Flow Measurement

Flow Measurement
Dr. Ahmed El-Sheemy

Mechanical Power Dept.
Reference
J.P. Holman, “Experimental Methods for Engineers”, 8th
Edition, Mc Graw Hill, Ch. 7, pp. 312: 380, 2012.
Blog web site
https://translatedengineeringbooks.wordpress.com/201
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‫تعريف القياس‬
‫هي طريقة تجريبية تهدف إلى اعطاء ارقام لخصائص‬ ‫◼‬

‫المواد و االحداث بغرض الوصف‪.‬‬
Direct-Weighting Technique
Direct weighting features
Advantage Disadvantage
Very easy Not suited for gases and volatile

liquids
Standard calibration technique Not suited for transient flow

Positive-Displacement Methods
◼ Used where high accuracy under

steady flow conditions
◼ Examples:
 Nutating-disk flow meter (potable
water)
 Rotary-vane flow meter (Any liquid)
 Lobed-impeller flow meter (Any fluid)
 Bellows flow meter (gases)
Nutating-Disk Flow meter
Nutating-Disk components
Rotary-Van flow meter
Lobed-Impeller Flow Meter
Example-1
◼ A lobed-impeller flow meter is used for
measurement of the flow of nitrogen at 150kPa and
310K. The meter has been calibrated so that it
indicates the volumetric flow with an accuracy of
±0.5% from 0.5 to 1.5m3/s. The uncertainties in the
gas pressure and temperature measurements are
±175Pa and 0.5°C, respectively. Calculate the
uncertainty in a mass flow measurement at the
given pressure and temperature conditions.
◼ Do it need a better degree of precision for pressure
and temperature measurements?
Flow-Obstruction Methods
Flow-Obstruction Methods
(Head meters)
◼ Governing equations for incompressible, adiabatic
and frictionless flows:
 Continuity Equation:
m = 1 A1u1 =  2 A2u2 (1)
 Energy Equation (Bernoulli):
u12 P2 u22
P1
+ + g Z1 = + + g Z2 (2)
1 2 2 2
Ideal Flow Rate Equation
P1 , T1 P2 , T2
 1 , A1  2 , A2
Flow
◼ From (1) and (2)

m = FA2 2  (P1 − P2 )
F=
1
2
(3)
 A2 
1 −  
 A1 
Insertion (Permanent)
Pressure Losses
Actual Flow Rate Equation
For Incompressible flow
m actual = CFA2 2  (P1 − P2 )

m actual
C= , =
d2
=
A2
(4)
m ideal d1 A1
For Compressible flow
m actual = YCFA2 2  (P1 − P2 ) (5)

Venturi Discharge Coefficient
(D>2”)
Vena Contracta Tap Location
Example 2
◼ An orifice with pressure taps one diameter upstream and one-
half diameter downstream is installed in 50mm diameter pipe
and used to measure a maximum flow rate of water of 3.2L/s
at 21°C. For this orifice,  = 0.5. The differential pressure gage
has an accuracy 0.25 percent of full scale, and the upper
scale limit is selected to correspond to the maximum flow rate.
Determine the range of the pressure gage and the uncertainty
in the flow rate measurements at nominal flow rates of 3.2L/s
and 1.6L/s. Assume that the uncertainty in the flow coefficient
is ±0.002.
Flow Measurement by Drag Effect
(Rotameter)
(Rotameter)
where
where
(Rotameter)
𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 ∶

𝜕𝑚ሶ 𝜌𝑏 −2𝜌𝑓
=0 𝐶1 𝑦 =0 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝜌𝑏 = 2𝜌𝑓
𝜕𝜌𝑓 → 2 𝜌𝑏 −𝜌𝑓 𝜌𝑓
𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛
𝐶1 𝑦𝜌𝑏
𝑚ሶ =
2
Example-3
◼ A rotameter is used for airflow measurement

and has a rating of 4L/s for full scale. The
bob density has 𝜌𝑏 ≫ 𝜌𝑓 . Calculate the
mass rate of flow for inlet conditions of
5.5Bar (gauge) and 38°C with a meter
reading of 64 percent. The barometric
pressure is 1Bar and the standard
temperature is 21°C.
Turbine Meters
𝑓
𝑄=
𝐾
Turbine Flow Meter
Example-4
Calculate the range of mass
flow rates of liquid ammonia
at 20°C for which the turbine
meter of the above figure
would be within ±0.5 percent.
Also, determine a flow
coefficient for this fluid in
terms of cycles per kilogram.
(𝜌 = 612 𝑘𝑔Τ𝑚3 , 𝜈 = 0.036
× 10−5 𝑚2 Τ𝑠, cSt = 10-6 m2/s)
Vortex-Shedding Flow meters
𝑓𝑠 𝑑
𝑆= 𝑆 ≅ 0.88 𝑓𝑜𝑟 104 ≤ 𝑅𝑒 ≤ 106 , 𝑤𝑆 = 1%
𝑢
Ultrasonic flow meters
The Doppler Effect
Laminar Flow Element (LFE)
Laminar Flow Element (LFE)
◼ Governing equations:-
 Friction head loss
4 flv2
H f =
2 gd
 Laminar friction coefficient
16 vd
f = ; Re =
Re 
 From the above equations we have:
 128𝑅𝑒𝜇2 𝐿
m = K . .P 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ∆𝑝 =
 4𝜌𝑑 3
Example-5
Size a laminar flowmeter used to

measure the flow of air at 2Bar and 20°C
with a maximum Reynolds number of
1000 and a pressure drop of 1000Pa.
(𝜇 = 1.84 × 10−5 𝑘𝑔Τ𝑚. 𝑠)
Hot-Wire and Hot-Film
Anemometers
Hot-Wire Cylindrical Hot-Film
Hot-Wire and Hot-Film
Anemometers
Heat transfer from hot wire:
𝑞 = 𝑎 + 𝑏𝑢0.5 𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇∞
𝑞 = 𝐼 2 𝑅𝑤 = 𝐼 2 𝑅𝑜 1 +∝ 𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇𝑜
Turbulence Measurements
Intensity of Turbulence
Magnetic Flow Meter
Flow Visualization Methods
(Smoke Method)
Flow Visualization Methods
(hydrogen-bubble method)
Pressure Probes
Stagnation Probes:
𝛾
𝑃𝑜 𝛾−1 2 𝛾−1
= 1+ 𝑀∞
𝑃∞ 2
Where:
𝑢∞
𝑀∞ =
𝑎
And:
𝑎= 𝛾𝑅𝑇
For Very small Mach no, the
dynamic pressure is:
𝑃𝑜 − 𝑃∞ = 12𝜌𝑢∞
2
Stagnation Pressure Response
Example-6
◼ An open-ended tube probe is yawed at

an angle of 30º from the flow direction
in an airstream at 82kPa and 5ºC
having a free-stream velocity of 25m/s.
Calculate the pressure indicated by the
probe.
Pitot tube
Probe Response
Example-7
◼ A pitot tube is inserted in a flow stream

of air at 30ºC and 1.0atm. The
dynamic pressure is measured as 1.12
inch of water when the tube is oriented
parallel to the flow. Calculate the flow
velocity at that point.
Example-8
◼ A Pitot tube is used to measure the dynamic
pressure 𝑃𝑜 − 𝑃∞ for air in a 100mm-diameter duct.
The air conditions are 100kPa and 21ºC. The
readings are shown in the accompanying table for
five radial positions measured from the center of the
duct. No measurement is taken at the outside
radius where the velocity is assumed zero.
Calculate the volume rate of flow in the duct using
this information.
Problem
◼ A venture is to be used for measuring the flow of air at

20bar and 300K. The maximum flow rate is 0.4536kg/s.
The minimum flow rate is 30 percent of this value.
Determine the size of the venture such that the throat
Reynolds number is not less than 105. Calculate the
differential pressure across the venture for mass flows of
30, 50, 70, 100% of maximum flow rate. Assume  = 0.5
for venturi,  = 1.884 x 10-5 kg/m.s.
◼ Work the above problem for an orifice with pressure taps
one diameter upstream and one-half diameter
downstream.
◼ Work the above problem for an ASME long-radius flow
nozzle.
Problem
Verify that the error in flow rate for a rotameter

calculated from
𝑚ሶ = 𝐶1 𝑦 𝜌𝑓 𝜌𝑏 − 𝜌𝑓
is less than 0.2% for density variation of ±5%
when the float density is designated according
to 𝜌𝑏 = 2𝜌𝑓
Problem
◼ The turbine flowmeter whose calibration is

shown in the figure is to measure a nominal
flow rate of water of 2.5 gpm at 60°F. A
single value of the meter constant K is to be
used in the data reduction. What deviations
from the nominal flow rate are allowable in
order that the nominal value of K is Accurate
within ±0.25 percent?
◼ A rotameter is to be designed to measure a
maximum flow of 10 gpm of water at 70°F. The bob
has a 1-in diameter and a total volume of 1 in3. The
bob is constructed so that the density is given in
accordance to b=2f. The total length of the
rotameter tube is 13 in and the diameter of the tube
at inlet is 1 in. Determine the tube taper for drag
coefficients of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2. Plot the flow rate
versus distance from the entrance of the tube for
each of these drag coefficients.

Flow Measurement

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Flow Measurement

Dr. Ahmed El-Sheemy

‫هي طريقة تجريبية تهدف إلى اعطاء ارقام لخصائص‬ ‫◼‬

Very easy Not suited for gases and volatile

Standard calibration technique Not suited for transient flow

◼ Used where high accuracy under

◼ From (1) and (2)

m actual = CFA2 2  (P1 − P2 )

For Compressible flow

m actual = YCFA2 2  (P1 − P2 ) (5)

𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 ∶

◼ A rotameter is used for airflow measurement

Size a laminar flowmeter used to

◼ An open-ended tube probe is yawed at

◼ A pitot tube is inserted in a flow stream

◼ A venture is to be used for measuring the flow of air at

Verify that the error in flow rate for a rotameter

◼ The turbine flowmeter whose calibration is

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