In the modern world of consumption, the question often arises of a qualitative and accurate measurement of consumed resources. These can be both gases and liquids. Instruments were invented for such a measurement, one of which is a turbine flowmeter. This type has found wide application for measuring the flow rate of liquids and gases.
What is a turbine flowmeter
The flowmeter is based on the flow rate of a 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 flow meters 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.
Operating principle
The principle of operation of a turbine liquid flowmeter is to transmit the movement of the latter to the impeller in the form of an impeller, and from it to the scale of the measuring device. During fluid movement, the impeller begins to rotate in bearings with low friction.
Structurally, the impeller of a turbine flowmeter can be of two types: axial and tangential. The first in appearance resembles the screw of Archimedes, while 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 of liquid or gas. The flowmeter design has mechanical stabilizers and flow rectifiers. The jet, passing through the flowmeter, initially enters the rectifiers, consisting of metal plates mounted parallel to the flow. Using a stabilizer, the turbulence in the liquid or gas flow is smoothed out, thereby smoothing out errors in the instrument readings.
The higher the fluid velocity, the faster the turbine blades rotate. The measurement principle itself is based on taking into account the number of revolutions of the latter for a certain period of time. To visually monitor the flow of liquid, gas and steam, the rotational movement of the turbine blades in the device is transmitted to the spindle using a gearbox, or the rod is then connected to the indicator with an arrow.
Manufacturers of the device 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 the measurement accuracy are:
- a decrease or increase in fluid properties such as density and viscosity;
- wear of the supports for mounting the blades of the turbines;
- the occurrence of vortices due to the influence of local resistance of the measured medium.
Specifications
Turbine fluid flowmeters produce the following diameters: 40, 50, 65, 80, 100, 125, 150, 200 and 250 mm. These flowmeters are characterized by high wear resistance and are designed for continuous 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 and the failure of parts of the measuring device. The error in measuring the flow rate of a liquid, gas or steam is not higher than 0.4%.
Application
Turbine flow meters are designed to accurately measure the consumption of resources such as liquids, gases and steam. They have a low error and are quite simple to use. Completely exclude external influence on consumption indications.
Along with the advantages, there are some disadvantages:
- the need for graduated flowmeter devices;
- the effect of changes in the viscosity and density of a substance;
- the fragility of the mounting supports, which adversely affects the readings and performance of the flow meter.