Venturi flow nozzles

Row Orifice plates Venturi flow nozzle Measuring pressure drop... 

Orifice piates are flat plates with holes that are typically smaller than the inside diameter of the pipe. The intent is to place the device between two flanges and restrict flow so that an artificial high- and low-pressure zone is created on each side of the orifice. A transmitter is used to calculate the differential and calculate a flow rate. The venturi flow nozzle uses the same principle as... 

Flow Nozzles. A flow nozzle is a constriction having an eUiptical or nearly eUiptical inlet section that blends into a cylindrical throat section as shown in Figure 8. Nozzle pressure differential is normally measured between taps located 1 pipe diameter upstream and 0.5 pipe diameters downstream of the nozzle inlet face. A nozzle has the approximate discharge coefficient of an equivalent venturi and the pressure drop of an equivalent orifice plate although venturi nozzles, which add a diffuser cone to proprietary nozzle shapes, are available to provide better pressure recovery. 

Flow Nozzles A simple form of flow nozzle is shown in Fig. 10-17. It consists essentially of a short cylinder with a flared approach section. The approach cross section is preferably elliptical in shape but may be conical. Recommended contours for long-radius flow nozzles are given in ASME PTC, op. cit., p. 13. In general, the length of the straight portion of the throat is about one-h f throat diameter, the upstream pressure tap is located about one pipe diameter from the nozzle inlet face, and the downstream pressure tap about one-half pipe diameter from the inlet face. For subsonic flow, the pressures at points 2 and 3 will be practically identical. If a conical inlet is preferred, the inlet and throat geometry specified for a Herschel-type venturi meter can be used, omitting the expansion section. 

Discharge coefficients for critical flow nozzles are, in general, the same as those for subsonic nozzles. See Grace and Lapple, Trans. Am. Soc. Mech. Fug., 73, 639-647 (1951) and Szaniszlo, ]. Eug. Power, 97, 521-526 (1975). Arnberg, Britton, and Seidl [J. Fluids Eug., 96, 111-123 (1974)] present discharge-coefficient correlations for circular-arc venturi meters at critical flow. For the calciilation of the flow of natural gas through nozzles under critical-flow conditions, see Johnson,/. Ba.sic Eng., 92, 580-589 (1970). 

Head meters with density compensation. Head meters such as orifices, venturis, or nozzles can be used with one of a variety of densitometers [e.g., based on (a) buoyant force on a float, (b) hydrauhc couphug, (c) voltage output from a piezoelectric ciystal, or (d) radiation absolution]. The signal from the head meter, which is proportional to pV" (where p = fluid density aud V = fluid velocity), is multiphed by p given by the densitometer. The square root of the produc t is proportional to the mass flow rate. 

The most difficult part of a field test is the flow meter, if it wasn t planned in the construction phase. There is no way to simulate a meter run if you don t have the proper pipe length. Figure 10-8 is an example of the requirements. An ASME long radius flow nozzle is preferred by the author, though a short throat venturi will do. The probability is that an orifice is all that will be available. It should be examined before and after the test to verify not only the bore diameter, but the finish. The bore should... 

Orifice Plate in Quick Change Fitting Venturi Tube or Flow Nozzle ... 

Venturi Tube or Flow Nozzle Self-Contained Regulating Valve 0- - Computer Set... 

The flow nozzle, illustrated in Fig. 10-3, is similar to the venturi meter except that it does not include the diffuser (gradually expanding) section. In fact, one standard design for the venturi meter is basically a flow nozzle with an attached diffuser (see Fig. 10-6). The equations that relate the flow rate and measured pressure drop in the nozzle are the same as for the venturi... 

The simplest and most common device for measuring flow rate in a pipe is the orifice meter, illustrated in Fig. 10-7. This is an obstruction meter that consists of a plate with a hole in it that is inserted into the pipe, and the pressure drop across the plate is measured. The major difference between this device and the venturi and nozzle meters is the fact that the fluid stream leaving the orifice hole contracts to an area considerably smaller than that of the orifice hole itself. This is called the vena contracta, and it occurs because the fluid has considerable inward radial momentum as it converges into the orifice hole, which causes it to continue to flow inward for a distance downstream of the orifice before it starts to expand to fill the pipe. If the pipe diameter is D, the orifice diameter is d, and the diameter of the vena contracta is d2, the contraction ratio for the vena contracta is defined as Cc = A2/A0 = (d2/d)2. For highly turbulent flow, Cc 0.6. 

The flow of fluids is most commonly measured using head flowmeters. The operation of these flowmeters is based on the Bernoulli equation. A constriction in the flow path is used to increase the flow velocity. This is accompanied by a decrease in pressure head and since the resultant pressure drop is a function of the flow rate of fluid, the latter can be evaluated. The flowmeters for closed conduits can be used for both gases and liquids. The flowmeters for open conduits can only be used for liquids. Head flowmeters include orifice and venturi meters, flow nozzles, Pitot tubes and weirs. They consist of a primary element which causes the pressure or head loss and a secondary element which measures it. The primary element does not contain any moving parts. The most common secondary elements for closed conduit flowmeters are U-tube manometers and differential pressure transducers. 

Figure 8.6 shows a flow nozzle. This is a modified and less expensive type of Venturi meter. 

Orifice meters, Venturi meters and flow nozzles measure volumetric flow rate Q or mean velocity u. In contrast the Pitot tube shown in a horizontal pipe in Figure 8.7 measures a point velocity v. Thus Pitot tubes can be used to obtain velocity profiles in either open or closed conduits. At point 2 in Figure 8.7 a small amount of fluid is brought to a standstill. Thus the combined head at point 2 is the pressure head P/( pg) plus the velocity head v2/(2g) if the potential head z at the centre of the horizontal pipe is arbitrarily taken to be zero. Since at point 3 fluid is not brought to a standstill, the head at point 3 is the pressure head only if points 2 and 3 are sufficiently close for them to be considered to have the same potential head... 

Differential pressure transmitters (or DP cells) are widely used in conjunction with any sensor that produces a measurement in the form of a pressure differential (e.g. orifice plate, venturi meter, flow nozzle, etc.). This pressure differential is converted by the DP cell into a signal suitable for transmission to a local controller and/or to the control room. DP cells are often required to sense small differences between large pressures and to interface with difficult process fluids. Devices are available that provide pneumatic, electrical or mechanical outputs. 

An orifice in a pipeline, as in Fig. 10.5a, may be used as a meter in the same manner as the venturi tube or the flow nozzle. It may also be placed on the end of the pipe so as to discharge a free jet. The coefficients are practically identical in the two cases. The difference between the orifice in the present discussion and that in the earlier sections of this chapter is that here the pipe walls are nearer to the edge of the orifice so that there is less contraction of the jet, resulting in a higher value of Cc, and also there is a much larger value of the velocity of approach. For the numerical values of the coefficients to apply, the ratio DJDX should be less than %, where D0 and Di are the diameters of the orifice and the approach pipe, respectively. In the orifice meter the... 

The difference between an orifice meter and a venturi meter or flow nozzle is that for both of the latter there is no contraction, so that A2 is also the area of the throat and is fixed, while for the orifice, A2 is the area of the jet and is a variable and is, in general, less than the area of the orifice A0. For the venturi tube or flow nozzle the discharge coefficient is practically a velocity coefficient, while for the orifice the value of C or K is much more affected by Cc than it is by Cv. 

Thus, the coefficient C for an orifice meter is much less than it is for a venturi or a flow nozzle, and it also varies in a different manner with Reynolds number. Consider a pressure gradient between points in a pipe fitted with an orifice plate. Point 1 is upstream of the orifice plate. Point 2 is immediately downstream of the orifice, at the vena contracta. Point 3 is further downstream where the flow is normal, as it was at point 1, though at lower pressure owing to the orifice pressure loss. 

The coefficients for venturi meters, flow nozzles, and orifice meters vary with Reynolds number as shown in Figs. 10.7 to 10.10. The curve for an orifice meter shown in Fig. 10.10 covers an unusually wide range of both viscosity and Reynolds number. The fluids used were water and a series of oils up to a very viscous road oil, and for each fluid a number of different velocities were used, so that the curve represents points for many combinations of velocity and viscosity. Although the orifice plate may not be a standard beveled form, the value of C for high Reynolds numbers agrees closely with the value of C in Fig. 10.10 for a diameter ratio of 0.75. 

Venturi tubes, flow nozzles, and flow tubes, similar to all differential pressure producers, are based on Bernoulli s theorem. Meter coefficients for venturi tubes and flow nozzles are approximately 0.98-0.99, whereas for orifice plates it averages about 0.62. Therefore, almost 60% (98/62) more flow can be obtained through these elements for the same differential pressure (see Figure 3.82). 

Venturi, Flow Tube, and Flow Nozzle Inaccuracies (Errors) in Percentage of Actual Flow for Various Ranges of Beta Ratios and Reynolds Numbers... 

This formula is the same for frictiouless flow through the venturi and nozzle meters. 

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