Flow-measuring methods

A number of considerations should be evaluated before a flow measurement method can be selected for any appHcation. These considerations can be divided into four general classifications fluid properties ambient environment measurement requirements and economics. 

The use of tracers for airflow measurement in ventilation ducts is not very common. There are several reasons for this. Compared to other flow measurement methods, tracers require more complicated equipment, skilled personnel, and are more expensive. There are, however, situations when conventional measurement methods are not applicable. For instance, if the space available is small, and hence the flow meter cannot be installed, or if no space is free to carry out traversing measurements, the use of a tracer might be an alternative. 

Determine the flow measurement method to be used during the test, i.e., flowmeter or pitot tube measures of the nearest available water outlets on the system. Ensure that the flow measurement devices are calibrated or adjusted for the fire pump maximum flow output. 

Variables Affecting Measurement Flow measurement methods may sense local fluid velocity, volumetric flow rate, total or cumulative volumetric flow (the integral of volumetric flow rate with respect to elapsed time), mass flow rate, and total mass flow. 

Velocity Profile Effects Many variables can influence the accuracy of specific flow measurement methods. For example, the velocity profile in a closed conduit affects many types of flow-measuring devices. The velocity of a fluid varies from zero at the wall and at other stationary solid objects in the flow channel to a maximum at a distance from the wall. In the entry region of a conduit, the velocity field may approach plug flow and a constant velocity across the conduit, dropping to zero only at the wall. As a newtonian fluid progresses down a... 

Flow measurements using tracers are performed in all piping systems carrying oil, gas or water including separators, compressors, injector systems, and flares. Calibration of elsewhere difficult accessible flow meters is regularly performed by the tracer methods, which are based on international standards. Tracer flow measurements are also well suited for special purposes... 

Figure 1 Tracer flow measurements using the time of transit method...

Figure 2. Principle of 3 phase flow measurements by the continuous dilution tracer method.

Capacity. Pumps deHver a certain capacity, Q, sometimes referred to as flow, which can be measured directly by venturi, orifice plate (11), or magnetic meters (12) (see Flow measurement). The indirect way to determine capacity is often used. Whereas this method is less accurate than applying a flow meter, it often is the only method available in the field. The total head is measured and the capacity found from the pump head—capacity (H— curve (Fig. 2). More recently, sonic flow meters (13) have been used, which can be installed on the piping without the need for pipe disassembly. These meters are simple to use, but require relatively clean single-phase Hquid for reHable measurements. 

Capillary Viscometers. Capillary flow measurement is a popular method for measuring viscosity (21,145,146) it is also the oldest. A Hquid drains or is forced through a fine-bore tube, and the viscosity is determined from the measured flow, appHed pressure, and tube dimensions. The basic equation is the Hagen-Poiseuike expression (eq. 17), where Tj is the viscosity, r the radius of the capillary, /S.p the pressure drop through the capillary, IV the volume of hquid that flows in time /, and U the length of the capillary. 

The best anti-surge control is the simplest and most basic that will do the job. The most obvious parameter is minimum-flow measurement, or if there is a relatively steep pressure-flow characteristic, the differentia pressure may be used. The latter parameter allows for a much faster response system, as flow measurement response is generally slow however, the speed of response need only be fast enough to accept expected transients. One major problem with the conventional methods of measurement and control is the need to move the set point for initiation of the control signal away from the exact surge point to allow some safety factor for control response time and other parameters not directly included... 

In addition to flow regime, hold-up and pressure drop are two other important parameters in two-phase gas-liquid flows. Hold-up is defined as the relative portion of space occupied by a phase in the pipe. It can be expressed on a time or space average basis, with the actual method chosen depending on the intended use of the hold-up value, and the measurement method employed. There are numerous correlations in the literature for hold-up, but most are based upon a pressure drop-hold-up correlation. The following expression is a widely recognized empirical relationship between hold-up and pressure drop ... 

Because all measurement methods and instruments are sensitive to the velocity profile, the choice of the measurement cross-section is of vital importance. In most ventilation systems there is seldom enough straight duct to allow a fully developed velocity profile to develop, which is the most favorable for flow measurement. Thus, the principle in selecting the measurement cross-section is to find the place where the velocity profile is as near to the fully developed profile as possible. In practice the distance from the nearest source of disturbance upstream is maximized, ensuring that the distance to the nearest downstream disturbance is at least 3 to 5 duct diameters. 

The simplest calibration procedure for a gas flow-measuring device is to connect it in series with a reference meter and allow the same flow to pass th tough both instruments. This requires a reference instrument of better metrological quality than the calibrated instrument. One fact to consider when applying this method is that the mass flow rate in the system containing both instruments is constant (assuming no leakage), but the volume flow rate is not. The volume flow rate depends on the fluid density and the density depends on the pressure and the temperature. The correct way to calibrate is to compare either the measured mass... 

ASHRAE 41.2-1987. Methods for Laboratory Air Flow Measurement. American Societv of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers, Atlanta, 1987. 

Analyzing the behavior of filled polymers, as any other heterophase systems, two aspects should be distinguished. First, these are the properties of such systems, i.e. their inherent characteristics, independent of a measuring method if, of course, the measurements are correct (to select criteria of correctness of an experiment, carried out with multiphase systems, seems to be an independent and by no means a simple problem). Second, this is a manifestation of these properties when heterophase systems flow in channels of different geometrical form. Behind all this stands the basic applied problem—finding out how the properties of filled polymers, appearing during their flow, affect the properties of finished articles. 

Pirie. R. L., Davies, T., Khan, A. R. and Richardson, J. F. 2nd International Coni, on Flow Measurement — BHRA, London (1988) Paper F3, 187. Measurement of liquid velocity in multiphase flow by salt injection method. 

For most existing measuring methods, the actual motion of individual nano-particles in two-phase flow cannot be observed easily. Conventional particle image velocimetry (PIV) apparatus can measure the particles in micro scale... 

Dukler, A. E., and Y. Taitel, 1991a, Modern Measuring Methods, in Two-Phase Gas-Liquid Flow A Short Course on Principles of Modelling Gas-Liquid Flow and on Modem Measuring Methods, p. 115, University of Houston, Houston, TX. (3)... 

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