1.

FLOW MEASURING DEVICES

DEFINITION: An instrument or device which is used for monitoring, recording, regulating or
measuring flow of fluid (volumetric or mass flow rate) is called flow meter or known as a flow
measuring device.
Types of flow meters: There are numbers of fluid flow measuring devices that are designed or
categories on the basis of nature of fluid. Therefore, flow measuring devices are categories into
conventional and modern devices.
1.1. Conventional:
1.1.1. Obstruction flow meters: These meters or measuring devices are simple and oldest type of
meters. These meters are used to measure or calculate the volumetric flow rate of water in order
to measure the volumetric flow rate of flowing water, a board is placed across the flow and live
however high the water was once it flowed over the highest of the board. One of the modified
form of this meter is NOTCH weir.
1.1.2. Notch weir: These devices are classified by the shape of their notch;
1) rectangular weirs. 2) triangular, or V-notch, weirs. 3) trapezoidal weirs. 4) parabolic weirs.

Fig: V-notch weir

1.1.3. Orifice plate: When flow is measured in a tube or pipe same like a notch, orifice plate is used.
orifice plate is designed by inserting an obstructing plate, usually with a round hole in the middle,
into the pipe and measuring the pressure on each side of the orifice.

1.1.4. Venturi Flow meter: Venturi flow meter is another form of an obstruction flow meter. It
works same like orifice plate flow meter but it produces less obstruction than orifices plate. Its
effect in the form of reduction in fluid pressure when fluid is flowing through the constricted
section of a pipe.
1.1.5. Nozzle flow meter: This flow meter is also one of an obstruct flow meter and same like orifice
plate and venturi meter but it consists of short nozzle instead of round plate and converging
section of pipe in orifice plate and venturi meter respectively.
This nozzle is placed between two pipe flanges as shown in figure;

1.2. Modern devices: Velocity flow measurement devices: This is modern technique of flow
measurement which allow you to measure the total flow of fluid by measuring its velocity from a
fixed area duct or a pipe. The velocity of a flowing fluid is measured from the center of the pipe.
1.2.1. Pitot tube: The pitot tube is simple flow meter device which is used to measure flow pressure
of a moving fluid. A part of tube that measures the pressure at the tip and the pressure at the side
of the tube. Reading this differential pressure and applying Bernoulli’s equation can give the
calculation of the fluid speed.

1.2.2. Hot wire: Hot wire is same like pitot tube. Pitot tube is used for high flow rates in gasses, and
different flow rates in liquids but is failed in low air velocities in gasses. To overcome this
problem a hot wire was developed.
1.2.3. Moving member meters: Another technique of measuring flow velocity in pipes is the special
class of transducers called moving member meters.
These are classified into turbine and paddlewheel flow meters.
 These are same like pitot or hot wire but they employ the moving element to determine the flow
rate.
1. Radial turbine flow meter
2. Axial turbine flow meter
3. Paddlewheel flow meter
1.2.4. Variable area flow meter: This is a modern type of obstruction flow meter in which
obstruction is placed in the flow region of fluid in a unique way. Its highly depends upon the area
or diameter of a pipe, if diameter of a pipe remain same an object is moving along the fluid with
constant force and vice a versa.
It’s generally has two types;
1. Rotameters 2). Spring plunger meters
1.2.4.1. Rotameters: This meter consists of a variable area pipe or diameter of pipe or tube with
an object inserting inside of it.
This object is known as a float. This is only used in vertical position. This float moves up and
down due to the buoyancy and flow pressure forces. These flow pressure forces are created by the
fluid moving around the float. These forces try to move the float upward but the float opposes
and tends to back downward at the bottom due to gravity. Hence it becomes in equilibrium.
That’s the way which is used to measure and control the flow rate of liquids.

2. Pressure Measuring Devices

Definition: Instruments or devices that are used to measure or calculate the pressure of flowing fluid in a
pipe, tube or any channel.

Types of pressure measuring devices: The conventional devices used for measuring the pressure of
fluid are:

2.1. Barometer: The barometer is a device use for measuring the local atmospheric pressure
The above figure shows the mercury barometer. The atmospheric pressure acts on the surface of the
mercury placed in the bowl will help the mercury column in the tube. Atmospheric pressure head at sea
level is 760mm of mercury.

2.2. Manometers: It is a pressure measuring

device used to measure pressure of a fluid at a single or at multiple points in single or multiple pipes,
by balancing the fluid column with the same or another column.
Manometers are categories into two types;
2.2.1. Simple manometers: These are the devices that measure pressure at a single point in a fluid.
These simple manometers are further categorized into three types;
2.2.1.1. Piezometer: Piezometer is a simple barometer which measures pressure at a point in a
fluid without balancing any other fluid column.
2.2.1.2. U-tube simple manometer: It is a device that measure the pressure of a fluid at a
point by balancing the fluid column by the same or another column of a fluid.
It consists of a glass tube in U shape containing two different fluids one is flowing and the other is called
manometeric fluid usually the mercury.
.

2.2.1.3. Single column manometer: Single column manometer or micro manometer is same like
u-tube manometer but the only difference is that there is a small reservoir in the glass tube as
shown in figure;
2.2.2. Differential manometers: Differential manometers are devices used to measure pressure at two
or more points, in a single or multiple flow line. These are categories into two types;
2.2.2.1. U-tube differential manometer: It is a device used to measure difference in pressure
between two places. The difference between simple and differential manometer is that in simple
there is only one liquid is used but in differential u-tube manometer two or more liquids are used
for measuring difference in pressure.

The above figures show differential manometers and the method of measuring pressure difference is same
like as of simple u-tube manometer.

2.2.2.2. Inverted U-tube shape manometer: Inverted u-tube shape manometer is same like u-
tube differential manometer but just inverted in construction. It measures pressure difference
between two points in a single or different pipes carrying two fluids of same or different kinds as
shown in figure.
 The same method is applied to calculate the pressure difference.
2.3. Gauges: These devices are designed to measure the fluid intensity and gauge pressure.
2.3.1. McLeod gauge: A McLeod gauge is isolates a sample of gas and compress it in a modified
manometer until the pressure is a few mmHg. The gas must be well-behaved during its
compression (it must not condense, for example). The technique is slow and unsuited to continual
monitoring, but is capable of good accuracy.
2.3.2. Bourdon gauge: It is another type of pressure measure gauge which is used to measure pressure
of liquid and gases in sealed container. It is consisting a flattened C shaped tube when pressure
outside the great than curls up more and inside is great is up more. It is connecting to a dial which
show the changing of pressure. It is made of metallic tube of elliptical section closed on one end
and other one is connect to gauge where pressure is to be measured. It is not only valuable for
measure high pressure such as in boiler or steam but also measure negative or vacuum pressure.

3. Temperature Measuring Devices

Definition: Instruments or devices that are used to measure or sense the temperature of flowing fluid in
a pipe, tube or any channel.

3.1. Thermocouple: It is voltage depended device which indicate the temperature measurements.
As the temperature rises the output voltage also increases. It consists of two wire legs which are joint
together at that point it measure the temperature. When that junction experienced a temperature it
shows in term of voltage.
3.2. Resistive Temperature Measuring Device: It is same like thermocouple but it also depends
upon the resistance of matter. Resistance offered by a matter related to the measuring of temperature.
3.3. Infrared sensor: A sensor which is used to measure the temperature without any contact. i.e.
by mean of