Instrumentation & Controls

Lab 6 Rotameters and Paddle Wheel Flow Meters

EXERCISE OBJECTIVES

To describe the operation of a rotameter;

To describe the operation of a paddle wheel flow meter;
To describe the advantages and limitations of the rotameter and the paddle
wheel flow meter.

DISCUSSION

Rotameters

Rotameters make part of the variable-area class of flow meters. They provide a
direct visual reading of the flow rate.

Figure 3-3 shows the Rotameter used in the Process Control Training System. The
Rotameter indicates the volumetric flow rate. It is graduated both in metric unit of
liters per minute (l/min) and in U.S. unit of gallons US per minute (gal US/min).

The Rotameter consists of a graduated cylinder, a metering float, and a tapered

tube which is flared toward the top. The narrow end of the tapered tube corresponds
to the inlet of the Rotameter, while the larger end corresponds to the outlet. A
clearance space between the float and the wall of the tube forms an annular
passage or orifice through which the liquid can flow.

The liquid to be measured enters at the inlet of the Rotameter. If flows upward
through the tapered tube, lifting the float to a position where the upward force
exerted by the liquid just balances the downward force exerted by the weight of the
float. The higher the flow rate of the liquid is, the higher the position of the float will
be within the tube. The float position corresponds to a specific flow rate, which can
be read on the graduated cylinder.

Since the tube is tapered towards the top, the annular passage through which the
liquid flows between the float and the tube wall is greater at higher flow rates than
it is at lower flow rates. As a result of this, the pressure loss across the Rotameter
remains nearly constant as the flow rate increases.

It is important to note that the graduations on a rotameter are valid only for a given
density and specific gravity. The Rotameter of the Process Control Training System,
for example, is designed to accurately read flow rates at the density and specific
gravity of water. Rotameter accuracy can be verified by measuring the actual
volume of liquid passing through the rotameter within one minute and comparing this
volume to that indicated by the rotameter.
 OUTLET

F 400
GPM LPM

TAPERED METERING TUBE

5 20

16
4 GRADUATED CYLINDER
FLOAT

3 12
CLEARANCE
SPACE
2 8 BETWEEN
FLOAT AND
TUBE WALL
1 4
FLOAT

INLET

PICTORIAL VIEW CUTAWAY VIEW

Figure 3-3. The Rotameter of the Process Control Training System.

Advantages and limitations

Rotameters have the following advantages: they are easy to use, they cause a
small constant pressure loss, they are relatively inexpensive, and they do not
require any power supply to operate.

However, rotameters can only operate in vertical position because they are gravity
sensitive. Another problem with rotameters is that they provide a direct visual
indication, so that they cannot be used for closed-loop control of the flow rate,
unless magnetic coupling is used to sense and transmit the position of the float to
the controller.

Paddle wheel flow meters

Paddle wheel flow meters make part of the rotary-element class of flow meters.
Unlike rotameters, paddle wheel flow meters do not provide a direct visual reading
of the flow rate. Instead they produce a signal proportional to flow rate.

Figure 3-4 shows the paddle wheel flow meter used in the Process Control Training
System. This device generates a voltage and a current proportional to the flow rate.
Since the generated voltage and current have normalized ranges of 0-5 V and
 4-20 mA, they are suitable for transmission to a controller, hence the name Paddle
Wheel Flow Transmitter.

PADDLE WHEEL FLOW TRANSMITTER FIXED-CALIBRATION

OUTPUTS

SPAN OUTPUTS
f F (cal.)

FT
MIN. MAX. 22.1 Hz / lpm 1V / lpm
85 Hz / gpm 0.26 V / gpm
0-5 V
POWER INPUT 0-5 V 4-20 mA

+ − 9.5 lpm MAX.

2.5 gpm MAX.
24 V

6542-00

1 2 4 6 7 1

FLOW

STREAM

Figure 3-4. The Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter used in the Process Control Training System.

1: Pressure port 5 : Infrared light beam

2 : Inlet hose port 6 : Paddle wheel
3 : Conditioning circuit 7 : Outlet hose port
4 : Primary sensing element
As Figure 3-4 shows, the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter consists of two elements,
which are a primary flow sensing element and a conditioning circuit:

• The primary flow sensing element consists of a paddle wheel which is inserted
directly into the flow stream. The paddle wheel is rotated by the moving liquid.
As the paddle wheel rotates, its paddles repetitively interrupt an internally-
generated beam of infrared light, causing a pulsed signal to be produced. The
frequency of this signal is directly proportional to the rotation speed of the
paddles and, therefore, to the flow rate of the liquid.

• The conditioning circuit converts the frequency of the pulsed signal into
proportional voltage and current that are available at the transmitter OUTPUTS,
labeled "0-5 V" and "4-20 mA". The higher the flow rate is, the higher the voltage
and current that are generated at these outputs will be.

You will note that the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter has an adjustment knob
labeled SPAN. This knob is used to set the flow rate for which the transmitter output
voltage or current will be maximum at the 0-5 V and 4-20 mA OUTPUTS. For
example, the SPAN knob can be adjusted so that when the flow rate varies between
0 and 6 l/min (0 and 1.6 gal US/min), the transmitter output will vary between 0 and
5 V, or between 4 and 20 mA.

The Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter also has two outputs, labeled "f" and "F".
These outputs have a fixed calibration:

• The output labeled "f" provides the signal generated by the primary flow sensing
element. This signal is a 0-5 V pulsed voltage whose frequency is directly
proportional to the flow rate. For example, a frequency of 22.1 Hz corresponds
to a flow rate of 1 l/min (0.26 gal US/min), a frequency of 44.2 Hz to a flow rate
of 2 l/min (0.52 gal US/min), and so on.

• The output labeled "F" provides a voltage of 1 V per 1 l/min (0.26 gal US/min) of
flow rate. For example, a voltage of 5 V at this output indicates that the flow rate
is 5 l/min (1.3 gal US/min) approximately.

Note that the "f" and "F" outputs of the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter are provided
for didactic purposes only. These outputs are not normally found as standard
equipment on industrial paddle wheel flow transmitters.

Advantages and limitations

Paddle wheel flow meters have the following advantages: they have a high
repeatability, a very fast speed of response, they are easy to install, they allow
measurement of flow in large pipes, and they are relatively small in size and weight
compared to differential-pressure flow meters.

However, paddle wheel flow meters are subject to wear, and they have a poor
linearity at low flow rates. Moreover, paddle wheel flow meters are not
recommended for the measurement of high-viscosity or dirty liquids.
Procedure summary

In this exercise, you will familiarize yourself with the operation of a paddle wheel
flow transmitter. You will plot the voltage-versus-flow curve of this transmitter,
demonstrating that the generated voltage increases linearly with the flow rate.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED

Refer to the Equipment Utilization Chart in Appendix A of the manual to obtain the
list of equipment required to perform this exercise.

PROCEDURE

Basic operation of a paddle wheel flow transmitter

* 1. Set up the system shown in Figure 3-5. Note that the Paddle Wheel Flow
Transmitter can operate either vertically or horizontally.

HV
1

FI
1

FT
1
HV
3

SC
1

FIC
1

Figure 3-5. Measuring flow rate with a paddle wheel flow transmitter.
* 2. Power up the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter. To do so, connect the
POWER INPUT terminals of this transmitter to the 24-V DC Power Supply.
Turn on the DC Power Supply.

* 3. Set the SPAN knob of the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter at MIN. (turn
knob fully counterclockwise).

* 4. Make sure the reservoir of the Pumping Unit is filled with about 12 liters
(3.2 gallons US) of water. Make sure the baffle plate is properly installed at
the bottom of the reservoir.

* 5. On the Pumping Unit, adjust valves HV1 to HV3 as follows:

– Open HV1 completely;

– Close HV2 completely;
– Set HV3 for directing the full reservoir flow to the pump inlet.

* 6. Turn on the Pumping Unit.

* 7. Make the variable-speed drive of the Pumping Unit rotate at maximum

speed: with the controller in the manual (open-loop) mode, set the controller
output at 100%.

* 8. Connect a DC voltmeter to the output labeled "F" on the Paddle Wheel

Flow Transmitter. According to the voltage generated at this output, what
is the current flow rate? Explain.

The measured voltage was 8.9V, at 0.26V/gpm the flow rate

is calculated at 2.314gpm (8.759 l/m).
* 9. Connect the DC voltmeter to the 0-5 V OUTPUT of the Paddle Wheel Flow
Transmitter. The voltmeter should read about 4.75 V.

Turn the SPAN adjustment knob of the transmitter clockwise to increase

the voltage and stop turning it as soon as the voltage reaches 5.0 V.

* 10. Now adjust the controller output until you read a flow rate of 8 l/min
(2.1 gal US/min) on the Rotameter.

* 11. Measure the voltage now present at the 0-5 V OUTPUT of the Paddle
Wheel Flow Transmitter. Is this voltage still 5.0 V? Explain.
No, the voltage being measured is now 4.3V.
Voltage-versus-flow curve of a paddle wheel flow transmitter

* 13. Adjust the controller output until you read a flow rate of 2 l/min
(0.5 gal US/min) on the Rotameter. In Table 3-1, record the voltage
generated at the 0-5 V OUTPUT of the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter at
that flow rate.

Note: If the generated voltage fluctuates, record the approxi-

mate reading of this voltage.

FLOW RATE GENERATED

[l/min (gal US/min)] VOLTAGE (V)

2 l/min (0.5 gal US/min)

Table 3-1. Generated voltage versus flow rate.

* 14. By varying the controller output, increase the flow rate by steps of 1 l/min
(or 0.25 gal US/min) until you reach 9 l/min (2.25 gal US/min) on the
Rotameter. After each new flow setting, measure the voltage generated at
the 0-5 V OUTPUT of the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter and record it in
Table 3-1.

* 15. Stop the variable-speed drive of the Pumping Unit by setting the controller
output at 0%.
 * 16. From the voltages recorded in Table 3-1, plot in Figure 3-6 the voltage-
versus-flow curve of the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter.

ow
GENERATED
VOLTAGE (V)

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

Aaaaa

2 4 6 8 10
(l/min) FLOW
0
(gal US / min) RATE
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

Figure 3-6. Voltage-versus-flow curve of the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter.

* 17. According to the curve you obtained in Figure 3-6, does
the voltage generated by the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter
increase linearly as the flow rate is increased? Explain.

Yes, the flow rate and generated voltage have a linear

relationship. We can see that the generated voltage
increases constantly as the flow rate increases.
* 18. Turn off the Pumping Unit by setting its POWER
switch at O.

* 19. Disconnect the circuit. Return the components and hoses to

their storage location.

* 20. Wipe off any water from the floor and the Process Control
Training System.

CONCLUSION

In this exercise, you learned how a paddle wheel flow transmitter

operates. You saw that this type of flow meter produces an electrical
pulsed signal whose frequency is proportional to the flow rate. The
frequency of the signal is then converted into a proportional voltage
or current of normalized range suitable for transmission to a
controller.

You plotted the voltage-versus-flow curve of a paddle wheel flow

transmitter. You saw that the voltage increases linearly as the flow rate
is increased, within the range of the transmitter. From this curve you
can find the actual flow rate for any given voltage at the transmitter
output.

This Lab requires a Formal Report

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. How does the Rotameter of the Process Control Training

System operate?

The rotometer is a vertical tube with graduated marks consisting

of an inlet at the bottom and the outlet at the top. A float is
located in the tube and will rise and fall, depending on flow rate,
the higher the flow rate, the higher the float will rise in the tube.
The flow rate is read by reading the graduated mark where the
float is located in the tube.

2. Why does the pressure loss through the Rotameter of the Process
Control Training System remain nearly constant as the flow rate is increased?

The space inside the tube where the float is located is tapered
to be wider at the outlet. This gives the fluid more space to travel
around the float as flow rate is increased, which causes
pressure loss to remain constant as flow rate increases.

3. How does the Paddle Wheel Flow Transmitter of the Process Control
Training System operate?

The paddle wheel flow transmitter functions by rotating a small

paddle wheel as the fluid flows. When the fluid flows faster, the
paddle wheel wheel spin faster. An infrared light beam is aimed
at the paddle wheel to record its rotating speed. The transmitter
will then convert the signal from the infrared light beam into a
measurable output signal.

4. What is the purpose of the SPAN adjustment knob on the Paddle Wheel
Flow Transmitter?

The span knob is used to set the flow rate at which the
transmitter output will be at its maximum. A small span would be
adequate for low flow process, but a larger span would be
required for a higher flow rate application.

5. What are the advantages and limitations of paddle wheel flow meters?

The paddle wheel flow metre gives quick flow measurements

with good repeatability and is easy to install. They are small in
size but can still provide accurate flow measurements in large
pipes.
The paddle flow metre does not provide accurate measurement
of high viscosity or dirty fluids, and is subject to fast where and is
less accurate at low flow rates