In today's world of consumption, the question of quality and accurate measurement of consumed resources often arises. These can be both gases and liquids. For such a measurement, devices were invented, one of which is a turbine flow meter. This type has found wide application for measuring the flow of liquids and gases.
What is a turbine flow meter
The operation of the flow meter is based on the flow rate of liquid and gas. It is used only in clean environments that do not have foreign bodies and debris in suspension. They have a simple design, which is why they are widely distributed throughout the world.
Turbine flowmeters are the most accurate instrument for measuring resource consumption. They are used in rocket and aviation technology, as well as in the chemical and oil refining industries.
Operation principle
Operating principleTurbine liquid flow meter consists in transferring the movement of the latter to the impeller in the form of an impeller, and from it to the scale of the measuring instrument. As the fluid moves, the impeller begins to rotate in low friction bearings.
Structurally, the impeller of a turbine flow meter can be of two types: axial and tangential. The first one in its appearance resembles an Archimedes screw, and the tangential one resembles the blades of a water mill.
The flow rate of the measured medium is proportional to the speed of rotation of the turbine, which allows the most accurate measurement of the flow rate of a liquid or gas. The design of the flowmeter has mechanical stabilizers and flow straighteners. The jet, passing through the flow meter, initially hits the rectifiers, which consist of metal plates installed parallel to the flow. With the help of a stabilizer, turbulences in the flow of liquid or gas are aligned, thereby smoothing out errors in the readings of the device.
The higher the fluid flow rate, the faster the turbine blades rotate. The very principle of measurement is based on taking into account the number of revolutions of the latter for a certain period of time. For visual monitoring of the flow rate of liquid, gas and steam, the rotational movement of the turbine blades in the device is transmitted to the spindle with the help of a gearbox, or the rod is further connected to an indicator with an arrow.
Instrument manufacturers recommend avoiding the ingress of debris and foreign bodies into the measured medium, as this can damage the device and reduce the accuracy of the reading. The main factors affecting measurement accuracy are:
- decrease or increase in liquid properties such as density and viscosity;
- wear of turbine blade mountings;
- appearance of eddies due to the influence of local resistance of the measured medium.
Features
Turbine liquid meters are available in the following diameters: 40, 50, 65, 80, 100, 125, 150, 200 and 250mm. These flowmeters are highly durable and designed for long-term operation. They can be installed both indoors and outdoors, as well as in objects with high humidity. For such an installation, the device is made of stainless steel, which prevents moisture from entering and failure of parts of the measuring device. The error in measuring the flow rate of liquid, gas or steam is no higher than 0.4%.
Application
Turbine flowmeters are designed to accurately measure the consumption of resources such as liquids, gases and steam. They have a low error and are quite easy to use. Completely exclude external influence on consumption readings.
Along with the advantages, there are some disadvantages:
- need to use graduated flowmeters;
- effect of changing the viscosity and density of a substance;
- fragility of the mounting supports, which adversely affects the readings and performance of the flowmeter.
