Permanent Ultrasonic Flow Meter: Features, Uses & Benefits
When considering an ultrasonic flow meter for any industrial application, it is crucial to know the differences between permanent and portable devices. Read on to learn everything you need to know about permanent ultrasonic flow meters.
What is a Permanent Ultrasonic Flow Meter?
A permanent ultrasonic flow meter is is fixed onto the outside of a pipe and designed to monitor the flow rate of a liquid or gas continuously and also can measure the volume and mass flow of liquids and gases non-intrusively Fixed ultrasonic flow meters, is a notable alternative to traditional, in-line meters.
Since ultrasonic liquid and gas flow meters are non-invasive, they offer numerous advantages, including no pressure drops, high temperature and high-pressure limits, and flow measurement without obstruction. They do not interfere with operations or pose any leakage risks. Permanent ultrasonic flow meters can be affixed to any standard pipe.
How Does a Fixed Ultrasonic Flow Meter Work?
Various permanent ultrasonic flow meter designs exist that specialize in measuring gasses, liquids, hydrocarbons, and hazardous materials. The instruments have three main elements: ultrasonic signals, single or multiple transducers, and a transmitter.
Ultrasonic flow measurement of liquids and gases relies on the propagation of ultrasonic wave signals into the medium. This measurement method exploits the fact that the transmission speed of an ultrasonic signal depends on the flow velocity of the carrier medium.
Doppler flow meters have one transducer. The transducer sends an electrical signal through the pipe wall, into the liquid or gas, and finally into the transmitter. The transmitter converts the signal into electronic pulses that detail the difference between output and input frequencies. The electronic pulses are processed and translated into a flow measurement.
Transit time ultrasonic flow meters measure the time it takes for an ultrasonic signal transmitted from one transducer to cross a pipe and be received by a second transducer. Ultrasonic signals transmit between the transducers, flow is calculated by measuring the time the signals travel between the two transducers . With flow, the sounds move faster in the direction of the flow and slower against the flow. If there is no low, the signal travel time iw the same in both directions.
Hybrid ultrasonic flow meters have more than one transducer pair located upstream and downstream. The flow rate is measured by cross-correlating between the transducer pairs. These flow meters typically have microprocessors that allow them to switch modes based on the status of the material, e.g., “clean” or “dirty.”
Ultrasonic Permanent Flow Meter Features
Permanent ultrasonic flow meters have several important features, including:
- Powerful digital signals
- Advanced signal evaluation technology
- Adaptive meters
- Factory calibration to guarantee specified accuracies
- Industry 4.0 communication protocols
- Rugged design that prevents wear and tear or clogging
Ultrasonic Permanent Flow Meter Benefits & Uses
Ultrasonic permanent flow meters offer many benefits and use applications, including a few mentioned below:
Benefits
- Low installation and operation cost
- No process interruption is required for the installation
- Provide precise and reliable bidirectional flow measurement
- Flexible configuration
- Provide accurate and reliable measurements
- Ideal solution for the measurement of aggressive, corrosive or toxic media in hazardous areas
- Provide advanced analytics
- Compensate for temperature variation
- Do not pose a risk for leaks
- Cost efficient
Uses
Oil & Gas
- Bitumen flow measurement at an oil sand facility
- Flow measurement at a fluidized catalytic cracker
- Flow measurement of heat transfer oil
- Produced water flow measurement
- Flow measurement of sour gas
- Flow and concentration measurement during gas dehydration
- Flow measurement at a compressor station
- Flow measurement during gas injection and withdrawal
- Wellhead gas flow measurement
- Check metering at an ethylene pipeline
- Hydrocarbon pipeline leak detection systems
- Dewatering of hydrocarbon storage tanks
- Flow measurement during tanker unloading
Chemical
- Flow measurement of sulphuric acid in titanium dioxide production
- Flow and concentration measurement of hydrofluoric acid
- Flow measurement of diluted ammonium nitrate
- High-temperature mass flow measurement of an MDI oligomer mixture
- Flow measurement of gasses in semiconductor production
- Flow measurement of nitrogen
Pulp and Paper
- Flow and concentration measurement of process water and spent liquor
Mining
- Flow measurement of sodium hydroxide solution in bauxite processing
- Flow measurement of flotation feed
Marine
- Flow measurement at ballast water treatment systems
- Reverse osmosis seawater flow measurement
- Engine fuel consumption and cooling circuits flow monitoring
Energy
- Turbine efficiency monitoring
- Penstock monitoring
Portable vs. Permanent Ultrasonic Flow Meter
When choosing an ultrasonic flow meter, it is important to know the differences between portable vs. permanent ultrasonic flow meters. Portable ultrasonic flow meters are ideal for controlling and auditing measurement points not assessed by permanent meters and operating while a permanent meter is being replaced. Permanent ultrasonic flow meters are suitable for continual monitoring over extended periods of time. Permanent ultrasonic flow meters are built to last so that measurements can reach the highest levels of accuracy and reliability.
Contact your TechStar expert for a full range of Ultrasonic liquid and gas flow meters. TechStar is your one stop shop for all your instrumentation and analytical products along with automation capabilities, including training and service. For a full range of TechStars Ultrasonic Flow Meter solutions, visit TechStar today.