In response to there being an increased need for accurate flow measurements of viscous fluids through various types of differential

pressure flow meters, compu ter simulations were conducted as part of this research to more accurately define th e characteristics of the discharge coefficient, (C) at small Reynolds numbers. The heavy oil industry has found that with rising oil prices it has become more economical for companies to pursue the extraction of extremely viscous oils, which results in s mall Reynolds numbers flowing through the pipe and consequently the meters (GOA, 2009 ). Accurate flow measurement is one of the greatest concerns among many industries, because uncertainties in product flows can cost companies considerable profits. Currently there is little known about the C values at small Reynolds (Re) number s for the meters in this report (Miller, 1996), since calibrations for these meters are ge nerally performed in a laboratory using cold water. Differential pressure meters are pop ular for these applications because they are relatively inexpensive and produce reliable results. Four different types of differential pressure flow meters were studied which include: Venturi, standard concentric orifice plate, V-cone, and wedge flow mete rs shown in Fig. 1. The Venturi flow meter obtains a pressure differential by const ricting the flow area and therefore increasing the velocity at the constriction, which c reates a lower pressure according to Bernoulli s Theorem. The concentric orifice plate flow meter reduces the pressure by forcing the fluid through a thin plated circular o pening smaller than the pipe diameter. The V-cone flow meter has a cone shaped obstruct ion in the middle the pipe, which forces the flow around the outside of the cone creati ng a 2 pressure differential. The wedge flow meter has a wedge shaped obstruction locat ed in the upper portion of the pipe, which reduces pressure on the downstream side of the wedge. Fig. 1 shows sketches of the different types of meters investigated. The viscosity of a fluid is inversely proportional to the Reynolds number for a specific flow, so increasing the viscosity of the fluid results in a smaller Rey nolds number for a viscous fluid. With an increased accuracy in numerical modeling ove r the years, it is now plausible to use it for flow conditions where experimental proc edures may be inadequate. Viscous fluids with very small Reynolds numbers cannot accura tely be tested in the laboratory with water because the pressure differences are too small to accurately measure. Therefore, computer modeling simulations can be used to characterize the discharge coefficients over very small Reynolds numbers. All of the computer model simulations were verified by comparing them to lab data or previo us findings where the discharge coefficients were well known. Once the numerical mo

dels were verified they were taken to more viscous regions where experimental data wi th water would have a high degree of uncertainty.