TRAINING FOR TYPE 7 LICENCE

SERVICE TECHNICIANS
Training Course for Legal Metrology Service Technicians
for flowmeters incorporating Electronic devices

Conducted by the Institute of Trade Standards Administration(k)

Nairobi, Kenya, 16th – 20th May 2022

John B. Wamwana
Head –Technical & International Liaison Division
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES - KENYA
By Wamwana- Weights and Measures-Kenya
 FLOW METER -Definition

Flow meter(for liquids): Instrument intended to

measure continuously and display the quantity of
liquid passing through the measuring device at
metering conditions. A meter includes at least a
measuring device, a calculator (including
adjustment or correction devices if present) and
an indicating device
Measuring device: Part of the meter converting
the flow, the volume or the mass of the liquid to
be measured into signals, representing volume or
mass, destined for the calculator. It consists of a
meter sensor and a transducer.

Measuring System: System comprising a meter

for quantities of liquids and its ancillary devices
and additional devices.
 General Theory of Flowmeters

These are measuring instruments employed in the

measurement of fluid quantities.

Principles of construction and operation

These instruments are designed on two main
principles i.e.
(i) Positive displacement, and
(ii) Inferential
 1. Positive Displacement Principle

All positive displacement(PD) flowmeters operate

by isolating and counting known volumes of a
fluid (gas or liquid) while feeding it through a
metering unit.

By counting the number of passed isolated

volumes, a flow measurement is obtained.

Each PD design uses a different means of isolating

and counting these volumes
 (i) Oval Wheel Type

This is a direct volumetric measurement design with

movable partition walls.

The quantity of liquid is determined from the direct

movement of parts in relation to liquid motion.

The common design comprises of a measuring

chamber housing with two pivoted oval wheels,
which are toothed and roll off in counter-rotations
around each other.
 The diagram below demonstrates the moving
principle of the wheels during the flow measuring
process.
Each revolution of the oval wheels displaces four
discrete volumes of fluid (defined by the space
between oval wheel and measuring chamber)
through the counter.

For measuring purposes the rotation of the oval

wheel is transmitted from the pressure chamber to
the outside via a mechanical rotor that can connect
directly to a mechanical computer or a transducer
which transmits the generated signal to an
electronic computer.
Other examples are;
Nutating disc, rotating valve, oscilating disc, single
piston reciprocating type, rotating lobe, rotating
impeller and piston-diaphragm type
Nutating and Rotating Disc Types
Oscillating and Single Piston Reciprocating
types
Oval gear, Rotating Lobe and Rotating
Impeller
Piston and Diaphragm types
 2. Inferential Principle

The quantity of liquid is determined indirectly by

utilizing a characteristic parameter of the liquid
like electrical conductivity, permeability etc.

The key principles under this are;

(i) Ultrasonic
(ii) Coriolis
(iii) Magnetic, and
(iv) Vortex
 (i) Ultrasonic Principle

For this principle, Volume measurement is carried

out by means of the ultrasound technique
according to the transit time method.
The volume is computed as velocity flow per given
cross-sectional area of the tube. The cylindrical pipe
passing the liquid is provided with spaces in which
the ultrasonic transmitters/receivers are fitted
diametrically opposite forming the beam at an
angle of 45o to the flow direction.
Thus each pair of transmitters/receivers makes up
one ultrasonic measurement path known as the
beam.

Each pair of the transducers acts alternately as

transmitter and receiver. The difference in transit
times of the downstream-directed pulses and the
upstream-directed pulses is directly proportional
to the measured fluid velocity.
Ultrasonic meter design
Ultrasonic flowmeters use sound waves to
determine the velocity of a fluid flowing in a pipe.
At no flow conditions, the frequencies of an
ultrasonic wave transmitted into a pipe and its
reflections from the fluid are the same.
Under flowing conditions, the frequency of the
reflected wave is different due to the Doppler
effect.
When the fluid moves faster, the frequency shift
increases linearly. The transmitter processes
signals from the transmitted wave and its
reflections to determine the flow rate.
Transit time ultrasonic flowmeters send and
receive ultrasonic waves between transducers in
both the upstream and downstream directions in
the pipe.
At no flow conditions, it takes the same time to
travel upstream and downstream between the
transducers.
Under flowing conditions, the upstream wave will
travel slower and take more time than the (faster)
downstream wave. When the fluid moves faster,
the difference between the upstream and
downstream times increases. The transmitter
processes upstream and downstream times to
determine the flow rate.
The design can be in the form of a single, double,
triple, four or five beam.

The eight beam being the latest design.

The sensitivity of the meter is a function of the

number of beams in it.
 (ii) Coriolis Principle

Used for the direct measurement of mass flow of a

fluid.

Coriolis flow meters operate on the principle that

inertial forces are generated whenever a particle in
a rotating body moves relative to that body in a
direction towards or away from the axis of the
rotation of that body.
The measuring principle is based on the controlled
generation of Coriolis forces. The amplitude of the
Coriolis force depends on the mass flow.

The sensed parameter is the oscillations. Mass flow

causes deceleration of the oscillation at the inlet of
the tubes and acceleration at the outlet thereby
creating a phase difference between the
oscillations which increases with increasing mass
flow.
The Coriolis measurement principle
A tube is energised by a fixed vibration.
When a fluid passes through this tube the mass
flow momentum will cause a change in the tube
vibration, the tube will twist resulting in a phase
shift.
This phase shift can be measured and a linear
output derived proportional to flow.
 The measuring principle operates
independent of temperature, pressure, viscosity,
conductivity and flow profile.

The Temperature sensor measures the

temperature of the measuring tubes which
together with the stored cal factor for the
temperature coefficient of the sensor tube material
generates the compensation for the effect of
temperature on the tube elasticity( % change in
elasticity per 100oC)
For density measurement, the measuring tubes are
continuously excited at their resonance frequency.

A change in the mass and thus the density of the

oscillating system(comprising measuring tubes and
fluid) results in a corresponding automatic
adjustment in the oscillation frequency.
Resonance frequency is thus a function of fluid
density.
The period is directly proportional to the fluid
density.
The core-processor utilizes this relationship to
obtain a density signal.

Volumetric flow is a calculated variable with inputs

from the measured mass flow and density values.
 (iii) Magnetic principle

Uses the principle of magnetic field. It utilizes a

pair of electrodes and a set of coils.

The force of the magnetic field caused by the

coils causes the negatively and positively
charged particles in the flowing liquid to
separate as they pass through the charged
coils.
Magnetic flowmeter design
This separation causes an induced voltage to be
formed between the electrodes which is then
measured by the transmitter and converted to
flow volume based on the cross-sectional area of
the pipe.
 (iv) Vortex Principle

Vortex - In fluid dynamics, a vortex is a region in a

fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line,
which may be straight or curved.

Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed

in smoke rings, whirlpools in the wake of a boat,
and the winds surrounding a tropical cyclone,
tornado or dust devil.
Vortex flow meters operate under the vortex
shedding principle, where oscillating vortices occur
when a fluid such as water flow past a bluff (non-
streamlined) body.

The bluff body placed in the path of a fast-flowing

stream, causes the fluid to alternately separate
from the object on its two downstream sides, and,
as the boundary layer becomes detached and curls
back on itself, the fluid forms vortices (also called
whirlpools)
 Vortex meter design

The frequency at which the vortices are shed

depend on the size and shape of the body.
Vortex meter operation principle
The majority of vortex meters use piezoelectric or
capacitance-type sensors to detect the pressure
oscillation around the bluff body.

These detectors respond to the pressure oscillation

with a low voltage output signal which has the same
frequency as the oscillation.
 Turbine Meter
It is a volumetric measuring turbine type. The
flowing fluid engages the rotor causing it to rotate
at an angular velocity proportional to the fluid
flow rate.
The angular velocity of the rotor results in the
generation of an electrical signal in the pickup. The
summation of the pulsing electrical signal is
related directly to total flow.

It consists of a flow tube with end connections and

a magnetic multi bladed free spinning rotor
(impeller) mounted inside.
Turbine Meter Design
 Advantages and Disadvantages of
different types of flow Meters
Positive Displacement Meters
Advantages
 It is the only flow measurement technology
that directly measures the volume of the fluid
passing through the flowmeter
 Good accuracy at low flowrates
 Ideal for fluid batching and custody transfer
applications
 Insensitive to inlet flow profile distortions
 Insensitive to low pressure drop across the
meter
 Good repeatability
 Easy to install and maintain
 Moderate cost
 Disadvantages

 Has moving parts prone to breakdowns

 Can create large pressure drops
 Maintenance is necessary requiring
disassembly
 Measures only discrete fluid flows and not
actual flow rate
 Usually bulky hence taking up a lot of space
 Ultrasonic Meters
Advantages

 No moving parts
 Output is independent of viscosity, density and
temperature of fluid
 Can be used for Bidirectional flow
 Offers good dynamic response
 Offers good accuracy
 Disadvantages

 High cost
 Complex in design
 Inaccurate when operated outside the set limits
of flowrates
 Coriolis Meters
Advantages
 Measures mass flow rate directly
 Suitable for applications where temperature
and pressure fluctuate
 Immune to effects of tank agitation when fed
directly from it.
 No obstructions in the fluid path
 Insensitive to flow distortions
 Disadvantages

 Meter must be totally full of liquid while

metering which often requires complex piping
arrangements
 Sensitive to vibrations close to the operating
frequency
 Sensitive to pulsations close to operating
frequency
 Aerated fluids pause accuracy challenges to the
meters
 Have dynamic response limitations hence cannot
measure extremely short batches accurately
 Have challenges with measurement of viscous
fluids since pressure drop increases with fluid
viscosity
 Vortex Meters
Advantages
 Can be used for liquids, gases and steam
 Low wear relative to turbine meters
 Low sensitivity to variations in process
conditions
 Applicable to a wide range of process
temperatures
 Available for a wide variety of pipe sizes
 Disadvantages
 Not suitable for very low flow rates
 Not suitable for batching or other intermittent
flow operations. This is because the dribble
flow-rate setting of the batching station can fall
below the meter's minimum Reynolds number
limit.
 Not suitable for process fluids that tend to coat.
This will coat or build-up on the bluff body, as
in sludge and slurry service, which will
eventually change the meter's K factor.
 Not suitable for multiphase flow
conditions(solid particles in liquid; gas bubbles
in liquid). Meter accuracy will drop because of
the meter's inability to differentiate between
the phases.

 Minimum length of pipe required upstream

and downstream of meter
 Magnetic Meters
Advantages

 No moving parts
 No pressure drop
 Flowrate independent of viscosity,
temperature, and density
 Minimum upstream piping requirements
 Can measure dirty liquids with solids
 Very large turndown
 Disadvantages

 Unsuitable for low velocity

 Unsuitable for fluids of conductivity less than 2
micro ohm per centimetre
 Large sizes are heavy
 Difficulties in onsite calibration
 Turbine Meter

Advantages
 High Accuracy
 Suitable for extreme temperature and
pressures
 Disadvantages

 Used on low viscosity liquids only

 Has moving parts
 Sensitive to flow profile
 Require clean fluids
Thank You !