FLOW MEASUREMENT

Course Teacher
Dr. Shahajada Mahmudul Hasan
Professor
Department of ME, RUET
 INTRODUCTION

The measurement of fluid flow is important in applications ranging from

measurements of blood-flow rates in a human artery to the measurement of
the flow of liquid oxygen in a rocket.
Many research projects and industrial processes depend on a measurement
of fluid flow to furnish important data for analysis. In some cases extreme
precision is called for in the flow measurement, while in other instances only
crude measurements are necessary.
UNITS

Flow rate is expressed in both volume and mass units of varying sizes.
Some commonly used terms are
1 gallon per minute (gpm)
=231 cubic inches per minute (in3/min)
=63.09 cubic centimeters per second (cm3/s)
1 liter
=0.26417 gallon = 1000 cubic centimeters
1 cubic foot per minute (cfm, or ft3/min)
=0.028317 cubic meter per minute
=471.95 cubic centimeters per second
1 standard cubic foot per minute of air at 20◦C, 1 atm
=0.07513 pound-mass per minute
=0.54579 gram per second
 POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT METHODS

The flow rate of a nonvolatile liquid like water may be measured through a direct-
weighing technique. The time necessary to collect a quantity of the liquid in a tank is
measured, and an accurate measurement is then made of the weight of liquid
collected. The average flow rate is thus calculated very easily.

Positive-displacement flow meters are generally used for those applications

where consistently high accuracy is desired under steady-flow conditions.
 NUTATING-DISK METER
This meter operates on the nutating-disk principle.
Water enters the left side of the meter and strikes
the disk, which is eccentrically mounted. In order
for the fluid to move through the meter the disk
must “wobble” or nutate about the vertical axis
since both the top and bottom of the disk remain
in contact with the mounting chamber. A partition
separates the inlet and outlet chambers of the
disk. As the disk nutates, it gives direct indication
of the volume of liquid which has passed through
the meter.

The indication of the volumetric flow is given through a gearing and register arrangement
which is connected to the nutating disk. The nutating-disk meter may give reliable flow
measurements within 1 percent, over an extended period of time.
 ROTARY-VANE FLOW METER

Another type of positive-displacement device is the rotary-vane meter shown in Fig.

The vanes are spring-loaded so that they continuously maintain contact with the
casing of the meter. A fixed quantity of fluid is trapped in each section as the
eccentric drum rotates, and this fluid eventually finds its way out the exit. An
appropriate register is connected to the shaft of the eccentric drum to record the
volume of the displaced fluid. The uncertainties of rotary-vane meters are of the
order of 0.5 percent, and the meters are relatively insensitive to viscosity since the
vanes always maintain good contact with the inside of the casing.
 LOBED-IMPELLER FLOWMETER

The lobed-impeller meter shown in Fig.

ay be used for either gas- or liquid-flow
measurements. The impellers and case
are carefully machined so that accurate
fit is maintained. In this way the incoming
fluid is always trapped between the two
rotors and is conveyed to the outlet as a
result of their rotation. The number of
revolutions of the rotors is an indication
of the volumetric flow rate.
 FLOW-OBSTRUCTION METHODS
Consider the one-dimensional flow system shown in Fig. below. The continuity relation for this
situation is

Bernoulli equation may be written

THREE OBSTRUCTION METHODS

The venturi offers the advantages of high

accuracy and small pressure drop, while the
orifice is considerably lower in cost. Both the
flow nozzle and the orifice have a relatively
high permanent pressure drop.
 FLOW MEASUREMENT BY DRAG EFFECTS
The Rotameter is a very commonly used flow-
measurement device and is shown schematically in
Fig. 7.16. The flow enters the bottom of the
tapered vertical tube and causes the bob or “float”
to move upward. The bob will rise to a point in the
tube such that the drag forces are just balanced by
the weight and buoyancy forces. The position of the
bob in the tube is then taken as an indication of the
flow rate.
 TURBINE METERS
A popular type of flow-measurement device is the turbine meter shown in Fig. below. As the
fluid moves through the meter, it causes a rotation of the small turbine wheel. In the turbine-
wheel body a permanent magnet is enclosed so that it rotates with the wheel. A reluctance
pickup attached to the top of the meter detects a pulse for each revolution of the turbine
wheel. Since the volumetric flow is proportional to the number of wheel revolutions, the total
pulse output may be taken as an indication of total flow.

The pulse rate is proportional to flow rate,

and the transient response of the meter is
very good.
 VORTEX-SHEDDING FLOWMETERS
Vortex flowmeters operate on the principle illustrated in Fig. When a bluff body is
placed in a flow stream, vortices are shed alternately from the back side. The
frequency of vortex shedding is directly proportional to the liquid velocity. A
piezoelectric sensor mounted inside the vortex shedder detects the vortices, and
subsequent amplification circuits can be used to indicate either the instantaneous flow
rate or a totalized flow over a selected time interval. The meter is pre calibrated by
the manufacturer for a specific pipe size.
 ULTRASONIC FLOWMETERS
The Doppler effect is the basis for operation of the ultrasonic flowmeter illustrated in Fig.. A
signal of known ultrasonic frequency is transmitted through the liquid. Solids, bubbles, or any
discontinuity in the liquid will reflect the signal back to the receiving element. Because of the
velocity of the liquid, there will be a frequency shift at the receiver which is proportional to
velocity.
HOT-WIRE AND HOT-FILM ANEMOMETERS
 MAGNETIC FLOWMETERS
Consider the flow of a conducting fluid through a magnetic field, as shown in Fig. Since the
fluid represents a conductor moving in the field, there will be an induced voltage according
to
THE LASER DOPPLER ANEMOMETER (LDA)