Flow meter (or flow gauge, flow rate sensor) is a measurement device used to measure the flow rate of liquids and gases. Flow measurement of liquid and gas is a critical parameter in the industrial and manufacturing sector and is maintained with precision. Liquid, gas or steam is passed through or around the flow meter to measure rate. Initially in its early industrial usage flow meters are used in operating steam engines used in Trains, ships, and industrial boilers to control and measure the flow rate of steam produced in the engine.

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The need for flow meter

Flow meters are majorly used in various industries like the aerospace industry, pharmaceutical industry, petroleum refineries, chemical factories where precise flow rate measurement is mandatory to maintain product quality. Maintenance of flow rate and gaseous pressure is their primary objective not only for quality control but to ensure the health and safety of employees.

Choosing the right flow meter for you

Picking a flow meter that’s most appropriate for you depends on the purpose of your requirement. There is a list of different flow meters used to fulfill different needs. Each flow meter has its own usage and benefits. Certain points must be considered before choosing a flow meter like:

1. What medium is going to be measured either liquid or gas, different flow meter is required for both the medium?
2. Accuracy requirement-precise flow rate is required in the aerospace industry while a vineyard can be operated with a measurement accuracy of 5 to 8%.
3. Fluid temperature and viscosity of the fluid are considered before selection.
4. Location of the flow meter where it is to be installed. Places, where hazardous or explosive gases are used different flow meters, are considered.
5. Different types of fluid require different types of flow meter depending on their flow either continuous or intermittent.
6. It depends on the user output requirements from the flow meter i.e. in digital or analog form.

Different industrial sectors require different types of flow meters, some of them are as follows:

• Pharmaceutical industry – in a pharmaceutical industry critical parameters are followed to produce life-saving medicines. To control these parameters flow meters are used to regulate the mixing of chemicals, coloring coating of pills, defining the size of pills, coating of medicine. Turbine flow meter, ultrasonic flowmeter, Coriolis flowmeter are some of the most commonly used flow meters used in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Food and beverages industry - Electromagnetic and mass flow meter is used to regulate the flow of acids and liquids respectively with high accuracy in the food and beverages sector. Coriolis flow meter is used to regulate the flow of gases.
• Aerospace Industry - Different types of turbine flow meters are mainly used in this sector for precise flow measurement, fuel consumption studies, thrust vectoring analysis, jet propulsion study, engine, and brake performance testing.

Types of Flow meter

Generally, flow meters are used to measure the water flow (liquid flow) and gas flow that passes through the meter. According to which it can easily be characterized into water flow meters and gas flow meters.

Digital Water flow meter:

Here at Silver automation instruments, we possess different types of digital water flow meter having distinct features and benefits in comparison to the other digital water flow meters available in the market.

Features

• Operates at 24V DC, 220 AC or can be operated at the battery.
• 4-20 mAH pulse output.
• RSH8S, MODBUS RTU communication.

Benefits

• High definition LED display indicator.
• Easy to operate.
• Low maintenance.
• Cost-efficient.
• No straight piping requirements
• Instantaneous movement with liquid

Have a look at some of our finest digital water flow meters

• Liquid turbine flow meter- It is mainly used in the automotive, aerospace & aviation and petrochemical industry for the transfer of fluid at high temperature and high pressure. It is capable of measuring low flow water.
• Magnetic flow meter- Also known as mag meter, electromagnetic flow meter measures the fluid rate by the voltage induced across the liquid. It requires conductive fluid i.e. water that contains ions and a pipe with an electrically insulating surface.
• Ultrasonic flow meter- It can measure the water flow rate in a circular pipe. Ultrasonic flow meter calculates the flow volume using the ultrasound with the help of the ultrasonic transducer.

Gas flow meter:

Gas flow meters are used to measure volume and flow rate of gases. They are specially designed to measure the flow rate and calculate the flow volume of fuel gases like CNG (compressed natural gases) AND LPG (liquified natural gases). Gases are highly volatile to temperature and pressure, to measure the volumetric rate of gases different meters are designed.

Diaphragm or bellow gas flow meter- It is the most common gas flow meter that is widely installed for residential and commercial purposes. It can be seen in household gas flow meters, at hospitals and in hotels with centralized ventilation.

Coriolis meters- the ability of this meter to handle a wide range of flow rates makes it unique. It can measure both liquid and gas flow rates. It possesses the highest accuracy for mass flow rate.