Measurement

And
Instrumentations
Flow Measurement
DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy
1 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy
➢ 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.

➢ A simple example is the gasoline pump at the neighborhood

service station; another example is the water meter at home. It
is easy to see how a small error in flow measurement on a large
natural gas or oil pipeline could make a difference of thousands
of dollars over a period of time.

2 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy

➢ The flow measurement devices are classified as follow:
A. Rate meters: they measure either the volumetric flow rater directly or
use meters that measure velocity and the volume flow rate can then be
calculated with the help of cross-section.
1) Inferential type (‫)استنتاجي‬
2) Absolute or positive displacement type

B. Quantity meters: these meters may be designed for the measurement of

either weight or volume. They may be absolute or displacement type.
1)Weight meters
2)Volumetric meters
1) Inferential type (‫)استنتاجي‬
Inferential methods imply that the flow is not directly measured
but is inferred from measurement of other quantities (pressure
,temperature)

2) Absolute or positive displacement

these meters basically capture and release a fixed volume of fluid
by some type of pumping action ,they normally count the
number of cycles that occur and indicate an integrated flow
volume .the flow is determined by the frequency of the cycle.

4 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy

➢ Positive-Displacement Methods
Positive-displacement flow meters are generally used for those applications
where consistently high accuracy is desired under steady-flow conditions.
A typical positive-displacement device is the home water meter shown
schematically in Figure.
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.

5 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy

6 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy
➢ Another type of positive-
displacement device is the rotary-
vane meter shown in Figure 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.
7 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy
The lobed-impeller meter
may 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.

8 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy

➢ Flow-Obstruction Methods
Several types of flow meters fall under the category of obstruction devices. Such
devices are sometimes called head meters because a head-loss or pressure-drop
measurement is taken as an indication of the flow rate. They are also called
differential pressure meters. Let us first consider some of the general relations
for obstruction meters. Consider the one-dimensional flow.

9 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy

 For incompressible fluids

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 Venture

Flow Nozzle

Orifice

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The Sonic Nozzle
All the obstruction meters discussed above may be used with gases. When
the flow rate is sufficiently high, the pressure differential becomes quite
large, and eventually sonic flow conditions may be achieved at the minimum
flow area. Under these conditions the flow is said to be “choked,” and the
flow rate takes on its maximum value for the given inlet conditions.

12 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy

Flow Measurement by Drag Effect (Rotameter)
The rotameter is a very commonly used flow-measurement device and is
shown schematically in Figure. 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. The device is sometimes called an area meter
because the elevation of the bob is dependent on the annular area between it
and the tapered glass tube; however, the meter operates on the physical
principle of drag so that we choose to classify it in this category.

13 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy

 Fd+ Wf = Wb
ρf and ρb are the densities of the fluid and bob, Vb is the
total volume of the bob, g is the acceleration of gravity,
and Fd is the drag force

Cd is a drag coefficient, Ab is the frontal area of the

bob, and um is the mean flow velocity in the annular
space between the bob and the tube.

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where A is the annular area and is given by

D is the diameter of the tube at inlet

d is the maximum bob diameter
y is the vertical distance from the entrance
a is a constant indicating the tube taper

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Turbine Meters
A popular type of flow-measurement device is the turbine meter shown in
Figure 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. A flow coefficient K for
the turbine meter , where f is the pulse frequency

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Vortex-Shedding Flowmeters

Vortex flowmeters operate on the principle illustrated in Fig. 7.19. 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.

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Ultrasonic Flowmeters
The Doppler effect is the basis for operation of the ultrasonic flowmeter 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.

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Laminar Flowmeter
If the flow in a channel or tube is laminar, that is, the Reynolds number is less than about
2000, the volumetric flow rate is related to pressure drop by

22 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy

Hot-Wire and Hot-Film
Anemometers

The hot-wire anemometer is a device

that is often used in research
applications to study rapidly varying
flow conditions. A fine wire is
heated electrically and placed in the
flow stream.

23 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy

Thanks for your
kind attention
24 DR. Eng. Samir Elshamy