Date: 10/4/2022 Grade

Semester: Fall 2022

Section: 1
Names: Roy Azar
Ralph Issa
Lilian Alamedine

MECH 244: Experimentation

& Instrumentation Lab II
Experiment 5: Sharp-Edged Orifice Meter

UOB Mechanical Lab Team

Instructor: Michel Daaboul, Ph.D
Lab Assistant : Rassil El Hage

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 Abstract:

The most common type of flow measuring device is an orifice meter, which measures flow
rate by creating a pressure difference in a pipe. It is widely used in the process industry, chemical
industry, and oil and gas industry for measuring the flow rate of steam, oil, and gas, among other
things. The restriction in the flow path causes a significant pressure drop in these types of flow
meters. This pressure drop is affected by a variety of factors such as orifice pate shape, diameter
ratio, fluid properties, and so on. Experiments were carried out in this study for various flow
rates of water passing through a sharp edged orifice meter. This experiment has a significant
error that affects the Cd, ranging between 0.06 and 0.87. These errors describe the effect of the
geometry of the orifice meter on the results.

1. Introduction:
Many engineering industries place a premium on accurate measurements of fluid flow rate and
pressure control in pipelines because these parameters have a direct impact on process efficiency
and productivity. An orifice is a hole in the side or bottom of a tank or reservoir through which
fluid is discharged as a jet. The discharge will be proportional to the fluid head (H) above the
orifice. The term "small orifice" refers to an orifice with a small diameter in comparison to the
flow-producing head. The application of Bernoulli's equation yields a simple, straightforward
analysis of the amount of water that can be discharged through an orifice.

2. Aims & Objectives:

1-Measuring the extent to which the stream tube contracts as it emerges from the orifice.
2-Calculating the reduction in flow velocity caused by the above contraction as well as the
viscous effects.
3-Calculating the resulting reduction in discharge rate.
4-Determining whether or not the discharge reduction is affected by the magnitude of the flow.

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 3. Background:
The fundamental characteristics for analyzing flow via a sharp-edged orifice Aside from the
vicinity of the orifice, the container is thought to be sufficiently big for the fluid velocity to be
insignificant. The fluid rushes towards the center of the hole at the orifice, causing the jet's cross-
section to decrease as it exits owing to the bends of the streamlines. This contraction proceeds
for almost half an orifice diameter until the vena-contracta, or minimum area, is attained. As the
jet exits, the pressure surrounding it is atmospheric, but the pressure within the jet itself is not
dropped to Patm till the vena is approached. As the jet exits, the pressure surrounding it is
atmospheric, but the pressure inside the jet itself is not dropped to Patm till the vena is achieved.

Figure 1:Orifice Meter Structure and Working

 The equations used are:

Bernoulli’s P M V 2M P N V 2N (1)
equation: + + gz M = + + gz N
ρ 2 ρ 2

V N= √2 g H 0 (2)

H 0=z M −z N

Theoretical value of V oth =√ 2 g H 0 (3)

the orifice:

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Actual value of the V act =√ 2 g H c (4)
orifice:

√
Velocity coefficient: V act Hc (5)
C v= =
V th H0

Area coefficient Av (6)

factor: C c=
A0

Discharge Q act Qmeas . Qact (7)

coefficient: CD= = =
Qth A 0 V th A 0 √2 g H 0

4. Test Parameters:
Measurement of Cd:

Time for __5_ 34.8 13.06 89.84 10.4

liters (s)

Total head H0 339 348 316 379

(mm)

Measurement of Cv:

Total head in 339 13.06 89.84 10.4

tank H0 (mm)

Total head in 333 340 310 372

Jet Hc (mm)

Measurement of Cc:

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 26.1 21.3 23.3 24.9
Reading 1 S1 (mm)

15.3 9.2 11.6 13.1

Reading 2 S2 (mm)

D of vena dv 7.8 9.1 8.7 8.8

(mm)=abs(s1-s2)-3

13 13 13 13
D of orifice d0 (mm)

Variation of Qact with H0

H0 (mm) Time (s) for (5) liters

339 34.8

348 13.06

316 89.84

379 10.4

5. Calculations & Results:

area vena*10^-6 vth vact   Qth*10^-4 Qact*10^-4 Error%

58.0645
47.7594 2.57 2.55   3.41 1.43 2
65.00585 2.61 2.58   3.46 3.82 -10.4046
83.2826
59.41665 2.48 2.46   3.29 0.55 7
60.7904 2.72 2.7   3.6 4.8 -33.3333

Cc Cd Cv
0.3618136 0.99221
36 0.419355 8
0.4924685 0.98850
61 1.104046 6

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0.4501261 0.99193
36 0.167173 5
0.4605333 1.333333 0.99264
33 7
Cd Cc*Cv=Cd differen
ce
0.4193548 0.3589979 0.06035
39 66 7
1.1040462 0.4868080 0.61723
43 02 8
0.1671732 0.4464960 -0.27932
52 87
1.3333333 0.4571470 0.87618
33 59 6

Cd versus Qth
1.4
f(x) = 4.00319079323054 x − 13.0149994119387
1.2 R² = 0.865679843953493
1
0.8
Cd

0.6
0.4
0.2
0
3.25 3.3 3.35 3.4 3.45 3.5 3.55 3.6 3.65
Qth10^-4

Series2 Linear (Series2)

Linear (Series2) Linear (Series2)

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 qth versus qact
3.7

3.6
f(x) = 0.0604720012111221 x + 3.27974919679053
3.5 R² = 0.880149167425037
qth 10^-4 m/s

3.4

3.3

3.2

3.1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
qact 10^-4 m/s
Series2 Linear (Series2)
Linear (Series2) Linear (Series2)

6. Discussion:
Before beginning to analyse the data obtained,we should study the behavior of the fluid in the
orifice meter .The orifice meter has 3 major sections with different diameters,(inlet ,orifice, and
venna), The inlet has the highest area where it has the highest diameter, after the orifice surface,
finally the venna, which has the lowest area due to the curvature of the streamlines.Through the
orifice surface, there are 2 bits, which increase the contraction of the fluid stream, thus generates
turbulance behind these bites, after the orifice meter a narrow flow is created which represents
the smallest area of the flow which is named vena contracta. In addition, the height is measured
by the orifice meter according to the pressure and the velocity of the flow, when we have
H0=379 highest value measured, it has the highest velocity of fluid (Vact=2.7 m/s,Vth=2.72m/s).
Therefore, the flow around the orifice plate increases significantky, because of the restriciton in
the cross section and static pressure at this point decreases. Furthermore, referring to table (1),
there is a noticeable difference in the values between H0 and Hc, the difference ranges between
[6,8 mm], the difference is generated due to many losses like friction in the pipe and the
viscosity neglected by the Qtheory and accounted by the QActual. Therefore, it is obvious that
Qactual<Qtherotecal due to losses in the pipe, and that’s what shown in the table that all values
of Qactual<Qth. As for the error noticed in the experiments from the great difffeence between
Qactual and Qth, the error ranges around (10,88%), which is considred a high range of errror;
The 3rd experiment where it has the lowest h0=316, it showed the highest error comparing to
others. These errors are obviously noticed while calculating the actual value of the flow rate, a

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stop-watch with 0.01s accuracy is used. Therefore, the time recorded might be exposed to some
errors (timing +- 0.01s).

As for Cd calculated in table(3), that Cd increases with increasing the flow rate, as an example
the highest Qact=4.8m/s has the highest Cd=1.33, as for the lowest Qact=0.55 has the lowest
Cd=0.16. Moever, for graph (2) Cd versus Q actual, the values has a slight deviation from the
linear line, due to many human-errors occurred and the losses in the flow. However the 3 rd
experiment is the most one affected by the error during testing which has highest deviation from
the linear line. Moroever Cd can be calculated in 2 formulas:Cd=Cc*Cv and Cd=Qactl/Qth;the
first equation depends on Cv and Cc, as we notes Cv is almost the same for all differents Q, so
the variance of Cd depends on the valus of Cc which shows a great difference comparing each
experiment. The error showed by the difference of the calculated Cd using the 2 equations range
between [0.06,0.87] which the 1st experiment where we have the smallest area of the venna and
the Cv (minor losses) we have the least error occurred. Therefore,when the area of venna is
small, we have a slight turbulance in the flow which can barely affect the measurment of the
experiment. Finally, based on the error disdcussed before, there are many factors that contribute
by this method, since measuring both distances s1 and s2 comes with human error while reading
the values and approximating them, or while regulating the copper block’s position on the front
and rear sides of the vena.

7. Conclusion:

The orifice pate covers many needs of floe measurment technology,however other designs
are available forn certain measuring tasks to minimise the undesired effects such as excessive
pressure loss or abrasion of components due to solid carried in thefluid.tyhis demostration shows
an abrupt restriction generate severe turbulane in a fluid,nozzle with a roundedfunel-like an inlet
clearly turbulence and thus create less pressure loss,nozzle are particularly suitable to a higher
flow velocities or to fluid with abrasive solid particle,turbulence reduction is even greater with
venturiu noccle and finbally with venturi tubeis created by longer and conical constrictions in the
pipe wall.

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References: