Food and Beverage Applications

SmartMeasurement™’s flowmeters have been successfully used in the food and beverage industry in a variety of different applications. Our ALMAGWP electromagnetic flowmeter has been used to measure brewery fluids, juices, and drinking water. The ALCM Coriolis mass flow meters is commonly used for measuring starch solutions and liquefied CO2. Our ATMF Series thermal mass flow meters are used for monitoring CO2 gases during fermentation and nitrogen injection for potato-chip/snack bags. SmartMeasurement™ offer a variety of solutions for nearly any application in the Food and Beverage industry.

Flow Measurement in Breweries

Brewing process starts with the addition of malted barley grain and water to the mash cooker.  Mashing allows the enzymes in the malt to break down the starch in the grain into sugars, typically maltose, to create a malty sugary solution.  After mashing the resulting solution is measured with the ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters and flows to a filter press that separates out the grain.  Oftentimes, the filtered grain byproducts are sold to local farmers.  From the filter press, the solution, now called wort, goes into one of two steam-heated kettles for boiling.  One kettle boils wort while the other undergoes cleaning and preparation. A manually operated coil for steam at the bottom of the kettle preheats the wort.

As the wort temperature reaches the boiling point, the steam in the bottom preheat coil shuts off and the automatic steam heating system takes over. From the steam header, the saturated steam flows through a control valve and ALVTN-Mass flow meters are used to accurately measure the quantity of steam before reaching the kettle. The volume of steam changes with changes in pressure and temperature and an integrated mass flow measurement with both pressure and temperature compensation is far superior to other steam flow measurements that have separate temperature, pressure and flow computer for the same output.

From the ALVTN-Mass mass flowmeter, the saturated steam flows to the top of an internal boiler in a shell-and tube heat exchanger. Wort rises through the tube bundle in the heat exchanger while heated by the down flowing steam, which begins to condense. A deflector at the top of the heat exchanger distributes the wort and prevents foam formation.

The ALVTN-Mass mass flowmeter measures and computes mass flow rates of steam to control heat for boiling the wort, in 500 bbl (15,000-gallon) kettles. The boiling operation continues for 90 minutes, evaporating about 5 to 10% of the solution. The evaporating gases are measured with SmartMeasurement™’s ATMF gas mass flow meter for optimization of the process. Addition of hops are used which sterilizes the wort and affects flavor, stability and consistency. The hops provide bitterness and flavor. Following wort boiling, the solution goes through a period in fermentation tanks and finally packaging in bottles and kegs.

Advantages:

Measuring Starch Concentration

When removing water from wheat starch suspension in centrifuges, it is important to determine the exact starch content and adjust it to a specific concentration. Starch content can vary from: 0 to 45 % with densities of 1030 to 1180 kg/m³. Water removal is measured by SmartMeasurement™ ALMAG electromagnetic flow meters. However measuring the starch content can be tricky. The starch content can be controlled by adjusting the centrifuge’s speed. The objective is to measure the starch content in online mode and use it as the control variable for the centrifuges. The ALCM Coriolis mass flow meters are an ideal instrument to not only measure the mass flow rate of the starch solution but can measure the changes of densities of starch. Density measurement is performed with an accuracy of 1 g per kg. The medium flows through 16 series-connected centrifuges where water is removed. The output signal of the concentration/mass flow measurements is used as the set-point for centrifuge speed control.

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Flow measurement in soft drink process

In producing soft drinks, CO2 is used for the carbonation of the fluid. While the ALMAG electromagnetic flow meters are used to measure the flow of soft drinks, CO2 measurement offers a unique challenge for soft drink manufacturers. Often times, manufactures use old technologies gas flow meters such as differential pressure flow meters to measure the flow of CO2 so process engineers can control a valve and provide the right amount of gas into his soft drink production. However differential pressure flow meters are volumetric flow meters which are affected by the changes in CO2 pressure and temperature. Often times other instrument are need to measure the process temperature and pressure to correct the actual amount (mass) of CO2 used for the carbonation process. Soft drink manufacturers are using the ATMF thermal mass flow meters as better alternative for their CO2 measurement because it measures mass flow directly without the use of other instruments to correct in changing temperature and pressure.

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Flow measurement in juice process

Orange juice concentrates are difficult application due to the amount of pulp in it with its high viscosity. Pulp would jam and possibly destroy a mechanical gear type positive displacement flowmeter which are sometimes used in this application. In addition, the high sugar content makes frequent cleanings necessary on systems running juice concentrate. The ALMAG electromagnetic flow meters with its simple design allows material such as pulp to pass through it.

The process of loading and unloading juice concentrates from tankers is critical that the loading process must be accurate for several reasons. First, to avoid overloading, liable for fines when trucks are beyond the legal weight limits, second to avoid wasting time from having to “drum off” any excess product when it is overload and finally time is not wasted when the tanker is undefiled. A positive displacement pump, the product is transferred to or from the tanker. The sampler system, using a SmartMeasurement™ ALMAG electromagnetic flow meters, pulled a certain amount of product every 50 gallons. Given the high degree of repeatability of SmartMeasurement™ ALMAG electromagnetic flow meters, a certain number of pulses is expected from the electromagnetic flow meter during each sample. If there was a variation from the normal count, the system automatically shut down and a new brix reading was taken.

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Flow measurement in bakeries

When processing dough for bakeries the SmartMeasurement™ ALMAG electromagnetic flow meter is used to batch water and liquid sugar. The batches varied from the required 134 (61 Kg) pounds to over 200 Lb. (91Kg). Bad product qualities can occasional ruined batches of dough. The ALMAG electromagnetic flow meters are used not only measures the amount of water in the process but also the amount of liquid sugar. The liquid sugar for dough is stored in a 7000-gallon outdoor storage tank heated to keep the contents at +85° F (+29° C). Temperature fluctuations cause fluid viscosity changes. The situation is worse in the winter, or whenever the heat tracing system is not operating. A drift in meter repeatability gradually increases the batch size from 134 (61kg) to 160 Lb. (73 Kg).

The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAG electromagnetic flow meters are used in this application effectively for two reasons. First, the flow rate are fairly constant. Secondly, the viscosity is relatively high (160 cP) and viscosity changes does not affect the accuracy of a magnetic flow meter.

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Flow measurement in fermentation process

The fermentation process produces heat and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide gas can be pressurized over 200 psig (14 barg) and liquefied and recovered to sell as to the food & beverage or chemical industries. Food grade CO2 is often used in the beverage industry for carbonation; industrial CO2 can be used as an industrial coolant and in the production of “dry” ice. This gas often times measured by the SmartMeasurement™ ATMF gas mass flow meters for optimum process monitoring.

The fermentation of corn products for alcohol allows the recover and capture of CO2 vapor which is condensed and pressured to 215 psig (15 barg). The pressurization of the CO2 drops the temperature to as low as -140°F (-97oC) in liquid form. Liquefied CO2 is an ideal application for the SmartMeasurement™ ALCM Coriolis mass flow meters. By incorporating a Coriolis mass flow meter instead of a volumetric flow measurement, the customer is able to track true mass of pressurized liquid CO2 during the filling process of trucks and rail cars. Several ALCM Coriolis mass flow meters can be simultaneous used for filling of multiple tanker and rail cars.

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Power and Utility

SmartMeasurement™ has a number successful flow measurement applications in the power generation industries. Our ALSONIC-DSP family of non-intrusive ultrasonic flowmeters has been used for flow rate measurement of non-conductive plant feed water while the portable ALSONIC-DSPPL ultrasonic flowmeters have been used for maintenance spot checking applications. SmartMeasurement™’s ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters are used in cooling water, heat exchangers and plant water intake systems. The ATMF series thermal mass flow meters are used to measure combustion air to boilers, stack gas monitoring for pollution control requirements, and natural gas and biogas measurement in plant wastewater applications. The ALVT vortex flow meter family is used to measure steam and vapors throughout the power plants. SmartMeasurement™ provides a one-stop shop for all flow metering requirements in the utility power generation industries.

Pulverized coal-fired boilers

The measurement and control of mill air flow in coal-fired boilers for optimum performance of pulverize is measured with the SmartMeasurement™ ATMF air mass flow meters. The no moving parts design prevents highly corrosive fly ash from clogging or fouling the flow meter. Measurement of air flow is important in controlling mill slugging, feeder runback and coal spillage. Coal fired boiler’s efficiency can be maximized by measuring and controlling steam flow with the SmartMeasurement™ ALVT vortex flow meters, boiler exhaust (flue gases) with either the ALVT vortex flow meters or ATMF gas mass flow meters. To minimizing emissions and maximizing fuel response to the furnace, the ATMF gas mass flow meters with its wide turn-down and high temperature sensors.

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Biogas from Landfills in cogeneration power plants

Solid wastes from households, commercial and industrial activities enter a landfill, where methanogen bacteria decompose the organic material. The by-product of the bacterial decomposition is biogas composing from anywhere between 30-50% carbon dioxide and the remainder methane gas. In order to collect this gas, a series of pipes are embedded within the landfill and is compressed and mixed with natural gas as fuel for power generation. Landfill gas is very humid, at low pressure (20-40 mBarg) and about 40-60°C (100°F).

Measuring the biogas as it leaves the landfill is difficult because it is dirty and having very low pressures. Low pressure makes differential pressure (DP) devices like orifice plates unsuitable since they require a fairly large differential pressure to operate. Moreover high moisture and particulate content can clog up devices like annubars and orifice plates and gum up turbine meters and similar instruments that have moving parts. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF thermal mass flow metes, with no moving parts to clog with dirty, particulate laden gas and a self-cleaning purge option for dirty flow environments, the ATMF thermal mass flow metes maintains accuracy and lowers maintenance costs. 

The ATMF thermal mass flow metes sensors automatically corrects for changes in gas temperature and pressure, eliminating the need for separate temperature and pressure transducers.

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Geothermal Power plant

Geothermal resources have been used as source for cooking and heating. Today, geothermal power plants are producing over 8,200 megawatts of electricity that supplies over 60 million people in 21 countries. In a typical steam field, the geothermal reservoir rock consists of fractured greywacke and greenstone heated to a temperature of 460-480°F (237-250°C). The fractures are filled with superheated steam at pressures that, depending on location, can vary from 100 to 240 psig (7-16.5 Barg). 

This superheated steam is collected at the wellheads and sent to an electrical generating station that consists of a heat exchanger and a turbine and generator set. Steam is typically delivered to the turbine at 70 psia and 300°F to 350°F, at a flow rate of approximately 890,000 lb. /hr. (400,000Kg/hr.) at maximum capacity. Because of high temperatures and varying pressures, measuring steam flow is with a volumetric flow meter is not accurate.

More over volumetric flow meters are particularly sensitive to the formation of scaling and plugging. The best known solution to measure steam flow in this application is the SmartMeasurement™’s ALVT-Mass vortex flow meters with integral temperature and pressure compensation. The ALVT-Mass vortex flow meter improves accuracy and reliability with lower installed costs because there is no need to also install pressure and temperature devices as required with volumetric flow meters. Moreover the relatively small surface area of the ALVT-Mass vortex flow meters insertion style in big pipes eliminates the large pressure drop associated other flow meters.

The ALVT-Mass vortex flow meter sensors small surface area also equalizes quickly with the surrounding steam temperature, thereby eliminating scaling due to temperature differentials.

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Solar thermal energy (STE) plants

STEs are become more economical, the use of STEs to generate power is ever increasing. Solar thermal electric energy generation concentrates the light from the sun to create heat, and that heat is used to run a heat engine, which turns a generator to make electricity. Various methods exist to concentrate the solar radiation, including parabolic troughs, power towers with mirrors that track the sun, parabolic dishes, and Fresnel reflectors. A fluid (also called heat transfer fluid) like synthetic oil, molten salt and pressurized steam passes through the receiver and becomes very hot. The fluid containing the heat is transported to a boiler to produce steam which can then be used in the process or to generate electricity.

The solar collector comprised of a huge array of concave mirrors. These mirrors track the position of the sun throughout the day, focusing the sun’s energy on a black tube that runs along the focus of the array. This black tube is surrounded by a second glass tube vacuum chamber that protects it from the air, allowing it to absorb solar energy more effectively. As super-heated water passes through the black tube, the solar energy heats it up to 450°F (232°C). Hot water is measured by the high temperature ALVT vortex flow meters, while steam and condensate flow can be measured by the ALVT-Mass vortex flow meter in the system. The water then runs through a boiler system that uses its heat to generate steam. 

The steam can used to generate electricity or in certain manufacturing process, it is also used to transfer heat to other process like oils or other fluids. Cooled water flows back through the tube to the solar concentrator field will be measured by the ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters and the process is repeated.

The SmartMeasurement™ family of flow technologies can be a one stop-shop in all the flow measurement requirements in a Solar Thermal Energy plants, regardless if the process is used to generate electricity or used as a heat-transfer fluid to heat other process fluids.

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Steam production using waste methane gas from manure digesters

The usage of small electrical power plants using waste gas is increasing the developed world. Manure is collected from farms and placed in a biogas digester. Biogas digester efficiency can be increased by measuring the manure going into the digester with the ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters, while the production of biogas can be measured by the ATMF biogas mass flow meters. Moreover digester systems use air to increase the decomposition of manure into biogas. The air is measured by the ATMF air mass flow meters.

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Hydrogen flow monitoring

Hydrogen is a commonly used cooling agent in power plant turbine generators. Leaking hydrogen gas can pose a safety concern in the power plant. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF gas mass flow meters detect increase in usage; thereby alerting operators of leaks. In addition to monitoring for hydrogen leaks, plants need to measure the flow rate for custody transfer billing verification from the gas supplier to the utility. Also, multiple plants typically draw from a common hydrogen supply by using the SmartMeasurement™ ATMF gas mass flow meters inline unit. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF gas mass flow meters measure the flow at each location, so each plant can be monitored for their appropriate share of hydrogen usage.

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Boiler Control System

Combustion air is brought through forced draft fans and/or induced drag fans to preheaters which heat the air to an optimum temperature before it enters the boiler. The air ducts are divided into primary air and secondary air ratios as fuel load requires. The ratio of the mass flow of fuel to the mass flow of air is crucial to the combustion efficiency of the boiler. Optimum efficiency of the preheater is monitored by knowing the mass flow of air before and after the preheater. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF air mass flow meters are the instrument of choice to use both in primary and secondary air ducts in order to optimize the air to fuel ration of a boiler.

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Boiler feed water system

Feed water used in steam boilers of fuel burning power stations is highly purified to avoid corrosion. Due to its high purification level, it becomes an electrical insulator eliminating the possibility of measuring flow with electromagnetic meters. The most optimum solution to measure feed water is, the Alsonic family of ultrasonic flow meters, the clamp-on meters can measure the flow of liquids regardless of their electric conductivity. Moreover an expensive plant shut down is not required to install SmartMeasurement™ Alsonic ultrasonic flow meters. The flexibility of our portable and fixed-installation flow meters enables it to be used at many different parts of a power station, for many different liquids and on pipes of almost every common material and diameters from 10 mm to over 3,000 mm (0.4” > 118”). Other applications such as Feed water, cooling water and condensate flow metering, pump, valve and inline flow meter performance verification, leakage and blockage detection, metering of fly ash disposal lines, and heavy fuel oil metering.

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Flue Gas Recirculation

The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF air mass flow meters are used to optimize the operation of a boiler which incorporates flue gas recirculation. Flue gas is recirculated to maintain optimum furnace temperature and lower soot emissions. Gas recirculation flow measurements are needed to calculate the optimum recirculation flow needed to maintain the correct furnace-exit temperature. The flue gas is recirculated from the economizer outlet to the furnace through tempering ports located above the top level of burners.

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Flue Gas Balancing

Combustion exhaust gas (flue gas), which contains by-products harmful to the environment must be cleaned before release to the atmosphere. When fly ash-laden flue gas flows from one or more boilers to multiple scrubber modules, a serious problem arises in balancing the flow to the modules so that each operates at its maximum efficiency. Poor scrubber performance not only increases the mass flow of pollutant to the atmosphere, but also clogs mist eliminators or re-heaters and causes corrosive damage to downstream components. Often times Pitot tubes, annubars or Venturi meters are used to monitor the mass flow which must have a pressure, temperature sensors as well as a flow computer. Build-up in these meters will alter the pressure drop as much as changes in flow. Since these devises are DP type instruments, power plant personnel has no reliable way of knowing how much flue gas is flowing in each scrubber module because changes in pressure are used to infer flow rates in these devices. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF air mass flow meters outfitted with a shield to guard against build-up, will provide consistent and reliable mass flow data.

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Fuel Flows

Gas fuel, usually natural gas is distributed to boiler burners where it is burned through a gas ring. The gas ring enables the gas to mix with incoming combustion air for more efficient burn. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF air mass flow meters for gases and air can be monitored to determine combustion efficiency.

Accurate flow measurement of combustion fuel and air has always played a major role in the overall performance and efficiency of a boiler. Since the oil embargoes of the 1970s, and more recently the increased government emission regulations, the need for accurate flow measurement has never been more pronounced. These forces drive the need to monitor flow and make judicious choices in the type of measurement used. While traditional technologies such as DP and turbines have performed dutifully in the past, because of the number of advantages offered, customers are now using the SmartMeasurement™ ATMF mass flow meters whenever mass gas flow is required.

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Cooling water system

Power Generation systems usually invest several hundred million dollars in retrofit equipment to minimize the amount of cooling water drawn from the water source generally an ocean or a lake. These are generally closed-loop system which retrofits the piping already in place. To further optimize their cooling systems, the engineering team identifies the need for liquid flow meter at multiple locations to measure the flow of water as it passed through the system. Accurate liquid flow measurement is necessary not only for operational purposes to support the cooling towers but also to determine the system influence on the bay’s marine life.

The SmartMeasurement™ family of ALMAG electromagnetic flow meters provides an ideal solution for service in small to large-scale liquid measurement applications such as cooling tower water systems at electric power generation plants. They are the industry’s most economical electromagnetic flow meters. Moreover, it is not uncommon for electric power generation plants to have complex pipe configurations that may require bi-directional flow measurement. The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAG electromagnetic flow meters are available with bi-directional flow measurement. Bidirectional flow meters display positive and negative totalized flow or the option of displaying a net totalized flow measurement.

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Flue gas treatment plants

In flue gas treatment operations such as power plants, liquid flow meters are used to measure the amount of circulation water. This water washes combustion (exhaust) gas and flows through the heat exchangers taking the heat from the exhaust gas. The exhaust gas is measured by The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF gas mass flow meters.

This heat is then used for district heating. Combustion gas comes from the plant’s boiler which converts steam into district heating and also drives its electric power generators. The washing of the exhaust gas eliminates many of the pollutants that would otherwise contaminate the air. The heat recovery from the gas will increase the efficiency of any power plant. In power plants, accurately measuring the flow of liquids is always a top priority for operational efficiency. Precise flow measurement is essential to control costs and maintain profitable plant operations. Engineers generally specify one of two solutions in this type of energy plant liquid flow application: ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters or orifice flow measurement.

Depending on piping, ease of installation requirements, SmartMeasurement™ family flow technologies gives instrument engineers many choices depending on their unique circumstances. When spacing is tight, SmartMeasurement™ family clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeters are used, if flow conditioning is required, the SmartMeasurement™ ACONE is specified. Instrument engineers are delighted to find a flow meter manufacturer company such as SmartMeasurement™ that can give them choices of many flow technologies which can satisfy their technical and/or economic constraints.

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Portable liquid flow measurement for maintenance and inspection

Often times regular spot measurements with portable flowmeters are required as part of maintenance and inspection work. In power plant, measurement points can be difficult to access and pipes cannot be opened and flows not interrupted. Therefore, a non-invasive and non-intrusive flow measurement is used as a spot check flow measurement, where a permanent flow meter is not required.
In such cases the SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSPPL, portable ultrasonic flowmeters becomes the instrument of choice. The ALSONIC-DSPPL is the only portable ultrasonic flowmeter that can measure up to 30% bubbles and solids. Unlike other portable ultrasonic flow technologies the SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSPPL, portable ultrasonic flowmeters can measure any liquid be it fuel flow, wastewater or water flow.

SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSPPL clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeters can be used on various types, functions and sizes such as Inline flow meter performance verification, Inspection of fire extinguisher systems, Pump and valve testing and inspection, Leakage and blockage detection, etc.

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Marine

SmartMeasurement™’s flowmeters have been used successfully in a variety of marine applications. Our Positive Displacement Flow meters such as the ALRBPD Series have been used for fuel monitoring onboard ships; the ALMAGWP magnetic flow meters have been used in onboard reverse osmosis systems; portable ultrasonic meters such as the ALSONIC-DSPPL have used for spot checking any liquid flows having less than 30% bubbles/solids. The ALBPD positive displacement meter have also been used offshore for fuel loading and unloading. Smartmeasurement™ will continue to update our application examples in the Marine area.

Fuel flow for shipping propulsion plant

SmartMeasurement™ has been a supplier of flow products to many ship yards throughout the world. This includes flowmeters and flow switches for a number of shipboard applications such as fuel flow measurement systems with the ALBRPD bi-rotor meter positive displacement flow meter for the propulsion plant. The ALBRPD provides an ideal solution for fuel flow monitoring due to limited space available in a Ship. Positive displacement flow meter doesn’t require straight-run piping and therefore can work well after piping bends. Moreover the high accuracy of 0.2% (also available with 0.1% accuracy) as well as its ability for bi-directional measurement makes ideal for custody transfer application where excess fuel is transferred back to the ship yard.

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Reverse Osmosis

Large ships use Reverse Osmosis (R/O) systems for “all” shipboard water requirements. SmartMeasurement™ has been supplying the ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters used on both the supply and discharge sides of the R/O systems. The supply side flowmeters are suitable for use on seawater, thus, they are lined with PTFE, which provide long life against seawater’s corrosive nature.

The flowmeters on the discharge can have the less expensive rubber liners and it can also measure the potable water. All flowmeters will supply simultaneous pulse and analog outputs that will be fed to the ship’s main control room. The measurement obtained from the supply and discharge flowmeters on the R/O plant enables the crew to determine the efficiency of the R/O system.

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General flow meter requirements onboard ships

Large ships can contain thousands of meters of pipe work carrying various fluids such as water, waste water, cooling and heating liquids, fuel and oil. While the fuel flow measurement can be done with SmartMeasurement™’s ALBRPD positive displacement flow meter , water, wastewater and cooling/heating measurement can be done with SmartMeasurement™’s ALMAGWP, electromagnetic flow meters in some cases the permanent metering of lines becomes necessary once the ship has entered operation.

Often times regular spot measurements with portable units are required as part of maintenance and inspection work. Ship applications are characterized by the facts that measurement points are often difficult to access and pipes cannot be opened and flows not interrupted. Therefore, a non-invasive and non-intrusive flow measurement throughout the ship’s entire life time cycle from construction and commissioning to offshore operation and dockyard overhauls is needed.

In such cases the SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSPPL, portable ultrasonic flowmeters becomes the instrument of choice. The ALSONIC-DSPPL is the only portable ultrasonic flowmeter that can measure up to 30% bubbles and solids. Unlike other portable ultrasonic flow technologies the SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSPPL, portable ultrasonic flowmeters can measure any liquid be it fuel flow, wastewater or water flow. SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSPPL clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeters can be used on vessels of various types, functions and sizes. Vessels can be container ships, cruise liners, ferries, tankers, aircraft carriers or even luxury yachts. Other ALSONIC-DSPPL applications can be Inline flow meter performance verification, Inspection of fire extinguisher systems, Pump and valve testing and inspection, Leakage and blockage detection, etc.

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Marine loading

With each transaction involving large volumes of product and many millions of dollars, measurement accuracy is more significant in marine loading transfers than in any other application. Accuracy and reliability is required for Floating Production, Storage and Off-Loading. In FPSO metering systems, SmartMeasurement™ technologies has the experience and products to ensure operational integrity. SmartMeasurement™ ALBRPD bi-rotor meter positive displacement flow meter provides an ideal solution for FPSO metering. The ALBRPD positive displacement flow meter with its high accuracy and bi-directional measurement capabilities preforms an outstanding performance both in loading and unloading applications.

Advantages:

Steel Mills

The ALBRPD positive displacement flowmeter is used to monitor oil spray on the top and bottom of a continuous feed steel sheet for quality assurance and optimization of oil coating. In addition, to monitor return flow of unused oil to a storage tank to provide total oil used. Steel manufacturers use oil at various stages in the process of making steel. Some examples of specific uses follow: Oil, in combination with water, may be used as a cooling agent to quench steel which has been subjected to intense heat. It may be applied to the surface of steel for rust protection or to prevent scoring in case the steel rubs together.

An oil supply monitoring system used in the sheet steel industry should be accurate, repeatable, but above all it must be reliable. Lack of oil on the steel sheets during processing may result in the failure of the processing machinery causing expensive down time or poor quality steel. The flow monitoring system must measure the total spray via multiple lines and the excess oil collected in the sump and returned to storage. With accuracies of either 0.2% or 0.1%, the ALBRPD bi-rotor meter positive displacement flowmeter is an ideal choice for oil measurement.

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Hydro cyclone feed in mining industry using ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters with ceramic liner

Hydro cyclones are used for the classification on particles in slurries. Light particles are removed with the overflow stream by an upward swirling flow through the vortex finder, while heavier particles are removed with an underflow stream by a downward swirling flow. The particle size of the cyclone feed slurry ranges from 250-1500 microns leading to high abrasion. The flow of these slurries has to be reliable, accurate and responsive to changes in the plant load. This enables to balance the plant load and plant throughput. In addition to this, the service life of the flowmeter is essential to minimize maintenance and replacement cost. The flowmeter sensor has to withstand major abrasive wear caused by this kind of slurry as long as possible.

The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters with a ceramic liner and ceramic or titanium electrodes are an ideal solution for this application with an added bonus of reducing replacement intervals significantly. ALMAGWP has been chosen as the flowmeter system resulting in Best in class measurement and service life performance. The rugged ceramic liner material provides excellent abrasion resistance while the durable Tungsten carbide electrodes minimize signal noise. A protection ring (grounding rings) at the inlet of the flowmeter can be used to maximize service life of the sensor protecting the liner material from abrasion due to differences of the in inner diameter of the flowmeter and the connected pipe. ALMAGWP‘s most advanced electronic filtering technology separates the signal from the noise without losing responsiveness to changes of the flow rate.

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Crude Oil wellhead

Large size Coriolis flow meters SmartMeasurement™ ALBRPD Positive Displacement flow meter is an idea flow meter to measure crude oil from wellheads. SmartMeasurement™ technologies continue to develop measurement solutions that reliably perform in the harshest onshore landscapes. The potentially harmful effects of entrained gases, sediment, water and chemicals are all factors that must be effectively mitigated through proper operations and processes. Therefore SmartMeasurement™ ALPDFT filter and the ALPDGE gas eliminators are used to condition the crude in order to be accurately measured by the ALBRPD Positive Displacement flow meter.

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Drilling Muds

Drilling mud is often stored in tanks/silos. SmartMeasurement™ ALCM family of Coriolis flow meters is used in the online mixing and blending of expensive mud (WBM and OBM) as well as in custody transfer measurement with accuracies of 0.1% at the point of transfer to supply ships and mud tanks on site. The online measurement of density and viscosity keeps the mud parameters constant.

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Cementation

To ensure excellent cement quality for the batch, SmartMeasurement™ ALCM family of Coriolis flow meters monitors the flow rate online as well as the pumped cement density. Every drop of a chemical additive is quantified with the highly accurate ALCM family of Coriolis flow meters which are available for sizes of 10-200mm (1/2-8”).

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Fracking

Online blending of frack jell is monitored with implemented with SmartMeasurement™ ALCM family of Coriolis flow meters for mass flow, density and online viscosity measurement. Moreover, fracking requires very high pressure fluids to be injected in the wells and therefore SmartMeasurement™ of family Differential Pressure transmitters the ALDPT, can measure process operation of up to 15,000 psi (1,000 bar). The ALDPT-MV smart Differential Pressure transmitters has an integrated thermocouple and store all adjustments and settings in an integrated memory chip. All data from all the fracking units involved in the process are visualized and recorded to set points, calculations and act as an independent PLC and communication unit.

Advantages:

Water and steam injection in wellheads

Water or steam injection in wellheads are used to bring up residual crude when wellheads are nearing their operation limits. SmartMeasurement™ ALVT family of Vortex steam flowmeters with integrated mass flow computer and temperature measurement allows for direct cost control of the individual injection process to the various wells. All injection parameters like pressure, temperature, flow rate and energy consumed can be transmitted to the control room via its MODBUS communication. It provides bidirectional communication, allowing you to call the well via mobile phone and check, for example the flow rate at any time. Optional alarms setting can be activated if the wells are producing above or below a set point.

If the process requires high pressure water injection, then SmartMeasurement™ALMAGHP high pressure magnetic flowmeters can be used in a similar fashion steam injection. Liquid solutions of up to 420 bars (6000 PSI) are injected into well heads so bring up residual crude oil from the wellheads. However magnetic flow meters only measure flow and pressure monitoring must be done separately with SmartMeasurement™ ALDPT Differential pressure transmitters.

Advantages:

Satellite and pump station

One of the costliest areas of separation and pipeline pumping are the expensive demulsify and Drag Reduction Additives (DRA) injected to support demulsification and to reduce pipeline drag. Optimal use of these chemicals in parts per million (ppm) quantities ensures the lowest operating expenses and best process performance with good separation and higher pipeline flow rates. SmartMeasurement™ ALCMDT family of very small sized Coriolis flow meters can measure mass flow rates at a very low 12Kg/hr. thereby accounting for every drop of the chemical injection.

Advantages:

Fuel storage tanks

Fuel storage facilities are usually third party enterprises who act as a supplier of light hydrocarbons and also as a storage facility for others. The flow meter of choice must be a technology that has accuracies that can qualify for custody transfer. There is also a considerable amount of bias by facility engineers in choosing the appropriate flow technology due to their experience in a given technology. SmartMeasurement™ manufacturing two technologies that can comply with custody transfer requirements. These are the ALCM Coriolis flowmeters and ALBRPD positive displacement meters which have accuracies of either 0.2 or 0.1% of rate.

One major customer decided to utilizes SmartMeasurement™ ALBRPD positive displacement meters extensively for custody transfer as well as for “balancing” their storage facilities. Normally Positive displacement meters are much cheaper than Coriolis flowmeters and customer would forgo the versatility of the Coriolis meter for the lower costs of the Positive Displacement flowmeters. Balancing a particular storage facility accounts for product removed and product that has been added in a storage tank. This type of application requires a bi-directional ALBRPD positive displacement flowmeter that is extremely repeatable over a period of time, is accurate, and one that can tolerate the service conditions. Many of the applications in a storage tank facility are more challenging in that the product is very dry without the usual lubricating properties associated with hydrocarbon products.

One flow application that presented particular problems in terms of measurement was for very dry, ultra-pure isobutene coming straight out of the dryer. Facilities that use turbine flowmeters which also can be used for custody transfer complain that turbine blades due to wear and tear are replaced many times within a four month period. The ALBRPD positive displacement flowmeter is a bi-directional flowmeter with a robust construction of both the rotor and blade can last much longer than a turbine meter. If cost is not a major constraint, SmartMeasurement™ ALCM Coriolis flowmeters are an instrument of choice because it doesn’t have any rotors or bearings. Since storage tanks can accumulate air/gas and perhaps particulates, not conditioning the flow before using a flowmeter can cause the flowmeter to malfunction. To solve this problem SmartMeasurement™ can offer the ALPDFT filter to filter any particulates as well as the ALPDGE air/gas eliminators.

Advantages:

Leak Detection in Pipeline

SmartMeasurement™ supplies many non-intrusive flowmeters to the petroleum pipeline industry for leak detection and spot checking flows. Custody transfer applications are addressed with SmartMeasurement™ ALCM Coriolis flowmeters or the ALBRPD positive displacement flowmeter, however leak detection flow applications, for checking the integrity of the pipeline, can be addressed with the an ALSONICDSP clamped-on ultrasonic flowmeters. While the ALSONICDSP ultrasonic meters doesn’t have the custody transfer high accuracies, accuracies of 0.5-1% is for leak detection a single pass method will suffice.

Ultrasonic flowmeters provide multiple advantages when compared both to in-line positive displacement or Coriolis flowmeters. These advantages include low cost both in terms of initial purchase but installation which requires no process shut-down or cutting the pipe. Other advantages are no pressure drop, can easily be replaced minimal potential points of leakage, and avoidance of high pumping costs. Additionally, ALSONICDSP ultrasonic meters can measure velocities as low as 0.02mps to as high as 12mps. This allows pipeline companies to move a maximum amount of product in the shortest time possible.

Leak detection and pipeline integrity is not only essential to the bottom line for the pipeline company, it is also an environmental issue. Many of the petroleum products being measured include the additive MTBE. Proper selection of the flowmeter seal is essential for any application; however, is sometimes more challenging with various additives factored into the equation. The ALSONICDSP because of its non-intrusive ultrasonic measurement technique and no moving parts which could corrode, wear out or be blocked is an ideal flow meter for leak detection. Additionally, both the ALSONICDSP transmitter enclosure and clamp-on sensors are manufactured with non-corrosive transducers and electronics allows it to be operate within extreme atmospheric conditions as found on offshore platforms or desserts. The transducers operate in pipe diameters from 10mm up to over 3,000mm (0.4” > 118”) and withstand pipe temperatures of up to 120°C and more. They are capable of measuring through pipe walls of any thickness including very thick-walled steel conduits (SCH XXS).

Advantages:

General ultrasonic flowmeter measurement

SmartMeasurement™ ALSONICDSP ultrasonic flowmeters is also used to monitor the flow of liquids related to the oil and gas exploration and processing such as methylamine, triethylene glycol, methanol, water and produced water. The latter is particularly important to guarantee the compliance of offshore drilling facilities with the OPPC (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) regulations.

Advantages:

Flare gas mass flow measurement

In a variety of oil production and refining environments, SmartMeasurement™ ATMF mass flow meters monitor total gas flow to flare stacks as well as through feed lines to the main flare header. As an integral part of energy conservation and emission control systems, it meets strict accuracy and wide turndown requirements. SmartMeasurement™ ATMF is highly reliable because of its durable construction and no moving parts design. Other uses are blower and louver adjustment for smokeless flares. A packing gland option permits hot-tap installation and retraction of the flow element without system shut down. The ATMF also features high flow range turndown ratios up to 1000:1 and micro-processor based user friendly electronics.

Offshore Lease Operators are now required to account for flare and vent gas volumes from deep water offshore facilities processing more than 2000 bpd. Federal Regulation – Title 30 Part 250, Subpart K defines these requirements and the time line for implementation. Accuracy is required to be 5%. While ultrasonic flare stack measurement offer better accuracies, its cost of several times more than SmartMeasurement™ ATMF mass prohibits it as an economical solution for flare measurement. Unlike conventional flow measurement requirements, flare/vent gas measurements present unique challenges in terms of range-ability and response to changing flow extremes.

During normal platform operations, flows are usually low. Depending on header size, discharge velocities are usually under 1 f/s (60 SFPM). However often times these flow rates can flare up to over 300 f/s (18,000 SFPM). The wide turn-down of up to 1000:1 allows the ATMF mass flowmeter to measure both extreme high and low flows. SmartMeasurement™ ATMF Series NIST Traceable Digital Thermal Mass Flow Meter is unique in making flare/vent gas measurements. A single meter can handle the extremely wide flow ranges both in normal operations and upset conditions, while operating within the prescribed accuracy requirements.

Considering these meters are typically required to be retrofitted into existing piping galleries, installation costs can be a significant factor in choosing flow meter technologies. With SmartMeasurement™ ATMF mass flowmeters there is no requirement to break the existing piping or to even take the lines out of service. Using an insertion measuring probe installed through a small isolation valve assembly makes this possible. SmartMeasurement™ ATMF mass flowmeters have a high resistance to gas contaminants and virtually no annual maintenance, making them reliable and very easy to own and operate. In addition, the Flow Meter has negligible pressure drop which is an important feature in lower gas flows.

Advantages:

Natural Gas Flow Measurement

Some natural gas wellheads can have up to 3000 wells that require regular flow rate and flow total verification. SmartMeasurement™ ATMF mass flowmeters are used in mobile trucks one for low to medium flow and one for medium to high flow as portable system to measure flow from wellhead to wellhead. The operator can independently move from location to location and the data can be transferred via MODBUS to the control room. Connected at the well head atmospheric discharge, SmartMeasurement™ ATMF mass flowmeters automatically preforms temperature and pressure compensation and is accurate to ± 1%. Unlike volumetric flow meters, the ATMF mass flowmeters doesn’t need pressure and temperature measurement to perform the needed mass flow measurement. Repeatability is ± 0.25% over the repeatable flow range.

Advantages:

Vapor measurement in tanker loading/unloading

SmartMeasurement™ ATMF Series mass flow meters provide the solutions for several difficult tanker loading/unloading applications. The ATMF mass flow meters are used to measure the flow of hydrocarbon vapors that are vented from the storage tanks, both on the tanker and at the port tank farm, to ensure compliance with environmental laws governing waste vapors. The ATMF is also used to measure nitrogen gas flow for blanketing systems.

Advantages:

SmartMeasurement™ ATMF mass flow meters measure vapor leakage from tankers which are in compliance with environmental laws governing waste vapors.

Natural gas supply lines

Monitoring natural gas flow to various areas of production is critical in keeping costs under control. The transportation of natural gas over great distances is a complex task, requiring specialized equipment and facilities to deliver the gas safely, efficiently and in a ready to-use form. Considerations include maintaining sufficient pipeline pressure, maintaining pipeline integrity and keeping moisture levels low.

Often time’s customers use vortex meters and flow computers and calculating of mass flow was via pressure and temperature compensation fed to the flow computers. A better solution is to use one instrument such as SmartMeasurement™ ATMF series thermal mass flow meters. There is no need for external pressure and temperature sensors as well as a flow computer to measure mass flow. The ATMF Series features wide flow range turndown ratios up to 1000:1 and integral or remote electronic configurations with HART, or MODBUS in accordance with FM and ATEX approval standards. NIST traceable calibration certificates are supplied with every flow meter as a standard product feature.

Advantages:

Pharmaceuticals

SmartMeasurement™ has many successful flow measurement applications in the Pharmaceutical industry. Our ALSONIC-DSP family of non-intrusive ultrasonic flowmeters has been used in hygienic flow systems, where the transducers never come in contact with the process flow. The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meter with PFA liner and Tri-Clamp® process connections is available with accuracies of up to ±0.2% and are used for critical, high accuracy measurements. Our ATMF series thermal mass flow meters can measure air flow in the critical pill coating systems have been successfully used in this application. Our ALCM family of Coriolis mass flowmeters make critical measurement in fuel nozzle systems. SmartMeasurement™ provides a one-stop shop for all flow metering requirements in difficult pharmaceutical flow measurement applications.

Hygienic flow measurements

Pharmaceutical water consists of, water used for cleaning such as sterile purified water, or (PW), and water for injection (WFI) including sterile water for irrigation and inhalation. The best solution to measure these waters are a non-intrusive clamp flowmeter such as the highly accurate.

Installing and maintaining traditional flow meters means shutting down the process and cutting the pipe can mean microbiological growth can occur. This is where the non-intrusive nature of ALSONIC-DSP Ultrasonic flowmeters which are installed outside the pipe becomes the flow meter of choice.

The SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSP Ultrasonic flowmeter transducers are manufactured with a stainless steel head, have a high IP rating and are perfectly designed for clean room installation. They can be installed on pipes of any common material including various plastics, stainless steel and flexible tubes.

For non-Permanent installation, where spot checking of flow is necessary, the SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSPPL portable clamp-on flowmeters are ideal for spot measurements.

Flow measurement are also needed in the production of liquid medicines which include liquids, solutions, syrups and mixtures as well as in the manufacturing of tablets such as in wet granulation have been chosen as production process. Health care industry regulations require that all flow measurement and other process devices must be fully “CIPable”, or suitable for “Clean in Place”. This means that the flowmeter must be fully cleaned when it is flushed with a suitable cleaning product or steam. Installing the SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSP Ultrasonic flowmeter means the flow transducers never touches the process and operators will never have to worry about contamination of the process.

While non-intrusive measurement saves a lot of installation cost as well as maintain the hygienic application requirements, however, often time higher accuracies of 0.5% or better may mean that the SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters with PFA and 3A connections with accuracies of +/-0.2% of full scale maybe a better option. The cost benefit ratios which include installation of electromagnetic flow meters is determined by the operating engineers. SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP all ceramic electromagnetic flow meters can with similar accuracies may also be considered in highly corrosive and hygienic applications.

Advantages:

Pill Coating

Pill coating involves consuming pills are more pleasant and easily digestible. Pill coating also protects the chemicals in the tablet. Some medications need to be digested slowly, pill coating assists in this time release function. Thus, various pills have different requirements regarding their coating. Pharmaceutical manufacturers requires an accurate metering system to measure air for their pill coating process and a system that can be easily incorporated into their operation. Accuracy is very important in this process. The system requires a set amount of air which is sent to a sprayer for optimum controls. Air is used to control the amount of liquid coating applied to the pills. Reaction time of the flowmeter was also an issue. The best solution to accurately measure air is the SmartMeasurement™ ATMF series thermal mass flow meters. The ATMF flow system allows the customer to accurately measure air and its MODBUS communication system can easily be incorporated into their PLC or DSC system. This process is much like the use of a spray gun, with the flowmeter measuring the amount of air to control the amount of liquid necessary to coat the pills.

Advantages:

Fuel nozzle measurement n coatings applications

In coating services and thermal spray powders a specific amounts of fuel are combined with flammable industrial gases in the combustion chamber of a nozzle that in-turn creates a supersonic spraying velocity. High accuracy of fuel flow measurement is critical in controlling the exact blend of fuel and gases to produce the required velocity of these combustible materials. This high velocity is used to spray the coatings which actually penetrate the surface. The coating, when applied to the surface, exhibits extremely high density and corrosion-resistance to wear thus extending the life of the product. A highly accurate small size SmartMeasurement™ ALCMDT family of Coriolis mass flowmeters are perfect flowmeter these applications.

Advantages:

Monitoring hydrogen bleed-off

Hydrogen flow measurement to a hydrogenation reactor is crucial in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals. A reduction of hydrogen consumption is a critical indication of the completion of the batching process. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF series thermal mass flow meters , with its 1000:1 turndown, is ideal for measuring flow during both the high demand batching process and the low demand at the completion of the batch. A second critical factor in this process is reducing hydrogen leaks to safe limits. An integrated system of SmartMeasurement™ ATMF inline thermal mass flow meters are required to continuously measure the hydrogen flow. The ATMF inline flowmeters provide accurate measurement of uptakes of hydrogen in the reaction process. The ATMF’s highly accurate totalizer serve as a much needed safety interlock by initiating a shutdown sequence to manage hydrogen bleed-off.

Advantages:

Nitrogen tank blanketing/monitoring

Low pressure “blanket” of inert gas, usually nitrogen, is injected into the vapor space of a pharmaceutical storage tank of toxic liquids. The primary reasons are to avoid emission of toxic fumes, and prevent fire or explosion. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF series thermal mass flow meters installed upstream of the tank regulator monitors nitrogen flow rates.

Advantages:

Pulp and Paper

Pulp and paper
SmartMeasurement™’s products have been used successfully in a variety of flow measurement applications in the Pulp and Paper industries. The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP magnetic flow meters with ceramic lining are used in highly abrasive slurries, while the standard ALMAGWP series meters are used for any conductive liquids including water and lime mud, liquid additives such as dyes, bleaches, water, and diluted powdered- in-water. The ATMF series thermal mass flow meters are used to measure flows of natural gas used for fuel in burners as well as air/fuel balancing applications. Any liquids with low conductivity which cannot be measured with magnetic flow meters as well as high viscosity fluids are an excellent candidate for the SmartMeasurement™ ALCM Coriolis mass flow meters. SmartMeasurement™ provides a one-stop shop for all flow metering requirements in the pulp and Paper industries.

Natural gas flow monitoring

The amount of chemical recovery that takes place in pulp and paper mills has a direct impact on its profitability. Lime is an important chemical used in the mill cooking process and the lime kiln consumes tremendous amounts of fuel that can be very costly to its recovery. Lime mud and water in the recovery process are an excellent application for the SmartMeasurement™. ALMAGWP series of Magnetic flowmeters with many choices of electrodes and liners.

Our ATMF series thermal mass flow meters with its exceptional accuracy enables proper natural gas/air ratio for maximum efficiency in the cooking process. The ATMF series thermal mass flow meters have no moving parts and all welded 316L stainless steel construction. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF features mass measurement of very low flow rates with wide turndown capabilities and no pressure drop in the process media.

Advantages:

Ceramic Lining for use with Abrasive Fluids

Additives like Titanium dioxide or Calcium carbonate as well as pigment slurries, milk of lime or chalk suspension contain more and more solid material which requires a flow meter that can withstand abrasive liquids. Magnetic flowmeters, been used successfully for flow measurement in the pulp and paper industry for many years. Its main advantage is straight and free sensor tube which does not produce any unwanted pressure loss and is easy to clean. To ensure correct measurement, these flowmeters are provided with an insulating lining. However for highly abrasive applications, SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP series of Magnetic flowmeters with its ceramic liner and electrodes considerably increase the operating life of highly abrasive applications. An example is the sand trap downstream of the fourth cleaner stage. A flowmeter with standard PTFE lining was able to resist to the demanding operating conditions for approximately two months, only. The device with special ceramic lining is still working perfectly after a operating life of already 1.5 years. The ALMAGWP series of Magnetic flowmeters with ceramic lining, are available with either HART or MODBUS communication protocol and are available from 25-150mm (1-6”).

Advantages:

Mass flowmeter for measuring the concentration of additives

In paper production it is extremely important to measure out the various additives to ensure product quality. Liquid additives such: dyes, bleaches, powdered products diluted in water, and liquids with a low conductivity and/or high viscosity are used in various processes in a paper mill. Starch additives are used in recycled papers to increase strength of the cardboard. The starch arrives at the mill in powder form with various particle sizes and moisture content and is stored in silos. Using a variable speed auger the starch is then mixed with water in a small tank and then pumped into the piping system for transportation to the cooking system. Maintaining the correct water to starch balance is critical in this process. The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP series of Magnetic flowmeters offers an economic choice in measuring starch water.

Starch must be cooked properly to ensure that the finished product has a consistent quality and thereby accurate mass balancing is needed between the cooking additives. The concentration of the starch in water and mass of the dry product must be as consistent as possible. Historically Magnetic flowmeters were used to obtain the measure of additives as well as water, however being a volumetric flowmeter; it cannot accurately determine the mass of each additive in the process. A more prices solution in this application has been the use of the SmartMeasurement™ ALCM Coriolis mass flow meters for direct mass measurement. The ALCM series replaces the existing volumetric flowmeters with the more precise mass flow measurement of the concentration of a solid diluted in water. The density measurement which was obtained experimentally can be directly measured with the SmartMeasurement™ ALCM Coriolis mass flow meters. Concentration values are sent to a control room via MODBUS and the concentration of the liquid will be controlled (in this case starch) at different temperature levels. The use of the mass flowmeter during the cooking phase allows consistency of the concentration values of starch to be achieved, which means that the quality of the final product is more consistent, and within the manufacturing tolerances required.

Advantages:

See all flow meter applications

Water and Wastewater

water and wastewater
SmartMeasurement™’s products have been used in a variety of flow measurement applications in the Water and Wastewater industry. SmartMeasurement™’s ALMAGWP electromagnetic flow meters have been successfully used to measure wastewater sludge and raw water while the ALSONIC family of ultrasonic flow meters have been used for similar applications where customers are able to sacrifice the higher accuracy of electromagnetic flow meters to gain the non-intrusive nature and portability of the ALSONIC family of ultrasonic flow meters. The ALMAGIS insertion magnetic flowmeter combined with a level transmitter can be used for open channel sludge and effluent system applications. For open channel applications with relatively clean liquids, the ALSONIC-AVM open channel ultrasonic flow meters are the instrument of choice.

The ATMF series thermal mass flow meters are used in biogases, aeration, and combustion air systems as well as fuel gas monitoring in boilers systems. In methanol and additive applications, the SmartMeasurement™ ALCM Coriolis mass flow meter has been used with success. SmartMeasurement™ provides a one-stop shop for all flow metering requirements in the water and wastewater industries.

Magnetic flowmeters and ultrasonic flowmeters in wastewater treatment plants

In general, both magnetic flowmeters, ultrasonic flowmeters can be used where gas and solids content is low. If gas and solids content is high, magnetic flowmeters are the better choice because gas and solids can severely dampen the sound pulse used by transit-time meters. The SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC ultrasonic flowmeter Transit-time ultrasonic meters with its ability to measure up to 30% solids and bubbles are suitable for most of the flow measurement applications in this process. Exceptions are: the location downstream of the aeration process in the biological treatment, and also the RAS and WAS lines. In the former, the sludge typically contains a high content of gas; the latter contains a high solid content. The processes within sludge treatment are generally the domain of electromagnetic flow meters because of the typical high solids and gas content where a more accurate SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP magnetic flowmeters with accuracies up to 0.2% becomes the instrument of choice for sludge applications.

Advantages:

Regeneration of water wells

There are many independent well regeneration and maintenance companies who perform camera inspections and maintain existing water wells and water treatment installations for water utility companies. The maintenance of wells involves exchange of pumps and pipes, the cleaning of filters and the regeneration of complete wells. Maintenance companies have many maintenance skids at their disposal for the treatment of wells.

At many locations there are meadows and forests; mains power is often not available. Water maintenance companies require accurate flow measurements for well maintenance activities and for building new wells. Well treatment often times involve checking the calibrated volume of water abstracted from a well to know for how much the water level is reduced. These companies must report to local governments on their findings. As a result the amount of water that can be abstracted is often limited. In addition, governments demand that in case of well maintenance, such as cleaning under high pressure and chemical regeneration, the volume of water that is pumped and discharged during the treatment should be measured accurately.

The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGBAT magnetic flowmeters is a standalone water meter with battery power provides a good solution for remote locations where no power is available. The ALMAGBAT has a very high turndown ratio of 1 to 400 an important factor due to the measured flow can vary from very low flows to very high flows. At locations, where the piping cannot be removed or where there is no space to install a flowmeter, the SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSP ultrasonic flowmeter clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeter are used. The maintenance skids are used at many locations with different flow rates and also flows rates of a well under test can vary from high to low. Contrary to mechanical meters, the ALMAGBAT as well as the ALSONIC-DSP has no internal moving parts, so there is nothing to wear and nothing to block, as well as having no pressure drop.

Advantages:

Water abstraction control

In order to manage water supplies better water abstraction controls are extremely important. Normally these abstraction controls are applied to where water is being drawn for purposes such as drinking water, industrial usage or irrigation. Abstraction controls are important because restricting the amount of water that can be drawn from any one source helps prevent environmental damage, such as depletion or, harm to aquatic life as well as overall management and conservation of water sources. Therefore it is highly necessary to measure the amount of water abstracted and to ensure that consumption remains within the prescribed limit.

Selecting the appropriate flowmeter for abstraction controls depends on a number of factors, including the desired accuracy and repeatability and also the characteristics of the installation. For example, where water is being abstracted from a river or stream, pebbles and sediment may be present which could quickly damage and even destroy a mechanical meter. Where sea water is being abstracted, the salinity of the water can also quickly wear out a stainless steel flowmeter, requiring consideration of the materials of construction. This is where the SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP family of magnetic flowmeters becomes flow meter of choice. Compared to other flowmeters the ALMAGWP magnetic flowmeters with various linings gives protection against high sediment flows, a variety of materials, including ceramic linings for particularly abrasive flows. With no moving parts, they do not suffer from problems with wear and tear, minimizing maintenance, and require no upstream strainers to filter sediment. If a portable solution is required, the portable SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSPPL ultrasonic flowmeter Transit-time ultrasonic meters with its ability to measure up to 30% solids and bubbles becomes the instrument of choice.

Advantages:

Water Distribution Networks

Transportation of potable water involves the uses pipes that can run through densely populated areas, cross rivers and other obstructions which will affect the rate of flow from its source to its final destination for usage. Accuracy is an important criterion in selecting a flowmeter, because it concerns the custody transfer of potable water between two independent sources. The flow measurement is subject to fiscal regulations and therefore requires a certification of accuracy. Often times at the location of installation there is no mains power available, so a battery powered, stand alone, water meter is preferred. The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP family of magnetic flowmeters high accuracies of up to 0.2%, wide turndown ratio is a popular flow meter. When a self-powered flow meter is needed, the battery powered, stand alone, ALMAGBAT offers water utilities opportunities for improving revenues because of high accuracies at high and low flow rates and because the water meter maintains its initial accuracy over a long period of time. The sensors have IP 68 mounting, allowing the meter to be temporary or continuously submerged in water. Magnetic flowmeters water meters maintain their accuracy over time and due to their robust construction the time spent on routine maintenance and service activities can be reduced to a minimum.

Advantages:

Drinking Water

Since a majority of potable water processes involve liquids that are conductive, magnetic flowmeters are suitable for almost all flow measurement applications, whereas mechanical flow meter are often was used are usually oversized for the measurement. In high flow applications, mechanical meters can measure with a reasonable accuracy, but low flows at nights can be very inaccurate. The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP family of magnetic flowmeters is an ideal choice for older mechanical water meters that reaches its lifespan and are up for a replacement. A major benefit for customer is that the ALMAGBAT, contrary to mechanical meters, is obstruction-free and therefore it causes no pressure loss. High and low flows are measured with a high accuracy and with a high repeatability. Because there are no internal parts that can wear, the ALMAGBAT maintains its accuracy over time offering reliability and reduced maintenance. The ALMAGBAT display shows rate, total for billing purposes plus a status indication of the battery, the flow/counter direction and empty pipe detection.

Advantages:

Pressure filter system in water treatment plants

The quality of untreated water can vary depending on is extraction point. Over one third of the entire amount of ground filtrate in the waterworks is conducted through pressure filter tanks filled with quartz chips for the biological filtering out of manganese. This section of a treatment plant is the most important area in water treatment plants. Water analysis is made to which suspended particles and colloids are filtered out of the untreated water and by how much. The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP family of magnetic flowmeters are used for this most important area of water treatment. The ALMAGWP stands out due to its high measuring performance while also boasting extremely rugged construction. The ALMAGWP‘s steel flow body is fully welded and leak-tested at the factory. Moreover, The ALMAGWP is thoroughly tested over a time period of 20 hours at temperatures between –20°C and +60°C.

Advantages:

Booster pump works with collector well in water treatment facilities

Many waterworks plants have rotary pumps with electric drives take on the task of supplying potable water to the public supply network. The SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-DSP ultrasonic flowmeter clamp-on flowmeter with its ability to measure up to 30% suspended solids is ideal for measurement different water qualities and flocculating agents. The ALSONIC-DSP with its four channel configuration covers up to four applications with a single electronics unit becomes more economical than a single measuring fixed magnetic flowmeters. The use of only one device for each flow measuring station not only creates planning and investment security, but also keeps the warehouse management streamlined. In addition, there is the unique diagnostics capability reduces periodic maintenance intervals and unexpected downtimes are therefore also a thing of the past.

Advantages:

Corrosion protection and disinfection

In waterworks, the untreated water from all of the vertical wells is consolidated in deep containers. Natron a kind of soda ash base is used in chemical treatment by liquors for increasing the PH value and monophosphate are dosed for protecting the pipeline network and home installed pipes from corrosion. Optionally, a chlorine bleaching system can be connected for dosing, to prevent microbiological effects. Dosing require the use of a highly accurate flowmeter, but also chemically durable such as the SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP family of magnetic flowmeters is various non-corrosive liners and flow bodies.

Advantages:

Clean water from water treatment facilities

Measuring of the potable water intended for the population must precisely comply with government regulations. Therefore, the selection of the flowmeter and its materials inside the measuring pipe is extremely important. The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP family of magnetic flowmeters have sensors that have liners at are in compliance to governmental authorities. The ALMAGWP meets these criteria and are wet calibrated with a NIST certified volumetric calibration station and are delivered with an official calibration certification.

Advantages:

Open channel measurement in partially filled wastewater and sludge purification plants

Water purification plant has a two-stage biological purification system which eliminates nitrogen and phosphate downstream wastewater filter. These plants also have sludge digestion and sludge treatment systems on site with drainage and drying. Wastewater flows into various collectors and then flows in the plant’s inlet. Flow can either be moved by natural pipe gradients or pushed up to the plant. The pipes are partially filled of between 200-1600mm diameters. Measurement of this flow must be done with both a flow and level instrument as written in“measurement principals”our open channel section.

The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGIS insertion magnetic flowmeter combined with a level transmitter are ideal for open channel liquid sludge measurement. The ALMAGIS is inserted close to the bottom of the pipe where there will always be flow while any level transmitter can be used on top of the pipe to monitor the height of the flow. Average flow rate in the partially filled cross-section is determined electromagnetically via two measuring electrodes, which are always under the surface of the water and therefore cannot be obscured, even at levels of only 10% of the inside diameter. The level can be determined using any level measurement principal such as capacitive, radar, ultrasonic etc. The signal of each instrument is sent to the SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGIS system control panel where instantaneous and total flow is calculated. Measurement takes place independently of deposits and dirt on the pipe walls and is unaffected by wave formation. Another benefit is the abrasion-resistant polyurethane lining, which remains resistant even to sand and stones. In addition to flow, total volume and level, the ALMAGIS system control panel indicates various reliably reports when limit values are undershot or exceeded.

The SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGIS insertion magnetic flowmeter combined with a level transmitter are ideal for open channel liquid sludge measurement. The ALMAGIS is inserted close to the bottom of the pipe where there will always be flow while any level transmitter can be used on top of the pipe to monitor the height of the flow. Average flow rate in the partially filled cross-section is determined electromagnetically via two measuring electrodes, which are always under the surface of the water and therefore cannot be obscured, even at levels of only 10% of the inside diameter. The level can be determined using any level measurement principal such as capacitive, radar, ultrasonic etc. The signal of each instrument is sent to the SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGIS system control panel where instantaneous and total flow is calculated. Measurement takes place independently of deposits and dirt on the pipe walls and is unaffected by wave formation. Another benefit is the abrasion-resistant polyurethane lining, which remains resistant even to sand and stones. In addition to flow, total volume and level, the ALMAGIS system control panel indicates various reliably reports when limit values are undershot or exceeded.

Advantages:

Open channel measurement in partially filled water distribution channels

Large water pipes or partially filled water channels are used to distribute water throughout the utility networks. These large pipes are partially full so that when storms or water surges occur, the pipes don’t break. Whereas partially filled water channels allow enough unused volume so not to cause spillage or flooding in its surrounding. Partially filled pipes or open channels must have both velocity and level measurement as the water level or flow area increases or decreases during the year. The SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-AVM open channel ultrasonic flowmeter combined with a level transmitter are ideal for area velocity measurement. Systems of up to 15 meters or more have been successfully measured with the SmartMeasurement™ ALSONIC-AVM ultrasonic transducers installed on the opposite side of the channel. An independent level transducer is connected to the ALSONIC-AVM flow computer provides an accurate flow rate and total flow of any partially filled channel or pipes.

Advantages:

Untreated wastewater

The wastewater flows through a sand filtering system with an automatic sand screener. The aired sand filter ensures that sand and other mineral solids settle on the bottom of the sand filter basin while fats in the wastewater floats to the surface. The wastewater then flows into the pre-purification consisting of four rectangular settling basins in which all un-dissolved pollutants that are heavier than water settles. Fats, oils and light plastics that were not completely removed in the aired sand filter float to the surface of the water and are skimmed off. Several SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP families of magnetic flowmeters are installed in the untreated water inlet of the pre-purification system. The ALMAGWP is installed with either polypropylene or ebonite liners to guarantee a high degree of resistance to solids and abrasive media.

Advantages:

Measurement of iron chloride in light load aeration

In light load aeration activated sludge is separated from the wastewater. In the inlet of the secondary sedimentation, iron chloride or an equivalent substance is added for elimination the phosphates just as with the sand filter. In measuring iron chloride the SmartMeasurement™ ALMAGWP families of magnetic flowmeters with PTFE special lining are used. The dosing of flocculating agents must always be adjusted to the amount of wastewater and the degree of turbidity. With a measuring accuracy of 0.2 % of the measuring value and a reproducibility of 0.06%, ALMAG sets the standard for other magnetic flowmeters.In addition to the PTFE special lining, high-value ceramics are also available with the ALMAGWP families of magnetic flowmeters for more abrasive fluids.

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Flow measurement of sludge

The sludge treatment allows biological stabilization of the sewage sludge. Effective sludge digestions are needed to y keep the resultant smells to an absolute minimum. The main sludge from the biological purification stages undergoes thickening in the so-called main sludge thickener and is temporarily stored in sludge storage containers before digestion. In both pre-thickener and in the main sludge thickener, the SmartMeasurement™ ALMAG families of magnetic flowmeters are used. Thanks to the unique diagnostics capabilities of the ALMAG installation and operating status of the device can be monitored.

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Methanol measurement with Coriolis flowmeters

In the second stage of aeration (often time called light-duty aeration) reduced nitrogen compounds remain in the wastewater in the form of ammonia. Ammonia which is highly poisonous is converted into nitrate (nitrification) and then further converted into nitrogen. Methanol is injected during the purification process to accelerate the purification process. The mass flow of liquid methanol is critical in calculating the efficiency of ammonia purification to plant managers. The SmartMeasurement™ ALCM Coriolis mass flow meters in homogeneous mixtures is practically made for this application where it reliably determines mass flow rate, density, volume, temperature, mass or volume concentration and percentage of solids accurately.

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Aeration process

In the first biological purification stage, a heavy-duty aeration system is used with air to supply oxygen to biological tanks in order to speed up the decomposition of sludge waste. Compressed air is necessary to promote optimal bacteria growth in aeration basins and the mass of dissolved oxygen is measured. One of the largest expenses incurred in operating these systems is the cost of the compressed air. Closely controlling the aeration process can reduce energy consumption by as much as 25%, and accurate measurement is critical to success in achieving this goal. Surface aerated basins uses aerobic micro-organisms to remove 80 to 90% of organic matter in waste water. Oxygen concentration in the water basins is a critical factor to promote the optimum micro-organism growth rate needed to treat the water in the shortest amount of time. As a result, large compressors are used to force air through hundreds of air diffusion filters at the bottom of the aeration basins, providing a constant 24/7 supply of oxygen to the micro-organisms in the water. This is where the SmartMeasurement™ ATMF series of thermal mass flow meters become instrument of choice. Volumetric flowmeters measure volume of air (Oxygen) which varies with changes of ambient temperature and pressure resulting in inaccurate flow measurement. The ATMF series thermal mass flow meters are not affected by changes in process conditions thereby providing a more accurate measurement for plant operators.

Carbon compounds are removed from the wastewater in various aeration basins operating in parallel. The heavy-duty aeration system often times replaces old style trickling filters in the biological purification stage. Several SmartMeasurement™ ALMAG families of magnetic flowmeters are installed to measure the return sludge in the heavy-duty aeration systems. The reliable detection and measurement of thick sludge using magnetic flowmeters are important because large proportions of solid bodies and gas bubbles frequently caused a noisy measuring signal.

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Biogas measurement

In either Aerobic digestions which uses bacterial in the presence of oxygen or anaerobic digestion which uses bacteria in absence of oxygen bacteria breaks down some of the sludge in biogas. This biogas usually contains over 50% methane and the remainder carbon dioxide. Both carbon dioxide and methane are expensive and can be sold or in the methane case used as fuel. Therefore accurate measurement of biogas is required. One problem with the biogas process involves very low flows which volumetric flowmeters cannot monitor. Moreover because biogas can be sold, accurate mass flow measurement is needed. This is where the SmartMeasurement™ ATMF series of thermal mass flow meters become instrument of choice. Not only it can measure extremely low velocities of down to 0.02mps but it measures mass flow directly without the need to monitor pressure and temperature to infer mass flow.

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Biogas for Cogeneration plants in wastewater facilities

Many Wastewater Treatment Facilities generate the majority of its own electric power by using internal combustion engines that burns a mixture of methane gas produced by the sewage digestion process. Producing abundant, healthy amounts of biogas each day in a digester can be the cornerstone of renewable energy program. Biogas generated during the digester system are cleaned, compressed and mixed with natural gas, this biogas becomes a valuable fuel for the plant’s co-generators, which produce enough electricity to meet over 50% of a plant’s electrical needs. Since digester gas applications operate at pressures just slightly above atmospheric and produces very low flow rates, it is essential that instrumentation has the ability to measure and remain accurate even at these low pressures. Volumetric gas flowmeters, which are traditionally differential pressure (DP) flowmeters, requires a pressure drop to make the measurement. Low flows create a very small differential pressure across a DP device such as an orifice plate or annubar and flows cannot be monitored. This is where the SmartMeasurement™ ATMF series of thermal mass flow meters become instrument of choice. The ATMF insertion probes with its ½’ diameter sensors can measure mass flow, temperature, velocity etc. with virtually no pressure drop. Very low flow digester gas requires high accuracies of 1% and a turndown (100:1), while accurately measuring its mass without the need of pressure, temperature transmitters with a flow computer, the SmartMeasurement™ ATMF mass flow meters are a better choice than volumetric gas measurement.

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Biogas from Landfills for Cogeneration

Solid wastes collected from various sources including households, commercial and industrial activities enter a landfill, where methanogen bacteria decompose the organic material. A by-product of the bacterial decomposition is biogas, composed of 50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide. Millions of tons of municipal solid wastes are disposed of in sanitary landfills where globally, landfills are the third largest anthropogenic emission source, accounting for about 13% of methane emissions or over 818 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MMTCO2e). Over 1,200 landfills worldwide collect landfill gas which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and accrues emissions credits to meet the pollution regulatory reporting standards.

To collect this landfill gas, a series of pipes are embedded within the landfill and a “flare” is used to burn off the collected gas. A better use of this gas is for cogeneration where it is compressed and mixed with natural gas, which in turn can be used to run a power generator. The biogas is a clean energy source in the cogeneration process. Landfill gas is very humid, at low pressure (20-40 mBarg) and about 40-60°C (100°F). Therefore measuring the biogas as it leaves the landfill is difficult for volumetric gas flowmeters. Low pressure makes differential pressure (DP) devices like orifice plates unsuitable since they require a fairly large differential pressure to operate. Also, the landfill gas is often very dirty with a high moisture and particulate content. This can clog up devices like annubars and orifice plates or gum up turbine meters and similar instruments that have moving parts. The SmartMeasurement™ ATMF series of thermal mass flow meters, its abilities to measure low flow, offers virtually no pressure drop, constructed with no moving parts become instrument of choice.

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