GUIDANCE NOTE

Installation and Set-up of

Coriolis Mass Flow Meters

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Installation and Set-up of Coriolis Mass Flow Meters

Introduction
Coriolis ow meters have various applications and are used in
many different industries such as oil & gas, food & beverage,
chemicals, and pharmaceuticals amongst others. In industry, mass
ow measurement is often preferred to volume ow due to mass
being independent of the process conditions (density, pressure
and temperature). One of the main advantages of Coriolis ow
meters are that they provide a direct measurement of the mass
ow and product density, with no compensation for changing
temperature, viscosity, and pressure required.
Another key benet of Coriolis ow meters is that they are
claimed to be unaffected by installation effects. However, Coriolis
ow meters still require compliance with the manufacturers
instructions to ensure optimum performance. These instructions
can vary depending on the ow meter design and also the ow
meter manufacturer.

Coriolis Flow Meter Designs

There are three main Coriolis ow tube designs available: Split
Tube (Figure 2), Continuous Tube (Figure 3) and Straight Tube
(Figure 4). The installation of the Coriolis ow meter will depend
upon which design is selected by the end user for the specic
application.

Figure 2: Split U-Tube Coriolis Sensor

Operating Principle
The measuring principle for Coriolis ow meters is based on
the controlled generation of Coriolis forces. These forces are
present when both translational and rotational movement occurs
simultaneously. The amplitude of the Coriolis force depends on
the moving mass, its velocity in the system, and thus on the mass
ow.
When uid travels through a Coriolis ow meter, Coriolis forces
are exerted by the moving uid which causes the vibrating
ow tube to twist (Figure 1). Sensors are used to measure the
magnitude of twist, which increases with increasing mass ow.

Figure 3: Continuous Tube Coriolis Sensor

Thermome
Figure 4: Straight Tube Coriolis Sensor

ter Pockets

Figure 1: Coriolis Meter Operational Principle

The density measurement is derived from the natural frequency
of oscillation of the ow tube, which varies with mass. A change
in the mass results in a change in the frequency. As the volume
of the ow tube is constant, the oscillation frequency is a
function of uid density.

Split U-Tube and continuous Coriolis ow meters can be quite

large and cumbersome for line sizes above 50 mm. They require
adequate installation space due to the arrangement of the ow
tubes. If space is at a premium, then a straight tube Coriolis ow
meter may be a more suitable selection as it a less obtrusive and
more compact design.

Installation
Most manufacturers claim that their Coriolis ow meters are not
adversely affected by installation effects. As such, they should
not require large lengths of straight length pipe work upstream
and/or downstream of the ow meter. However, compliance
with the manufacturers guidance is necessary. This guidance
can vary depending on ow tube design and Coriolis ow meter
manufacturer.

August 2010

Coriolis ow meters are not usually affected by swirling uid

or non-uniform velocity proles resulting from upstream or
downstream piping congurations. However, good practice
should be observed at all times, by ensuring that the ow meter
is installed with adequate upstream and downstream straight
pipe work.
Although not overly affected by installation effects, Coriolis
meters should not be installed close to valves that will regularly
open and close as this can cause pulsations and vibrations
in the ow. This has the potential to lead to signicant
mismeasurement of the mass ow.
Coriolis ow meters can be adversely affected by stress applied
from the adjoining pipe work, and by vibrations acting on the
ow meter. As such, manufacturers specify that their ow meter
must be xed rmly to the pipeline. To achieve this, the adjoining
pipe work should be clamped securely both upstream and
downstream of the ow meter.

Figure 5: Coriolis Flow Meter Downwards Mounted

Micro Motion Coriolis Flow Meter
(Ref: http://www.emersonprocess.com/micromotion/tutor/images/CMF300.gif)

If solids are present in the ow, the ow meter should be

installed with the measuring tube directed upwards. This ensures
that the solids do not accumulate in the ow tubes and cause the
ow meter to misread (Figure 6).

Cavitation is a serious consideration and can occur in the process

line if the system pressure drops below the vapour pressure
of the uid. To prevent this from occurring, the back pressure
should be kept at a sufcient level. If the uid is highly viscous or
if the meter is smaller than the line size, the pressure drop across
the Coriolis ow meter may be an issue.
The uid pressure drop through the Coriolis ow meter is
extremely important and is often the key parameter considered
when sizing the device. To avoid a large pressure drop, some
users select a Coriolis ow meter that has a larger bore than the
line size. However, oversized meters are not only more expensive,
they are also less accurate. This is because the ow rates will be
at the lower end of the ow meters operating range, resulting in
a higher ow measurement uncertainty.
Direct sunlight can adversely affect the ow meters
measurements due to the effect the temperature can have on
the ow tubes. An elevated temperature heats the ow tube
and thus the stiffness of the tube changes due to the Youngs
modulus. As such, most Coriolis manufacturers specify that their
ow meter should be installed in a shady location, avoiding direct
sunlight.

Orientation
Unlike some other devices, Coriolis ow meters can be installed
both horizontally and vertically. This is extremely benecial if the
ow meter is being installed in a process line where space is at a
premium.
Highly viscous uids such as food stuffs, paints and viscous
oil, readily entrain gas bubbles, which can potentially cause
the Coriolis ow meter to misread the ow or even stop
operating completely. If the prospect of air entrainment exists,
to potentially avoid the meter from malfunctioning, the Coriolis
ow meter should be mounted with the measuring tube directed
downwards (Figure 5).

Figure 6: Coriolis Flow Meter Upwards Mounted

Micro Motion Coriolis Flow Meter
(Ref: http://www2.emersonprocess.com/SiteCollectionImages/News%2
Images/micromotion_elitehc3_hires.jpg)

Set-up
All Coriolis ow meters are affected by the uid in use and also
the installation. It is good practice to zero the ow meter upon
installation. However, for some ow meter designs, it is specied
that the zero is checked prior to installation. This is to conrm
whether the ow meter actually requires zeroing. The zeroing
process establishes the base conditions at which the ow meter
will indicate that no ow is present.
When zeroing the ow meter, the uid conditions should be as
close to the process operating conditions as possible. The process
line must be full and the ow should be completely stopped. It is
important that the ow meters low ow cut-off is disabled and
set to zero. The Coriolis ow meter will then establish a zero ow
condition from which the ow meter can operate. Most modern
Coriolis ow meters will indicate when they have established a
zero.

Outputs
The electronic outputs from a Coriolis ow meter can either be
current, pulse or as part of a communications package such as
PROFIBUS, MODBUS or FIELDBUS. The current and pulse outputs
can be either active or passive and can provide the mass ow or
the density reading from the ow meter. The communications
packages can be used for both the mass ow and density
measurements and also additional ow meter measurements and
diagnostics.

and will give values for mass ow rates in the presence of gas.
However, the errors in mass ow rate can be as high as 40%
which is signicant when the expected uncertainty for a Coriolis
mass ow meter is 0.15%.

Effects of Liquid/Gas Flow

The main impediment to accurate measurement under two-phase
ow conditions using a Coriolis meter is a dramatic rise in the
ow tube damping. Mechanical energy is lost in the interactions
between compressible bubbles, uid and ow tube walls, and the
drive energy required to maintain oscillation increases. Not only
does the damping rise, but it varies rapidly due to the chaotic
nature of the phase distribution. Similarly, the frequency and
amplitude of oscillation exhibit much greater variation than for
single phase ow [1].
Traditional Coriolis metering systems were unable to supply
high enough drive current (due to intrinsic safety requirements)
and drive gain to maintain the tube oscillation under two-phase
conditions. They were also unable to respond fast enough to
rapid changes in the natural frequency of resonance causing the
sensor to stall and the transmitter to go into fault.
Research is continuing into the operation of Coriolis owmeters
under two-phase conditions and it is expected that these devices
will continue to improve in terms of reliability and accuracy. Due
to the inherent complexity of meter operation under two-phase
conditions most major manufacturers are mainly concentrating
their efforts into the area of entrained gas rather than the wider
and more complex full range of two-phase ows.

Note: In addition to measuring mass ow rate and density,

Coriolis meter software can also record a number of other
parameters such as tube frequency and drive gain. Using these
additional measurements, particularly the drive gain, can help the
end-user detect the presence of gas in liquid streams.
References
1 Henry M, Duta M, Tombs M, Yeung H, Mattar W, How a
Coriolis Mass Flowmeter Can Operate in Two-Phase (Gas/
Liquid) Flow ISA EXPO 2004 Technical Conference

Further Reading
BS ISO 10790:1999, Measurement of uid ow in closed
conduits Guidance to the selection, installation and use of
Coriolis meters. London, BSI
Ross A. and Harvey R, The performance of Coriolis meters in twophase liquid/gas ows. North Sea Flow Measurement Workshop,
2011

Recent testing at NEL shows that there have been dramatic

improvements in Coriolis electronics. They are now able to
respond fast enough to rapid changes in the natural frequency
The purpose of this Guidance Note is to provide, in condensed
form, information on measurement methods and technologies.
It was produced as part of the UK Governments National
Measurement System.
For further information, contact:
TUV SUD NEL Ltd, East Kilbride, GLASGOW, G75 0QF, UK
Tel: + 44 (0) 1355 220222

Email: info@tuvnel.com

www.tuvnel.com

TUV SUD NEL Ltd 2011

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