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EI6603 - Industrial Instrumentation-II

Unit – III ELECTRICAL FLOWMETERS

Faradays law of electromagnetic induction

Faraday’s law states that, whenever a conductor moves through a magnetic field of given strength,
a voltage is induced in the conductor which is proportional to the relative velocity between the
conductor and the magnetic field.

Whenever a conductor of length ‘l’ moves with a velocity ‘v’ perpendicular to a magnetic field
‘B’, an emf ‘e’ is induced in a mutually perpendicular direction which is given by e = Blv

E
V=
CBL
Where
E = induced voltage
C = dimensional constant
B = magnetic field in weber/m2
L = Length of conductor (fluid) in m/s
V = Velocity of the conductor (fluid) in m/s

Advantages of electromagnetic flowmeter

Handle slurry and greasy materials

Handle corrosive fluids
Very low pressure drop
Totally obstruction less
Available in large pipe sizes
Measurements are unaffected by viscosity, density, temperature and pressure

Applications of electromagnetic flowmeter

Fluids like sand water slurry, coal powder, slurry, sewage, wood, pulp, chemicals
Distilled water in large pipelines, hot fluids, high viscous fluids
Food processing industry, cryogenic fluids
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Disadvantages of electromagnetic flowmeter

Relatively expensive
Works with fluid which are adequate electrical conductors
Relatively heavy, especially larger in sizes
Must be full at all times
Explosion proof when installed in hazardous electrical areas

What is Ultrasonic?

The term ‘ultrasonic’ refers to the pressure differences (usually are short bursts of sine waves)
whose frequency is above the range audible to human hearing which is 20 to 20000 Hz.

Types of Ultrasonic flowmeter

Time – difference type or Transit time
Doppler type

Advantages of Ultrasonic flowmeter

No moving parts
Velocity/output relationship is linear.
Repeatability is in the order of 0.01 %
Doesn’t impose additional resistance to the flow or disturb the flow pattern as the transducers
are inserted in the wall of pipe

Formulae for ultrasonic flowmeter

TC
V=
2 L cos 
Where,
L=acoustic path length between A and B
C=velocity of sound in the fluid
 =angle of path with respect to the pipe axis
V=velocity of fluid in pipe
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Formulae for Doppler type ultrasonic flowmeter

fC t
V= = fK
2f 0 cos 
Where,
f=difference between transmitted and received frequency
Ct=velocity of sound in the transducer
 = angle of transmitter and receiver crystal
f0=frequency of transmission

Principle of Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA)

Involves the focusing of laser beams at the point, where the velocity is to be measured. Sensing
with a photo detector the light scattered by thin particles carried along with the fluid as it passes
through the focal point. Velocity of particles is assumed to be equal to the fluid velocity. Causes
the doppler shift of the frequency of the scattered light and produces a photo detector signal
related to the velocity.

Formulae for LDA flowmeter

The frequency ‘f ’ of electrical signals produced by a particle moving with velocity ‘V’ is given
by

2V sin
f= 2

Where,
 = Laser wavelength
 = Angle of the beam

Advantages of LDA
High accuracy
Used measurements of flow both liquids and gases
Volume of sensing part can be small
No physical object is inserted into the flow and the flow is undisturbed by the measurement
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Disadvantages of LDA
Involves the use of transparent channels
High cost
High degree of complexity
There is a need for tracer particles for scattering of light beam. Therefore, the method can’t be
used for clean flows

Applications of LDA
The use of this non contact measurement method is suitable for nearly all hydro dynamical and
aero dynamical velocity measurement applications
Measurement of blood flows
Measurement of flow between the blades of a turbine
Determination of 3D wing tip vortices over near tips of wings of aircrafts
Combustion and flame phenomena in gas turbines and jet propulsion systems

What is meant by vortex?

When an obstruction (a non-streamlined object) is placed in the path of a flowing stream, the fluid
is unable to remain attached to the object on its downstream sides and will alternately separate
(shed) from one side and then the other. The slow-moving fluid in the boundary layer on the body
becomes detached on the downstream side and rolls into eddies and vortices.

Types of vortex shedding flowmeter

Swirl meter
Vortex shedding flowmeter
Fluidic meter

Advantages of vortex shedding flowmeter

Excellent rangeability
No moving parts
Low pressure drop
Good response speed
Handles wide variety of chemicals, including slurries, liquids with entrained particles and
viscous materials
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Relative immune to density, pressure, temperature, pressure and viscosity

Disadvantages of vortex shedding flowmeter
Cost is high
Not available over 200 mm size
Require in-line mounting

Applications of Swirlmeter
Available in pipe sizes from 25.4 to 152.4 mm
Used in gaseous applications – very much lower density results in a significantly lower
pressure loss.

What is Coanda effect?

When the fluid enters the meter, it is entertained into jet from its surroundings, which causes a
reduction in pressure. Jet curvature is sustained by the pressure differential across the jet. If
sufficient volume of fluid is introduced into the control port, it causes the jet to switch from the
initial position to the opposite side wall. This is known as Coanda effect.

Principle of Target flowmeter

Measures flow by measuring the force on a target (or disc) centered in a pipe at right angles to the
direction of fluid flow. Fluid flow develops a force on the target which is proportional to the square
of the flow.

Q=K F
Where,
Q=flow rate
K= a known coefficient
F=Force

Advantages of Target flowmeter

Repeatability is good
Good for relatively high temperature and pressures
Good accuracy
Useful for difficult measurements such as slurries, polymer-bearing and corrosive mixtures
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Applications of Target flow meter

Measuring flow of heavy viscous, dirty or corrosive fluids, light slurries, gases and vapour

Disadvantages of Target flow meter

In-line mounting is required
No-flow conditions must exist for zeroing the scale.
Limited calibrated data

Formulae for Drag body flow meter

F = C d A( V 2 / 2g)

Where,
F=force
Cd= drag coefficient
A= Sensor area
 =Fluid density

V2/2g=velocity head

Steps followed to select the flow meter or guidelines for flow meter selection
The meter selection for a particular application can be done as per the following steps
• First by identifying the meters which are technically capable of performing the required
measurement.
• Available in acceptable materials of construction and then by making the beast choice of
those available.
• A list should be made of key parameters which the meter must be capable of
accommodating.
• From the orientation table, the elimination of 1st set of technically unsuitable materials can
be made.
• The list can be further refined by considering the application requirements against the
features summary.
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What is open channel flow measurement?

It is an obstruction in a flowing stream, over the liquid is made to pass. Measures the flow rate in
open channels such as dams, river research studies, waste and sewage disposal and irrigation. By
using weirs, flow rate can be measured from a few gallons per minute to millions of gallons per
day.

Types of Open channel flow measurement

Weir
Flumes

Types of Weir
V-Notch Weir
Rectangular Notch Weir
Trapezoidal (or) cippolettier Weir

Formulae for V-Notch Weir Formulae for Rectangular Notch Weir

2 8 
Q = C d b 2gh 3 Q= C d 2gh 5 tan
3 15 2

Formulae for Trapezoidal (or) cippolettier Weir

2
Q = C d b 2gh 3
3

Where,
Cd = Co-efficient of discharge
b = length of crest of weir
h = height of water surface above crest

Advantages of Weir
Cost is low
Can be constructed on location where being used
Not easily damaged
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Disadvantages of Weir
Applicable only to open channel measurement
Accuracy is poor
Field calibration is required

What is meant by flumes?

It measures the flow rate in open channel measurement, in which a specially shaped flow section
restricts the channel area. Changes the channel slope to produce an increased velocity and changes
the level of liquid flows through it

Advantages of Flumes
Handles flow rate than weir
Constructed on location
Easy to construct all sections are planar surface
Dimensions are not easily altered

Disadvantages of Flumes
More expensive than weir
Requires calibration on location
Accuracy is not 2% to 3%

Solid flow measurement

Solid flow measurement occurs when material in the form of small particles such as crashed
material or powder is carried by conveyor belt system or by some host material. Continuous
measurement of flow rate of dry material such as coal, cement, powdered chemicals paper and
fruits are necessary in many industries process for measuring flow of dry materials.

Types of Solid flow measurement

Belt type gravimetric feeder
Belt type electro mechanical gravimetric feeder
Belt type gravimetric feeder with pneumatic system
Nuclear method of solid flow measurement