Lecture-4

FLOW

Ch-9: Flow
Book: Introduction to Instrumentation, Sensors, and Process Control
by William C Dunn
 Flow
 Fluid flow
 Laminar
 Turbulent
 Speed of fluid flow
 Fluid in contact with the constraint walls (boundary) has
almost zero velocity
 Center of flow, liquid particles have maximum velocity
 Average rate of flow is used in flow calculations
 The word viscous comes from the Latin viscum,
meaning sticky. Viscosity is a physical property of fluids. It
shows resistance to flow.
 Flow Patterns
 Absolute viscosity: The force per unit area required
to maintain a velocity of one unit distance per unit
time.
  Flow can be considered as laminar, turbulent or
combination of both
 Reynolds observed that flow patterns could be
predicted from physical properties of the liquid
 Reynolds number (R)
 Flow Patterns

 where V is the average fluid velocity, D is the

diameter of the pipe, ρ is the density of the liquid,
and μ is the absolute viscosity.
 Dynamic or absolute viscosity is used in the
Reynolds flow equation.
 Table 9.1 gives a list of viscosity conversions
Flow Patterns
 Flow Patterns
 where V is the average fluid velocity, D is the diameter of
the pipe, ρ is the density of the liquid, and μ is the
absolute viscosity.
 Example 9.1: What is the Reynolds number for glycerin
flowing at 7.5 ft/s in a 17-in diameter pipe? The viscosity of
glycerin is 18 × 10-3 lb s/ft2 and the density is 2.44 lb/ft3
Flow Rate

  Flow rate is the volume of fluid passing a

given point in a given amount of time
 Units:
 Accurate measurement of flow is very
important in many industrial applications
 The cost of many liquids and gases are based
on the measured flow through a pipeline
 Flow Rate
 Continuity Equation states that if overall flow rate
in a system is not changing with time, then flow
rate in any part of the system is constant

 where Q is the flow rate, V is the average velocity,

and A is the cross-sectional area
of the pipe.
 Flow Rate
 Example 9.2
What is the flow rate in liters per second through a
pipe 32 cm in diameter, if the average velocity is
2.1 m/s? Where 1 m^3 = 1000 Liter.
 Continuity Equation (Contd..)
  If liquids are flowing in a tube with different cross-
sectional areas, such as A1 and A2, as shown in
Figure below, then the continuity equation gives:


 Continuity Equation (Contd..)
 
 Continuity Equation (Contd..)
 Mass flow rate (F) is related to volume flow rate
(Q) by:

 where F is the mass of liquid flowing, and ρ is the density

of the liquid.
Since a gas is compressible, above equation must be
modified for gas flow to:
FLOW Measuring Instruments

 Flow measurements are categorized into

 Flow Rate
 Total Flow
 Mass Flow
 Measuring device is chosen on the basis of
 Accuracy
 Fluid Characteristics (gas, liquid, temperature,
viscosity)
 Flow Rate
 Many flow measurement instruments use indirect
measurements
 These instruments measure the differential pressure
produced when a fluid flows through a restriction
 The differential pressure produced is directly
proportional to the flow rate
 Such commonly used restrictions to measure flow rate
are:-
 Orifice Plate
 Venturi Tube
 Flow Nozzle
 Elbow
Orifice Plate
 Orifice Plate
 It is a metal diaphragm with constricting hole
 It is clamped between pipe flanges
 Differential pressure ports can be located in the flange
on either side of orifice plate or at specified location
 Differential pressure gauge is used to measure
pressure between two ports, which can be calibrated
in flow rates
 The flow rate in a differential flow rate meter is given
by
Orifice Plate
 = flow coefficient constant
= diameter of the orifice
= diameter of the pipe
= difference in height
between and

1 meter = 3.2 feet

 Venturi Tube
 It uses the same differential pressure principal as
orifice plate
 It normally uses the specific reduction in tube size
and is well suited for use in larger diameter pipes,
but it becomes heavy and excessively long
 Differential taps are located at maximum and
minimum pipes diameter
Flow Nozzle

 It is a good compromise in terms of cost and

accuracy between orifice plate and venturi
tube
 Usually used in measurement of steam flow
Elbow

 It can be used as differential flow meter

 When fluid is flowing, there is differential
pressure b/w inside and outside of the elbow,
due to change in direction of fluid
 Pressure difference is proportional to the flow
rate of the fluid
 Advantages / Disadvantage
 Good wear and erosion resistance
 Low sensitivity
Vortex Flow

 A vortex is a region in a fluid in which the flow

revolves around an axis line.
 Vortex flow meters are based on the fact that
obstruction in a fluid or gas cause turbulence
Vortex Flow
 For gases, obstruction is shaped to give a
rotating or swirling motion forming vortices,
which can be measured ultrasonically
 Frequency of vortex formation is proportional to
the rate of flow
 For high flow rates, this method gives good
results
 For low flow rates, vortex frequency tends to be
unstable
Turbine flow meter
Turbine flow meter
 Rotating flow rate devices are rotating sensors
 Turbine rotor is mounted in the center of the pipe and
rotates at speed proportional to the rate of fluid or gas
passing over the blades
 Turbine blades are made up of magnetic materials or
ferrite particles in plastic, so they are unaffected by
corrosive liquids
 Magnetic sensors attached to the pipe can sense the
rotating blades
 This device is accurate with good flow operating and
temperature range but is more expansive
Pressure Flow Meter

 It uses a strain gauge to measure the force

on the object place in a fluid or gas flow
 Force on the object is proportional to the rate
of flow
 The meter is low cost and medium accuracy
Electromagnetic Flow Meter
Electromagnetic Flow Meter
 It can only used in conductive liquids
 It consists of two electrodes mounted in the liquid on
opposite sides of pipe
 Magnetic field is generated across the pipe perpendicular
to electrodes
 Conducting fluid flowing through the magnetic field
generates a voltage between the electrodes, which can be
measured to give the rate of flow
 Advantages / Disadvantage
 Accurate
 Linear output
 Relatively expansive
Ultrasonic Flow Meter

 Ultrasonic sound waves with a frequency above

the upper limit of human hearing.
 Ultrasonic flow meter can be
 Transit time flow meter
 Doppler flow meter
 Transit time flow meter

In transit time flow meter, two transducers with receivers are
 
mounted diametrically opposite to each other but inclined at
to the axis of pipe
 Each transducer transmit an ultrasonic beam at a frequency
of app 1MHz, which is produced by piezoelectric crystal
 Transit time of each beam is different due to the liquid flow
 Difference in transit time of two beams is used to calculate
average liquid velocity
 Advantage / Disadvantage
 Effect of temperature, density change cancels in the two beams
 Measurements can be effected by Reynolds number
Transit time flow meter
Doppler Flow Meter

  It measures the velocity of entrapped gas or

small particles in a liquid
 Single transducer and receiver are mounted
at to the axis of pipe
 Receiver measure the difference in frequency
of the transmitted and received signals, from
which the flow velocity can be calculated
Doppler Flow Meter