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Velocity Type: Turbine Flowmeter

 Overview

– Principle of Operation
• Rotor blade positioned perpendicular to flow
• Rotor spins at a rate proportional to flow velocity
• Magnetic pickup determines blade speed
– Line sizes > 1/4 inch with flow range of 0.06 to
50,000 gpm on liquids

– Typical accuracy of 0.15 to 0.5% of rate

D I C E T Flow Measurement

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Turbine Meter

Principle of Operation

Rotor velocity is proportional to fluid velocity

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Turbine Flowmeter

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Turbine Meter

 High accuracy (.5% of rate)

 High rangeability (up to 50:1)
 Compact design
 Fast response time
 Broad range of sizes
 Clean water applications only
 NIST Traceable Factory Calibration
 Low cost, Easy to install
 In and out of line, under pressure

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Turbine Meter

Performance Considerations
 Straight pipe run requirements
 Process fluid lubricity
 Reynolds number constraints
 Viscosity
 Density
 Maintenance & recalibration

D I C E T Flow Measurement

The fluid entering the meter causes the rotor to turn with velocity that is
proportional to the fluid's flow velocity, and therefore, the flow rate. The
rotor is linked to a sensing unit. As the rotor turns, either a counter
records the number of revolutions or an electrical pulse is generated in
a pick-up coil. This pulse is proportional to the rotational speed of the
rotor and to the flow rate. Characteristically, turbine flow meters
develop a precisely known number of pulses for a given volume
measured. This can be stated as:

cycles / time Cycles Meter

 
volume / time Volume Coefficient

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Usually, the coefficient of each transmitter is determined by actual

flow calibration prior to shipment by the manufacturer. This
coefficient, commonly referred to as the calibration factor or K factor,
is expressed by

Tk f
K = ---------
Q

where f = frequency, Hz
Q = volumetric flow rate (such as qpm)
Tk = a time constant (such as 60 for gpm)
K = pulses per volume unit (such as pulses/gal)

D I C E T Flow Measurement

Turbine Flowmeter

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Turbine Flowmeter

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Turbine Flowmeter
Rotor (6-24 inch)

Inlet Diffuser and

Support Fins

Rotor (3-4 inch)

Body

Retaining Ring

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Installation for a precision liquid meter as suggested by Quadrina

Ltd. (reproduced with permission)

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This is a cut – away demonstration model of a turbine flowmeter:

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The following photograph shows three

- compliant installations of turbine flowmeters for measuring the flow

rate of natural gas:

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This is a turbine flowmeter with temperature – compensation functions:

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Turbine Flowmeter
 Common Applications

– Liquid and gas service

– Natural gas custody transfer metering
– Gasoline Blending/Loading
– Generally applicable on lubricating fluids
operating at Reynolds numbers in excess of 4000
to 20,000
– Generally applied to clean fluids

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Turbine Flowmeter
 Benefits/Advantages
– High Accuracy
– High Repeatability
– Measures Non-Viscous Fluids

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Turbine Flowmeter
 Limitations/Disadvantages
– Moving parts
– High maintenance
– High cost of ownership
– Energy of fluid must be sufficient to turn the rotor
• Reynolds number constraints
– Sudden surges of liquid often damage the turbine/bearings
– Sensitive to composition (density) changes
– Not good with high viscosity fluids
– Any damage to the flowmeter results in a loss of accuracy and
eventually meter removal for repair

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Turbine Flowmeters

TURBINE
ADVANTAGES
• High Accuracy
• Suitable for Extreme
Temperatures and Pressures
• Can Be Used On Gas or Liquid

DISADVANTAGES
• Only For Low Viscosities
• Moving Parts
• Sensitive to Flow Profile

D I C E T Flow Measurement

Paddle-wheel Flowmeters
The paddle-wheel-type flowmeter, also referred to as an impeller
flowmeter, is characterized in much the same way as the turbine
flowmeter. The rotating portion of the flowmeter, called the rotor or
impeller is positioned into the outside perimeter of the liquid path. As the
liquid moves past the rotor, a moment is imposed on the blades of the
rotor that are present in the stream. This moment causes the rotor to
accelerate to a velocity equal to the liquid velocity. Since the cross-
sectional area of the pipe is known, the volumetric flow rate can be easily
obtained from the liquid velocity. The paddle-wheel flowmeter has
inherently lower cost because the same sensing mechanism can be used
with several pipe sizes and hardware configurations. Paddle-wheel
flowmeters require a full pipe for operation and measure liquid velocities
between 0 and 30 ft/s (9.1 m/s). This technology has typical linearity of +1
percent of full-scale and a repeatability of ±0.5 percent of full-scale.
Operating conditions include pressures up to 2000 psig (139 kPa) and
temperatures to 400º F (204º C).

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Various types of mounting hardware adapt the paddle-wheel flowmeter

to installation requirements. These include T-mounts insertion mounts for
use with pipe saddles and weldments, spool pieces for mounting the
sensor between pipe flanges, and hot tap hardware, which allows the
insertion sensor to be serviced without depressurizing the system in
which it is installed. The characteristics of turbine flowmeters are
summarized in Table 3.

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Typical paddle-wheel flowmeter

construction. (Great Lakes
Instruments, Inc.)

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Paddle wheel
Various other designs of wall-mounted probe are available for hot-tapping or
fitting into a T-piece in the wall. These paddlewheel-type probes essentially
measure flow near the wall of the pipe, and the deduction of mean flow in the
pipe will be obtained by reference to the manufacturer's literature.

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Paddle-wheel-type flow sensor (reproduced

with permission of Peek Measurement).

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This is a photograph of a plastic paddlewheel flowmeter :

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This is an external ends of two fiber optic cables:

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Pelton Wheel Flowmeters

Pelton wheel flowmeters operate like a hydraulic
Pelton wheel by using the impulse due to the fluid jet
momentum. To achieve this, the flow is constricted to
a small outlet and hence forms a high speed jet.

It is designed for use with liquids. An upstream filter

with A 60-mesh insert may be recommended. A typical
low flow range is 0.18-1.81/min with a repeatability
claimed as ±0.25%. The passing of the rotor tips is
sensed by a reluctance pickup.

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Pelton-wheel-type flowmeter (reproduced with

permission of Nixon Instruments)

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Propeller flowmeter
Propeller meters are commonly used in large
diameter (over 4 in) irrigation and water distribution
systems. Their primary trade-off is low cost and low
accuracy. Propeller meters have a rangeability of
about 4:1 and exhibit very poor performance if the
velocity drops below 1.5 ft/sec. Most propeller
meters are equipped with mechanical registers.
Mechanical wear, straightening, and conditioning
requirements are the same as for turbine meters.

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Propeller Flowmeter

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