CDB 3062

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY III

MAY 2016

EXPERIMENT : 8-FLOWMETER MEASUREMENT

GROUP : 17

GROUP MEMBERS : ROSLINA AIFAR BINTI ROSLI 19414

MOHD NOOR HADEEF BIN NOOR AZLAN 19431
KOI ZI KANG 18868
MUHAMMAD AMIRUL MUKMIN BIN MARZUKHI 19030
NUR AMALINA BINTI DAWI CAHYONO 19092
LAB INSTRUCTOR : MR ASIF

DATE OF EXPERIMENT : 18th JULY 2016

Table of Contents
1.0 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 1

2.0 Theory ............................................................................................................................................... 2

3.0 Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 4

4.0 Procedures ........................................................................................................................................ 5

5.0 Results ............................................................................................................................................... 6

6.0 Discussions ........................................................................................................................................ 7

7.0 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 10

8.0 References...11

9.0 Appendix.....12
1.0 SUMMARY

The flow meter measurement experiment helps in understanding the principles of

flow measurement and exposing us to different types of flow meters which resulting in
different accuracies. There are many types of flow meters used in the industrial activities
with different specific purpose. In this experiment, we used three types of flow meters
which are integral orifice flow meter, magnetic flow meter (EMF) and Coriolis flowmeter
(mass). Theoretically, the orifice flow meter has low accuracy at low flow rates. Integral
orifice flow meter works on the basis of differential pressure. The differential pressure is
proportional to the square of the velocity, it therefore follows that if all other factors remain
constant, then the differential is proportional to the square of the rate of flow. For the
magnetic flow meter (EMF), it operates on using the principle of Faradays Law of magnetic
induction. This gives the meaning that the voltage produced is directly proportional to the
flow rate. Meanwhile, the Coriolis flow meter acts differently. Its working principle is direct
mass measurement that is not sensitive to changes in pressure, temperature, viscosity and
density. It measures the amount of mass moving through the element. From the results that
we obtained, we may conclude that the Coriolis flow meter (mass) has the highest accuracy
followed by the magnetic flow meter (EMF) and then the integral orifice flow meter. Each
flow meter has its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, its use depends on the
needs of the industry itself. Among all flowmeters, Coriolis flowmeter is highly marketable
as many products are sold by weight rather than by volume, and in these cases it is often
desirable to measure mass flow and this is where Coriolis flowmeter comes in.

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2.0 THEORY

2.1 ORIFICE FLOWMETER

An orifice meter is a conduit and a restriction to create a pressure drop. A nozzle,

venturi or thin sharp edged orifice can
be used as the flow restriction. In
order to use any of these devices for
measurement it is necessary to
empirically calibrate them. Due to the
ease of duplicating and the simple
construction, the thin sharp edged
orifice has been adopted as a standard
and extensive calibration work has
been done so that it is widely accepted
as a standard means of measuring
Figure 2.1 Orifice Flowmeter
fluids.

As the fluid approaches the orifice the pressure increases slightly and then dropped
suddenly as the orifice is passed. It continues to drop until it reached the point of fluid
stream where the diameter of the stream is the least, and fluid velocity is at its maximum.
The decrease in pressure as the fluid passes thru the orifice is a result of the increased
velocity of the gas passing thru the reduced area of the orifice. When the velocity decreases
as the fluid leaves the orifice the pressure increases and tends to return to its original level.

All of the pressure loss is not recovered because of friction and turbulence losses in
the stream. The pressure drop across the orifice increases when the rate of flow increases.
When there is no flow there is no differential. The differential pressure is proportional to
the square of the velocity, it therefore follows that if all other factors remain constant, then
the differential is proportional to the square of the rate of flow.

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2.2 ELECTROMAGNETIC FLOWMETERS

Electromagnetic flow meters operate on using the principle of Faradays Law of

magnetic induction. The voltage produced is directly proportional to the flow rate. The
liquid serves as the conductor and the magnetic field is created by energized coils outside
the flow tube, while two electrodes mounted in the pipe wall detect the voltage which is
measured by a secondary element. When a conductive fluid moves in a magnetic field, a
voltage is generated between two electrodes at right angles to the fluid velocity and field
orientation.

The flow tube has a fixed area & field

intensity so the developed voltage is linearly
proportional to the volumetric flow rate.
Electromagnetic flow meter can measure
difficult and corrosive liquids and slurries, and
they can measure flow in both directions with
equal accuracy. It have a relatively high power
consumption and can only be used for electrical
conductive fluids as water.

Figure 2.2 Magnetic Flowmeter

Magnetic flow meter has been used worldwide because of its flow rate unaffected
by fluid density, consistency, viscosity, turbulence, or piping configuration. In addition,
magnetic flow meter is highly accurate due to absence of moving parts/ external sensing
lines and its corrosion-resistant ability which used Teflon liner and platinum electrodes.
Plus, it has wide flow measuring ranges & no pressure drop.

However, magnetic flow meter is costly compared to other flow meter types. The
temperature of the fluids being metered limited by the liner material rating causing it is
unable to be used for gas flow measurement.

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2.3 CORIOLIS FLOWMETER

Direct mass measurement sets Coriolis flowmeters apart from other technologies.
Mass measurement is not sensitive to changes in pressure, temperature, viscosity and
density. Coriolis flowmeters are universal meters as it has the ability to measure liquids,
slurries and gases.

Coriolis Mass Flowmeter uses the Coriolis

effect to measure the amount of mass moving
through the element. The fluid to be measured runs
through a U-shaped tube that is caused to vibrate in
an angular harmonic oscillation. Due to the Coriolis
forces, the tubes will deform and an additional
vibration component will be added to the oscillation.
This additional component causes a phase shift on
some places of the tubes which can be measured
with sensors. Figure 2.3 Coriolis Flowmeter

The Coriolis flow meters are in general high in accuracy, and capable of measuring
difficult handling fluids. The Coriolis meter can also be used to measure the fluids density. It
is independent of density changes, flow profile and flow turbulence. Hence straight lengths
are not required. Plus, no routine maintenance required since no moving parts. On the
other side, Coriolis meter is more expensive compared to other flow meters. In addition, its
high flow velocities required for detection resulting in high pressure drop, and difficult to
measure low pressure gases.

3.0 OBJECTIVES
The objective of this experiment are:
1. To introduce various types of flowmeters commonly found in industrial applications.
2. The principles of flow measurements and accuracies of each flowmeters.
3. To familiarize methods of flow measurement of an incompressible liquid.
Problem Statement: What are the accuracies of different types of flowmeters at various
flow rates?

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4.0 PROCEDURES

Experiment A: Orifice Flowmeter VS Calibration Tank

1. The hand valves positions were made sure to be as follow:

Close: HV511, HV514, HV515, HV516, HV518, HV519, HV520, HV521, HV525, HV526

Open: HV512, HV517, HV522, HV523

Pump P-501 was started, HV524 was used to regulate the flowrate to 10L/min then HV525
was opened.

2) When the water level reached 0L at the sight glass SG505, the stopwatch was started.

3) The time taken to fill 50 liters of water was recorded and the reading on the flowmeter
was recorded.

4) The experiment was repeated with a flowrate of 15L/min.

Experiment B: Magnetic Flowmeter VS Calibration Tank

1) The hand valves positions were made sure to be as follow:

Close: HV511, HV514, HV515, HV516, HV518, HV519, HV522, HV523, HV525, HV526

Open: HV512, HV517, HV518, HV519

Pump P-501 was started, HV524 was used to regulate the flowrate to 10L/min and HV525
was opened.

2) When the water level reached 0L at the sight glass SG505, the stopwatch was started.

3) The time taken to fill 50 liters of water was recorded and the reading on the flowmeter
was recorded.

4) The experiment was repeated with a flowrate of 15L/min.

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 Experiment C: Coriolis Flowmeter VS Calibration Tank

1) The hand valves positions were made sure to be as follow:

Close: HV511, HV515, HV516, HV520, HV521, HV522, HV523, HV525, HV526

Open: HV512, HV517, HV518, HV519

Pump P-501 was started, HV524 was used to regulate the flowrate to 10L/min and HV525
was opened.

2) When the water level reached 0L at the sight glass SG505, the stopwatch was started.

3) The time taken to fill 50 liters of water was recorded and the reading on the flowmeter
was recorded.

4) The experiment was repeated with a flowrate of 15L/min

5.0 RESULTS

i) Table

Types of FT - 503 Integral Orifice FT - 502 Magnetic Flowmeter FT - 501 Coriolis Flowmeter
flowmeter Flowmeter (EMF) (Mass)
Input
Flowrate, V1 10 10 15 15 10 10 15 15 10 10 15 15
(L/min)
Constant
50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
Volume, V (L)
Time taken to
5.27 5.20 3.48 3.48 5.20 5.22 3.44 3.42 5.20 5.18 3.42 3.40
fill 50L, t (min)
Measured
Flowrate, V2 = 9.49 9.62 14.37 14.37 9.62 9.58 14.53 14.6 9.62 9.65 14.6 14.7
V/t (L/min)
Accuracy (%) =
95.52 95.79 95.97 97.18 96.34 97.75
(V2/V1) * 100%

Table 5.1: Data Collected for Three Different Types of Flowmeters

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ii) Graph

Accuracy vs Flow Rate

98

97.5

97
Accuracy (%)

96.5 Orifice Flowmeter

Magnetic Flowmeter
96
Coriolis Flowmeter
95.5

95
0 5 10 15 20
Flow Rate (L/min)

Graph 5.1: Graph of Accuracy vs Flow Rate

6.0 DISCUSSIONS
The purpose of this experiment is to introduce various types of flowmeters
commonly found in industrial applications, to understand the principles of flow
measurements and accuracies of each flowmeter and to familiarize methods of flow
measurement of an incompressible liquid. Flowmeter is an instrument used to measure the
amount of liquid, gas or vapor that passes through them. In some flow meter the flow is
measured as the amount of fluid passing through the flow meter during a time period (such
as 100 liters per minute) whereas other flow meters measure the totalized amount of fluid
that has passed through the flow meter (such as 100 liters). Various types of flowmeters
have different working principles and yield different accuracies in measurement.

In this experiment, 3 types of flowmeters: integral orifice flowmeter, magnetic

flowmeter (EMF) and Coriolis flowmeter (mass) were used to compare their working
principles and accuracies. The accuracy of the flowmeter was determined by observing the
time required for the calibration tank to be filled with 50 liters of water. The flow rate of
each flowmeter was set at 10L/min and 15L/min subsequently.

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i) Integral Orifice Flowmeter vs Calibration Tank
From graph 5.1, we can see that the integral orifice has the lowest accuracy at both
flowrates 10L/min (95.52%) and 15L/min (95.79%) as compared to magnetic flowmeter and
Coriolis flowmeter. This result obeys the theoretical assumption in which orifice flowmeter
has low accuracy at low flow rates. Integral orifice flowmeter works on the basis of
differential pressure. With an orifice plate, the fluid flow is measured through the difference
in pressure from the upstream side to the downstream side of a partially obstructed pipe.
The plate obstructing the flow offers a precisely measured obstruction that narrows the
pipe and forces the flowing fluid to constrict. Orifice flow meter uses Bernoullis principle to
calculate the flow velocity by measuring the differential pressure. Therefore, when the flow
rate increases from 10L/min to 15L/min, the accuracy of orifice flowmeters increases
because the differential pressure increases which fits its working principle.

The advantages of orifice flowmeter are that it can be easily installed between
flanges, its fabrication is simple and inexpensive and there is no limitations on the materials
of construction, line size and flow rate. Its disadvantages include high permanent pressure
loss & hence high energy consumption to overcome pressure loss and it is impractical for
systems with low static pressure.

ii) Magnetic Flowmeter vs Calibration Tank

From graph 5.1, magnetic flowmeter is more accurate than integral orifice flowmeter
and less accurate than Coriolis flowmeter at both flow rates 10L/min (95.97%) and 15L/min
(97.18%). Magnetic flowmeter works on Faradays Law of magnetic induction. When a
conductive fluid moves in a magnetic field, a voltage is generated between two electrodes at
right angles to the fluid velocity and field orientation. The flow tube has a fixed area & field
intensity so the developed voltage is linearly proportional to the volumetric flow rate. Typical
accuracy of a magnetic flowmeter is 0.5% of measured value from 0.3 ft per sec to 33 ft. per
sec (0.1 to 10 m per sec) velocity. The accuracy of the magnetic flowmeter can be considered
as high. In industry, normally the accuracy of the magnetic flowmeter is about 1% indicated
flow, higher than the integral orifice. Error such as inconstant input flow rate when conducting
this experiment might cause the accuracy of the flow meters to deviate from the theoretical.

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 Also, when the flow rate increases, the accuracy of the magnetic flowmeter increases.
In magnetic flowmeter, at very low flows, the pipe is not fully filled and some error readings
will be obtained. Thus, the flow rate will influence the accuracy of the flowmeter. Advantages
of magnetic flowmeter include that its flow rate is unaffected by fluid density, consistency,
viscosity, turbulence, or piping configuration, it is highly accurate due to absence of moving
parts/ external sensing lines and there is no pressure drop involved. The disadvantages are
that it is costly in relative to other flow meter types and it cannot be used for gas flow
measurements.

iii) Coriolis Flowmeter vs Calibration Tank

From graph 5.1, we can see that Coriolis flowmeter has the highest accuracies among
all the flowmeters which are 96.34% at 10L/min and 97.75% at 15L/min. Coriolis flowmeters
high accuracy is due to its working principle which is direct mass measurement that is not
sensitive to changes in pressure, temperature, viscosity and density. With the ability to
measure liquids, slurries and gases, Coriolis flowmeters are universal meters. Coriolis Mass
Flowmeter uses the Coriolis Effect to measure the amount of mass moving through the
element. The fluid to be measured runs through a U-shaped tube that is caused to vibrate in
an angular harmonic oscillation. Due to the Coriolis forces, the tubes will deform and an
additional vibration component will be added to the oscillation. This additional component
causes a phase shift on some places of the tubes which can be measured with sensors. The
Coriolis flow meters are in general very accurate, better than +/-0.1% with a turndown rate
more than 100:1. The Coriolis meter can also be used to measure the fluids density. Coriolis
flowmeters usage in oil & gas industry and plant processing industry is increasing rapidly as
many products are sold by weight rather than by volume, and in these cases it is often
desirable to measure mass flow. Chemical reactions are often based on mass rather than
volume, so mass flow measurement is also often required in the chemical industry which
makes Coriolis flowmeter a better choice of selection.

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ERRORS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Error: Initial flow rate keeps fluctuating and could not be kept at constant level.
Recommendation: Consider using an electronic calibrator to get a more accurate
reading of the initial flow rate.
Error: Manual reading and calibration caused error in the value and results
obtained.
Recommendation: Repeat the experiment to get a better average value of the
results.
Error: Eyes are not at the same level as the scale of the tank is placed high up.
Recommendation: Stand on a sturdy surface to get the eyes the same level as the
scale or opt for using a digital water level measurer.

7.0 CONCLUSION
As a summary, the accuracy of the flowmeters was determined by observing the
time required for the calibration tank to be filled with 50 liters of water. The flow rate of
each flowmeter was set at 10L/min and 15L/min subsequently. In terms of working
principles, integral orifice flowmeter uses Bernoullis principle to calculate the flow velocity
by measuring the differential pressure in the fluid. For magnetic flowmeter, it uses on
Faradays Law of magnetic induction. As for Coriolis flowmeter, it uses the Coriolis Effect
to measure the amount of mass moving through the element. In terms of the accuracy of
the three flowmeters that were used in the experiment, Coriolis flowmeter is the most
accurate of them all as it gives the highest percentage of accuracy in the graphs (96.4% &
97.75%). Meanwhile, the integral orifice flowmeter has the least accuracies (95.52% &
95.79%) and magnetic flowmeters accuracies (95.97% & 97.18%) comes between the two
aforementioned flowmeters. For all three types of flowmeters, the accuracy increases when
flow rate increases. This is because for orifice flowmeter, the higher the flow rate, the
higher the differential pressure, the more accurate its reading will be. For magnetic
flowmeter, the higher the flow rate, more space in the pipe is filled thus yield a more
accurate result. For Coriolis flowmeter, the higher the flow rate, the more the mass passing

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through the element, resulting more Coriolis Effect and thus a more accurate result. All in
all, the objectives of this experiment are achieved.

8.0 REFERENCES

Boyes, W. (2009). Back to the Basics: Magnetic Flowmeters. Control. Retrieved 21 July 2016,
from http://www.controlglobal.com/articles/2009/flowmeters0904/

Piping Engineering. (n.d.). Flow Meter Types Based on Measurement Techniques. Retrieved
22 July 2016, from http://www.piping-engineering.com/flow-meter-measurement-
techniques-types.html

The Engineering Toolbox. (n.d.). Types of Fluid Flow Meters. Retrieved 23 July 2016, from
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/flow-meters-d_493.html

Yoder, J. (2011). Coriolis Effect Flow MetersAll You Need to Know. Flow Control. Retrieved
21 July 2016, from http://www.flowcontrolnetwork.com/the-coriolis-effect/

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9.0 APPENDIX

Figure 1: The three types of flowmeters used

Figure 2: The calibration tank

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Figure 3: Main control panel of the equipment used

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