FLOW

MEASUREMENT
MARK MURPHY, PE
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, FLUOR CORP.

COMMONLY USED FLOW

DEVICES
DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE (HEAD) TYPE

ORIFICE PLATE - CONCENTRIC, ECCENTRIC, SEGMENTAL, QUADRANT EDGE,

INTEGRAL, CONDITIONING
VENTURI TUBE
FLOW NOZZLES
ELBOW
PITOT TUBE, AVERAGING PITOT TUBE (ANNUBAR)
VARIABLE AREA (ROTAMETER)
WEDGE METER
V-CONE

MASS TYPE MEASURES THE MASS FLOW RATE DIRECTLY.

CORIOLIS
THERMAL

VELOCITY TYPE

MAGNETIC
ULTRASONIC - TRANSIT TIME, DOPPLER
TURBINE
VORTEX

OPEN CHANNEL TYPE

WEIR
PARSHALL FLUME

OTHER TYPES

POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT
TARGET

2#

FLOW
MEASUREMENT
TERMS
R)

DENSITY (

A MEASURE OF MASS PER UNIT OF VOLUME (LB/FT 3 OR KG/M3).

SPECIFIC GRAVITY
THE RATIO OF THE DENSITY OF A MATERIAL TO THE DENSITY OF
WATER OR AIR DEPENDING ON WHETHER IT IS A LIQUID OR A GAS.

COMPRESSIBLE FLUID
FLUIDS (SUCH AS GASSES) WHERE THE VOLUME CHANGES WITH
RESPECT TO CHANGES IN THE PRESSURE. THESE FLUIDS EXPERIENCE
LARGE CHANGES IN DENSITY DUE TO CHANGES IN PRESSURE.

NON-COMPRESSIBLE FLUID
FLUIDS (GENERALLY LIQUIDS) WHICH RESIST CHANGES IN VOLUME AS
THE PRESSURE CHANGES. THESE FLUIDS EXPERIENCE LITTLE
3#
CHANGE IN DENSITY DUE TO PRESSURE CHANGES.

FLOW MEASUREMENT - TERMS

LINEAR
TRANSMITTER OUTPUT IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE FLOW INPUT.

SQUARE ROOT
FLOW IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE SQUARE ROOT OF THE MEASURED VALUE.

BETA RATIO (D/D)

RATIO OF A DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE FLOW DEVICE BORE (D) DIVIDED BY
INTERNAL DIAMETER OF PIPE (D).
A HIGHER BETA RATIO MEANS A LARGER ORIFICE SIZE. A LARGER ORIFICE
PLATE BORE SIZE MEANS GREATER FLOW CAPACITY AND A LOWER
PERMANENT PRESSURE LOSS.

PRESSURE HEAD
THE PRESSURE AT A GIVEN POINT IN A LIQUID MEASURED IN TERMS OF THE
VERTICAL HEIGHT OF A COLUMN OF THE LIQUID NEEDED TO PRODUCE THE
4#
SAME PRESSURE.

FLOW MEASUREMENT - UNITS

FLOW IS MEASURED AS A QUANTITY (EITHER VOLUME
OR MASS) PER UNIT TIME
VOLUMETRIC UNITS
LIQUID

GPM, BBL/DAY, M3/HR, LITERS/MIN, ETC.

GAS OR VAPOR

FT3/HR, M3/HR, ETC.

MASS UNITS (EITHER LIQUID, GAS OR VAPOR)

LB/HR, KG/HR, ETC.

FLOW CAN BE MEASURED IN ACCUMULATED

(TOTALIZED) TOTAL AMOUNTS FOR A TIME PERIOD
GALLONS, LITERS, METERS PASSED IN A DAY, ETC.
5#

LAMINAR FLOW
LAMINAR FLOW - IS CHARACTERIZED BY CONCENTRIC
LAYERS OF FLUID MOVING IN PARALLEL DOWN THE
LENGTH OF A PIPE. THE HIGHEST VELOCITY (VMAX) IS
FOUND IN THE CENTER OF THE PIPE. THE LOWEST
VELOCITY (V=0) IS FOUND ALONG THE PIPE WALL.
SIDE VIEW

END VIEW

VMAX

PARABOLIC FLOW PROFILE

CONCENTRIC FLUID LAYERS

6#

TURBULENT FLOW
TURBULENT FLOW - IS CHARACTERIZED BY A FLUID
MOTION THAT HAS LOCAL VELOCITIES AND PRESSURES
THAT FLUCTUATE RANDOMLY. THIS CAUSES THE
VELOCITY OF THE FLUID IN THE PIPE TO BE MORE
UNIFORM ACROSS
A CROSS
SECTION.
SIDE
VIEW

VMAX ~ VAVG
7#

r
D vREYNOLDS
NUMBER
Re = mC
D = DIAMETER (FT)
v = VELOCITY (FT/SEC)
r = DENSITY (LB/FT3)
m= VISCOSITY (cp)
C = CONSTANT (6.72X10-4 LB/FT SEC cp)
0

2000
LAMINAR

4000

TRANSITION

TURBULENT

8#

BERNOULLIS LAW

BERNOULLI'S LAW DESCRIBES THE BEHAVIOR OF

AN IDEAL FLUID UNDER VARYING CONDITIONS IN
A CLOSED SYSTEM. IT STATES THAT THE OVERALL
ENERGY OF THE FLUID AS IT ENTERS THE SYSTEM
IS EQUAL TO THE OVERALL ENERGY AS IT LEAVES.
PE1 + KE1 = PE2 + KE2
PE = POTENTIAL ENERGY
KE = KINETIC ENERGY
9#

BERNOULLIS EQUATION
BERNOULLIS LAW IS DESCRIBED BY THE
FOLLOWING EQUATION FOR AN IDEAL FLUID.

10#

HEAD METER THEORY OF OPERATION

Beta Ratio = d/D Should Be 0.3 0.75

Meter Run Dependent On Piping
Normally 20 Diameters Upstream & 5 Diameters Downstream

11#

ORIFICE PLATE
A SIMPLE DEVICE, CONSIDERED A INSTRUMENT.
IT IS SIMPLY A PIECE OF FLAT METAL WITH A
FLOW-RESTRICTING BORE THAT IS INSERTED
INTO THE PIPE BETWEEN FLANGES.
THE ORIFICE METER IS WELL UNDERSTOOD,
RUGGED AND INEXPENSIVE.
ITS ACCURACY UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS IS IN
THE RANGE OF 0.75-1.5%.
IT CAN BE SENSITIVE TO A VARIETY OF ERRORINDUCING CONDITIONS, SUCH AS IF THE PLATE
IS ERODED OR DAMAGED.

Orifice Plate
Orifice Flanges

12#

CONCENTRIC ORIFICE PLATE

THE MOST COMMON ORIFICE PLATE
IS THE SQUARE-EDGED CONCENTRIC
BORED ORIFICE PLATE.
IT HAS PROVEN RELIABILITY IN A
VARIETY OF APPLICATIONS
EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH
IS CONDUCTED ON THIS DESIGN.
IT IS EASILY REPRODUCED AT LOW
COST.
IT IS USED TO MEASURE A WIDE
VARIETY OF SINGLE PHASE, LIQUID
AND GAS PRODUCTS.

13#

ECCENTRIC ORIFICE PLATE

These are plates with the orifice off center, or eccentric, as opposed to
concentric.

This type of plate is used to measure fluids which carry a small amount of nonabrasive solids, or gases with small amounts of liquid.

A higher degree of uncertainty as compared to the concentric orifice.

Eccentric orifice plates are used in industries including heavy and light
chemicals and petrochemicals.

QUADRANT EDGE ORIFICE PLATE

The quadrant, quadrant edge or quarter-circle orifice is used to measure

fluids with high viscosity which have pipe Reynolds Numbers below
10,000.

The orifice incorporates a rounded edge of definite radius.

Quadrant in U.S.

Conical in Europe

15#

INTEGRAL ORIFICE PLATE

It is identical to a square-edged orifice plate installation except that the

plate, flanges and DP transmitter are supplied as one unit.

It is used for small lines (typically under 2) and is relatively inexpensive to

install since it is part of the transmitter.

16#

CONDITIONING ORIFICE PLATE

The Conditioning Orifice Plate is designed to be installed downstream of

a variety of disturbances with minimal straight pipe run, providing
superior performance.

Reduced installation costs

Easy to use, prove, and troubleshoot

Good for most gas, liquid, and steam as well as high temperature and
high pressure applications

17#

ORIFICE PLATE SELECTION

CONSIDERATIONS
QUADRANT EDGE ORIFICE PLATE CAN BE CONSIDERED IF REYNOLDS
NUMBER IS TOO LOW.
ORIFICE PLATE MUST BE SPECIFIED WITH PROPER FLANGE RATING TO
ACCOUNT FOR PROPER BOLT CIRCLE.
TYPICAL ACCEPTABLE BETA RATIO IS .25 TO .7 FOR NON COMMERCE
METER, .3 TO .6 FOR ACCOUNTING METER BUT ALSO CHECK
SPECIFICATIONS.
ASSURE THAT CALCULATION ACCOUNTS FOR VENT OR DRAIN HOLE, IF
REQUIRED.
FOR DUAL TRANSMITTER INSTALLATION ON A COMMON SET OF ORIFICE
18#
FLANGES, CUSTOM TAP LOCATIONS MUST BE SPECIFIED.

ORIFICE PLATE TAP LOCATIONS

DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE IS MEASURED THROUGH PRESSURE TAPS
LOCATED ON EACH SIDE OF THE ORIFICE PLATE. PRESSURE TAPS CAN
BE POSITIONED AT A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.
FLANGE TAPS
CORNER TAPS
RADIUS TAPS
VENA-CONTRACTA TAPS
PIPE TAPS
Orifice taps in horizontal
lines should be as follows:

19#

GAS

Liquid or Steam

ELECTROMAGNETIC
FLOWMETER
A magnetic flow meter (mag flowmeter) is a volumetric flow meter which
20#
does not have any moving parts.

CONSTRUCTION
ELECTROMAGNETIC FLOWMETER CONSISTS OF:
AN ELECTRICALLY INSULATED TUBE OR PIPE WITH A
PAIR OF ELECTRODES MOUNTED OPPOSITE EACH
OTHER.
ELECTRICAL COILS ARE MOUNTED AROUND THE TUBE
SO THAT A MAGNETIC FIELD IS GENERATED IN A PLANE
MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF METER
BODY AND TO THE PLANE OF THE ELECTRODES.

21#

22#

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
THE OPERATION OF A MAGNETIC FLOWMETER OR MAG
METER IS BASED UPON FARADAY'S LAW, WHICH STATES
THAT WHENEVER A CONDUCTOR MOVES THROUGH A
MAGNETIC FIELD OF A GIVEN STRENGTH, A VOLTAGE IS
INDUCED IN THE CONDUCTOR PROPORTIONAL TO THE
RELATIVE VELOCITY BETWEEN THE CONDUCTOR AND
THE MAGNETIC FIELD.
ELECTRONS ARE INDUCED PERPENDICULAR TO THE
DIRECTION OF FLOW OF THE FLUID
23#

 THE EQUATION OF THE ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FLOWMETER

IS GIVEN BY-

E= CBLV
WHEREE= EMF INDUCED
C= DIMENSIONAL CONSTANT
B= MAGNETIC FLUX
L= LENGTH OF CONDUCTOR
V= VELOCITY OF CONDUCTING FLUID
24#

APPLICATIONS
IT IS IDEAL FOR WASTE-WATER APPLICATIONS OR ANY DIRTY LIQUID
WHICH IS CONDUCTIVE OR WATER BASED.

MAGNETIC FLOWMETERS GENERALLY DOES NOT WORK WITH

HYDROCARBONS, DISTILLED WATER AND MANY NON-AQUEOUS
SOLUTIONS).

MAGNETIC FLOWMETERS ARE ALSO IDEAL FOR APPLICATIONS

WHERE LOW PRESSURE DROP AND LOW MAINTENANCE ARE
REQUIRED.
25#

MAGNETIC FLOWMETER
CHARACTERISTICS

Recommended Service: Clean, Dirty & Viscous Conductive Liquids &

Slurries

Rangeability: 40 to 1

Pressure Loss: None

Accuracy: 0.5%

Relative Cost: High

Sizes: 1 to 120

Connections: Flanged

Type of Output: Linear

26#

ULTRASONIC
FLOWMETER
27#

ANULTRASONIC FLOW METERIS A TYPE

OFFLOW METERTHAT MEASURES THE VELOCITY
OF AFLUIDWITHULTRASOUNDTO CALCULATE
VOLUME FLOW.
USING ULTRASONICTRANSDUCERS, THE FLOW
METER CAN MEASURE THE AVERAGE VELOCITY
ALONG THE PATH OF AN EMITTED BEAM OF
ULTRASOUND.
BY AVERAGING THE DIFFERENCE IN MEASURED
TRANSIT TIME BETWEEN THE PULSES OF
ULTRASOUND PROPAGATING INTO AND AGAINST
THE DIRECTION OF THE FLOW OR BY MEASURING
THE FREQUENCY SHIFT FROM THEDOPPLER
EFFECT.
28#

AN ULTRASONIC FLOWMETER
USES TWO METHODS:
DOPPLERS FREQUENCY METHOD
TRANSIT TIME METHOD

29#

DOPPLERS FREQUENCY
METHOD

30#

PRINCIPLE
IN ULTRASONIC FLOWMETER, THE USE OF THEDOPPLER
SHIFTMETHOD RESULTS FROM THE REFLECTION OF AN
ULTRASONIC BEAM OFF SONICALLYREFLECTIVEMATERIALS,
SUCH AS SOLID PARTICLES ORENTRAINED AIR BUBBLESIN
A FLOWING FLUID, OR THETURBULENCEOF THE FLUID
ITSELF, IF THE LIQUID IS CLEAN.
THE SIGNAL IS RECEIVED AT THE RECEIVER AND THE
DIFFERENCE IS NOTED.
FREQUENCY SHIFT IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE
VELOCITY OF FLUID.

31#

TRANSIT TIME METHOD

32#

TRANSIT TIME ULTRASONIC METERS EMPLOY TWO

TRANSDUCERS LOCATED UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM
OF EACH OTHER.

33#

PRINCIPLE
ULTRASONIC FLOW METERS MEASURE THE DIFFERENCE OF THE TRANSIT TIME OF
ULTRASONIC PULSES PROPAGATING IN AND AGAINST FLOW DIRECTION.
THIS TIME DIFFERENCE IS A MEASURE FOR THE AVERAGE VELOCITY OF THE FLUID
ALONG THE PATH OF THE ULTRASONIC BEAM.

USING THE TWO TRANSIT TIMES ANDTHE DISTANCE BETWEEN RECEIVING AND
TRANSMITTING TRANSDUCERS AND THE INCLINATION ANGLEONE CAN WRITE THE
EQUATIONS:

USING THE TWO TRANSIT TIMES ANDTHE DISTANCE BETWEEN RECEIVING AND
TRANSMITTING TRANSDUCERS AND THE INCLINATION ANGLEONE CAN WRITE THE
EQUATIONS:

WHERE V IS THE AVERAGE VELOCITY OF THE FLUID ALONG THE SOUND PATH AND IS
THE SPEED OF SOUND.

34#

B
FLOW

t dn

t up

Transmitter/
Receiver (T/R)
Frequency pulse

Transit length L

Transit time difference is proportional

to mean velocity Vm, therefore Vm
can be calculated as follows:

Vm = (L / 2 * cos ) * [(TAB TBA) / (TAB . TBA)]

Basic Flow Equation: Q = A * V

35#

ULTRASONIC CHARACTERISTICS

Recommended Service: Clean & Viscous Liquids, Natural/Flare Gas

Rangeability: 20 to 1
Pressure Loss: None
Accuracy: 0.25% to 5%
Straight Run Required: 5 to 30D Upstream
Viscosity Effect: None
Relative Cost: High
Sizes: >
Connections: Flanged & Clamp-on Design
Type of Output: Linear

36#

QUESTIONS

Any Questions???

37#