webm
Development
Development of the orifice plate with a cone swirler
flow conditioner
Conclusion
Orifice plates are one of the most popular devices for the
measurement and control of fluid flow. In flow control applications,
orifice plates are used as restriction devices to regulate fluid flow or
reduce the flowing pressure downstream of the orifice plate. But due
to pipe fittings along the upstream of the orifice plate, fluid flow
become unstable which creates turbulence. The development of the
orifice plate with a cone swirler flow conditioner is a great solution
however it uses rotational movement which can cause heavy
maintenance in the long run. This conclude that by installing straight
pipes before the orifice plate will lessen the turbulence instead of
applying cone swirler flow conditioner.
Refereces
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/orifice-plate
https://www.omega.com/en-us/resources/orifice-plate-flow-meter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orifice_plate
http://www.wermac.org/specials/orificeplate.html
https://www.instrumentationtoolbox.com/2013/03/basics-of-orifice-flow-meter.html
https://www.petropedia.com/definition/8066/orifice-plate
http://scharfautomation.com/blog/2015/10/03/orifice-meter/
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/orifice-nozzle-venturi-d_590.html
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/02602280510577861/full/html?mo
bileUi=0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXDJvva1g9A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xXszFeSY48
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