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A flow meter is a device that is utilized to determine the flow rate or the volume of a liquid or gas flowing through a channel. You can see many kinds of flow meters, and these comprise of mechanical flow meters, like rotary pistons and gear meters; pressure-based meters like the venture and cone meters; and optical flow meters. A usually utilized type of flow meter is the ultrasonic flowmeter. Ultrasonic flow meters can be utilized in building services to track the flow of utilities like water, or in mining to measure the flow of lubricants, water and sludge or slurries used in the mining process.

The initial factor that should be considered in acquiring ultrasonic flow meters is the kind of meter to be used, as well as how the flow rate will be gauged. There are basically 2 different types of ultrasonic flow meters, and the first one is the transit time type. The transit time ultrasonic flow meter measures flow rate by checking the difference in transit time of ultrasonic pulses that are transported into and against the flow of the substance being estimated. This kind of meter has a big consistency and is more effective at measuring flow rate of substances with little debris, like water, sea water, sewage and oils.

One more type of ultrasonic flow meter is the Doppler flow meter, which measures flow rate by identifying Doppler shift in the material. This type of meter is considered less accurate than transit time flow meters; however, it can be utilized for substances that have a greater quantity of particles in it.

Besides choosing a flow rate meter according to kind and way of measurement, another point that must be thought-about is whether the meter should be fastened to the wall (or the line) or held manually , instead. Handheld flow meters are more favorable for applications that might need measurements in different places for only a quick period of time, such as flow surveys or monitoring of heat, ventilation and air conditioning utilities in properties. Groups and individuals who only need to use flow meters intermittently can likewise opt for flow meter hire in contrast to buying meters. On the other hand, for long-term measurement and monitoring, fastened meters are a far better solution.

The final consideration in choosing ultrasonic flow meters is the type of installation. All these flow meters can be installed two ways, and the first is by simply clamping it on to the line to be assessed. Clamp-on meters are non-intrusive and they are a lot easier to install or maintain. In contrast, the second kind of installation, wetted flow meters, demands drilling into the pipe or installation in line with the pipe. Wetted flow meters are more precise than clamp-on types, but they may prove to be more bothersome in terms of repair and maintenance.

Author bio - David O'Callaghan is a site engineer who saved a lot on his construction by utilising floweters from Micronics.