Traditional flow meter technologies like those used in turbine meters and positive displacement meters use volumetric techniques to determine flow. The results are displayed on the screen in a unit of measurement for volume such as gallons per minute or liters per minute. Emissions monitoring, chemical mixing and custody transfers are examples of flow measurement applications that demand the rate of flow to be measured using mass units. A volumetric flow meter can be difficult because the volumetric units must be changed to mass units by multiplying the density of the media by the volumetric reading. For liquids, the value of the density can change with temperature changes. In gases, the value of the density can change with pressure changes as well as temperature changes. If the density changes, the volumetric meters used in an application can become inaccurate. A mass flow meter helps to prevent this problem by showing the reading of mass flow. This reading does not change with temperature or pressure changes.
A flow meter to measure and controls the flow correctly which ensures product quality, maximizes productions and increases efficiency. Flow measurements can be used to indicate the performance of a process. This is based on the mass conservation rule that says mass entering the operation is equal to the mass that is leaving the operation. This measurement must be completed at the same interval. Both mass flow transmitters and meters are crucial to effective operations.
There are a number of flow meters that measure flow, including positive displacement meters, ultrasonic meters, non-compensated vortex meters, turbine meters and magnetic meters. These meters are often combined with temperature and pressure measurements and a flow computer to calculate mass flow. This type of meter is considered an indirect mass flow meter because one meter must use a number of sensors and a computer to properly calculate the mass flow. This indirect measurement of mass flow is used when a measurement of direct mass flow cannot calculate the flow due to application parameters. SmartMeasurement™ offers direct mass flow solutions in a number of applications.
Direct Mass flow measurement are Coriolis and thermal flowmeters such as SmartMeasurementTM’s Coriolis flowmeter family of ALCM meters with various flow tube construction to best fit any application used mainly for liquids. While in gas measurement SmartmeasurementTM’s, ATMF family of thermal mass flow with direct mass flow and temperature outputs are the smart solution for any gas applications.
In steam measurement, the only technology able to measure mass flow is a self-compensated vortex flow metes. The ALVT family of vortex flow meter produced by SmartMeasurement can take direct mass flow readings on steam flow with built-in temperature and pressure sensors well as mass flow transmitter. These flow meters are perfect for steam flow measurement because when steam temperature and/or pressure changes the output is the actual mass flow of the steam. Non compensated vortex meters or other volumetric flow meters will not measure the true mass flow of steam when steam temperature and/or pressure changes.