This sensor from Keyence gives you the ability to BOLT ONTO your existing pipe to measure flow (like gallons/minute, etc.). No need to add new fittings to your existing system. Definitely talk to the Keyence guy and tell him it is too expensive. They always come down on price, especially if they think you will buy a few of these. You can also get demo equipment if you tell them you want to evaluate retrofitting in various places.
update: you don’t need a PLC for one of these but they can work with one as well.
ive heard that these millimeter wave(believe thats whats being used in these, correct me if im wrong) have issues tracking if there isnt atleast some particulate matter in the solution to reflect the waves. also heard that you cannot have them anywhere close to an elbow, as it senses best in a laminar flow.
great for our industry though, in that we deal with flammable solvents and products destined to be consumed, the less invasive the method of sensing the better!
typical of pretty much all process flow meters even threaded end or flanged types. some have greater upstream and downstream straight run requirements. not sure what this particular flow meter uses since i have to sign up just to see the catalog and data sheet on it! Boy do i hate vendors that make you fucking sign up to their site to view the data sheets or cad dimensions.
Sometimes you can shorten straight run requirements with a straightening vane or flow conditioner
The .pdf I posted above talks about laminar flow in chapter 3 and 5. It offers design guidelines to position these in the right areas for good laminar flow.
Yes, the bend is essential for this style of flow meter. If you’re thinking of purchasing one, verify the required orientation with the manufacturer. Some only read correctly in upward or downward mounting, horizontal is usually not compatible. They also require a fair amount of calibration upkeep and testing as any buildup of residue or impurities can affect accuracy.
Depending on the meter used you might only need a few pipe diameters upstream and downstream of straight run. In all seriousness we are talking about some really tiny meters used in these setups compared to oil and gas or petrochem. I’ve used ultrasonic meters in 2" up to 24" that might require 10 diameters up and 5 diameters downstream. You can imagine trying to layout a gas regulation and metering skid with 24" diameter pipe these straight runs get pretty long.
Example: sensor requires “3 diameters of straight flow before the sensor”. If the pipe diameter is 2" then you need 2"x3"=6" of straight pipe before the sensor.
If an FE (flow element or flow meter) requires 10d upstream 5D downstream you take the diameter of the pipe and multiply it times 10 the upstream straight run and multiply the diameter by 5 to get the downstream straight run
Sometime you can use a flow conditioner to lower these requirements. Some meters won’t allow flow conditioners while other meters might have a conditioner built into the meter itself to lower straight run requirements
Mass flow all day, very important and useful measurement. This one pictured is a curved tube Coriolis flow meter, the bend you see there is definitely an important part of its operation. Wiki has a better description than I can give regarding how it works and mass flow is derived. Mass flow meter - Wikipedia
When you play at a wide range of operating temps, coriolis flow meters (mass flow meters) are the way to go. It generally records the minor oscillations through the unit and registers the mass flow through the sensor. Partner with a digital regulator for an Air operated valve and you can do some neat stuff with a scada system.
