Measuring the flow rate of any kind of liquid or gas is an essential part of the production. That is why you need a flow meter. These are essential instruments used to determine the quantity and speed of water flowing in a pipe or stored in a storage tank. In this post, we are going to mention and explain the various water flow meter types used in industrial processes. Continue reading to be enlightened.
Water flow meter types found in the market today
Before you go to a store and ask for a particular flow meter, you have to do your research and study to know which company manufactures and distributes high-quality flow meters. Proteus Industries are industry leaders when it comes to producing the best and high-quality flow meters for all kinds of flow systems and industrial applications. Some of the water flow meter types available in the market include:
Mass Flow Meters
Accuracy is of major importance when measuring flow rate in liquid and gas substances. It is therefore important to select flow meters that offer higher accuracies if it is one of the main requirements in a flow system. The reason why mass flow meters are largely used in industries is because of their high accuracy levels. The two types of mass flow meters are thermal mass flow meters and Coriolis flowmeter meters. Although these two flow meters are the same, Coriolis water flow meter types are more accurate than thermal flow meters.
When measuring flow rate, heat is transferred from the medium to the walls of the flow meter. If you have an application that requires very high heat, mass flow meters are the best. These flow meters are used in various industrial applications such as mining, wastewater, and oil & gas.
Differential Pressure Flow Meters
Differential pressure flow meters or DPs are also great water flow meter types used to measure flow rate in many applications. Examples of these flow meters include:
- Venture tube
- Flow tube
- Flow nozzle
- Orifice plate
- Target
- Variable-area (Rotameter)
- Elbow-tap
- Pilot tube
This category of flow meters is largely used in the majority of industries in the world.
Paddlewheel water flow meter
Whenever you want to get the best flow meter to measure flow rate in industrial flow processes that involve water, paddlewheel flow meters always give accurate readings. A paddlewheel flow meter works mechanically when measuring the flow rate of liquids flowing in a pipe or channel. It is an in-line flow meter because you need to fix or first in the pipeline in order to measure flow rate in liquids effectively. It has moving parts inside it. One of the parts that you are going to find inside a paddlewheel flow meter is a paddle, which rotates as water flows through it. The higher the flow rate, the faster it will spin.
Electromagnetic flow meters
Electromagnetic water flow meter types are also known as mag meters. These measuring instruments will only provide accurate flow rate readings if the fluid flowing through them is conductive. You can’t use it to measure pure water because it does not conduct electricity. The maintenance cost of mag water flow meter types is low because they don’t have moving parts that are susceptible to breakage. You can easily find these flow meters in stores if you want to purchase them. It uses the electromagnetic law of induction as a working principle when measuring flow.
Ultrasonic flow meters
Getting the best readings when measuring flow rate requires high-quality flow meters such as the ultrasonic flow meter. What is fascinating about these types of flow meters is that you don’t need to interfere with the flow when installing them. It also doesn’t come into contact with water when measuring flow rate.
Conclusion
As you have read, water flow meter types are available in many types. Typically, industrial flow meters are designed based on the type of flow application they are supposed to work with. It is, therefore, important to select a flow meter that meets the flow rate requirements. A reputable flow meter manufacturer such as Proteus will guide you on how to select effective flow meters during the purchasing process.