Water Flow Meters – measuring flow and energy usage.
Water flow meters are instruments designed to measure the amount of water passing through a pipe. There are four main types available depending on the water measurement application, budget, and maintenance requirements. ACS offer a range of flow meter products from various global leaders such as Danfoss, Honeywell and Onicon.
Mechanical Flow Meters
These are the most common and economical. They measure flow using turbine rotation with a shunt, propeller, or paddle wheel. The volumetric flow rate of the water is proportional to the rotational speed of the blades. The disadvantages of mechanical water flow meters are that they may clog up when the water is dirty or contain larger particles, which leads to increased maintenance costs. Mechanical water meters also do not operate with low water pressure.
Vortex Flow Meters
Vortex water flow meters measure flow using the vortices shed from a sensor immersed in the flow. Vortices are the “swirls” produced when a fluid moves past an obstruction. In a vortex meter, a sensor tab flexes from side to side when each vortex flows past, creating a frequency output that is directly proportional to the volumetric flow rate. Multivariable vortex flow meters can measure up to five process variables with one process connection: temperature, pressure, density, mass flow, volumetric flow.
Ultrasonic Flow Meter
Ultrasonic water flow meters measure the speed of fluid passing through the pipe using ultrasound.
Essentially, two ultrasonic signals are transmitted in opposite directions in the flow, one upstream and one downstream. The difference between the receiver times allows the calculation of the flow rate. In addition, BTU energy measurement can be derived from the volumetric flow rate and the temperature difference between the hot and cold legs. Clamp-on ultrasonic meters can measure water from outside of the pipe making them suitable for water flow measurements in large pipes.
Magnetic Flow Meter
Magnetic flow meters measure the speed of a fluid passing through a pipe using a magnetic field to measure the flow. Liquid generates voltage when it flows through a magnetic field. The more rapid the fluid flow, the more the voltage generated which is directly proportional to the water movement. They are not suitable for custody transfer and cannot be used to measure pure water as there are no ions to measure.
ACS Range of Onicon Flow Meters.
F-1100 Series – Provide an accurate, cost-effective option for flow measurement of relatively clean liquids such as those found in closed loop HVAC systems. Each meter is built to order and individually wet-calibrated.
F-3500 Series – Are suitable for measuring electrically conductive liquids in a wide variety of applications. Each F-3500 provides a single analog output for flow rate, a high-resolution frequency output to drive peripheral devices, a scalable pulse output for totalization, and an empty pipe alarm signal.
F-4600 Series – a family of inline flow meters that provide accurate, reliable flow measurement for a variety of applications. Wetted transducers measure the ultrasonic signal transit time differential, which correlates directly to the flow rate. The direct beam path orientation significantly enhances signal strength and long-term reliability.
Whatever your metering needs, ACS has the applicable product. Give us a call today.
