G H PATEL COLLEGE OF

ENGINEERING &
TECHNOLOGY
SUBJECT :- INSTRUMENTATION AND
PROCESS CONTROL (2150504)
TOPIC :- HEAD FLOW METERS
PREPARED BY:ENROLL. NO.
NAME
140110105041
NISITH PATEL
140110105042
RAHUL PATEL

 What is head flowmeter?

In these head type flowmeters, some devices is inserted into a pipe
carrying fluid. It obstructs the flow of fluid and creates a pressure
difference on either side of the device. With the use of this pressure drop
one can measures some parameters like velocity, pressure drop, etc.
The flowmeters are applicable for compressible as well as
incompressible fluid.
Differential pressure type flow meters provide the best results where
the flow conditions are turbulent.

 Principle:-

Any change in fluid flow rate through the restriction can be

measured in terms of differential pressure across it. This is the
principle of head flow meters.

 TYPES OF HEAD
FLOWMETERS : Some of the most common types of differential pressure
flow meters are given below.
(1) ORIFICE METER.
(2) VENTURI METER.
(3) NOZZLE METER.
(4) PITOT TUBES.

ORIFICE FLOWMETER
The components of a typical orifice flowmeter installation are:

Orifice plate.
Orifice holder.
Orifice taps.
Differential pressure transmitter.
Flow indicator / recorder.

ORIFICE PLATES
Metal plates have an equal outer diameter
of the pipeline. These plates have an
opening orifice bore smaller than the
pipe inner diameter.
The typical orifice plate has a concentric,
sharp edged opening. Because of the
smaller area the fluid velocity increases,
causing a corresponding decrease in
pressure.
Types of the orifice plate are concentric,
eccentric and segmental plates.

COUNTINUE.
The concentric orifice plate has a sharp (square- edged) concentric bore
that provides an almost pure line contact between the plate and the
fluid. The beta (or diameter) ratios of concentric orifice plates range
from 0.25 to 0.75. The maximum velocity and minimum static pressure
occurs at some 0.35 to 0.85 pipe diameters downstream from the orifice
plate.
Eccentric orifice plates are typically used for dirty liquids/ gases.
Liquids containing vapour (bore above pipeline flow axis). Vapours
containing liquid (bore below pipeline flow axis).
Segmental orifice plates are used for heavy fluids, in preference to
eccentric bore plates, because it allows more drainage around the
circumference of the pipe.

ORIFICE TAPS

There are 4 common arrangements of pressure taps:

1. Flange taps are located 1 inch from the orifice plate's surfaces.
They are not recommended for use on pipelines under 2 inches in
diameter.
2. Vena contracta taps are located one pipe diameter upstream from the
plate, and downstream at the point of vena contracta. This location varies
from 0.35D to 0.8D. The vena contracta taps provide the maximum
pressure differential, but also the most noise. Normally are used only in
pipe sizes exceeding 6 inches.

COUNTINUE.
3. Corner taps are predominant for pipes under 2 inches.
4. Pipe taps are located 2.5 pipe diameters upstream and 8
diameters downstream from the orifice. They detect the smallest
pressure difference. With pipe taps measurement errors are the greatest.

DP FLOW MEASUREMENT
When a DP cell is used to
transmit a flow measurement the
output of the transmitter is not
linear. To solve this problem some
form of signal conditioning is
needed to condition the signal for
use with a linear scaled indicator.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE AND
When the differential pressure is obtained experimentally and
FLOW
plotted against flow, the resulting graph is a square function.

If the square root of differential pressure is plotted against flow, a

straight line is obtained showing that the rate of flow is in direct
proportion to the square root of differential pressure. Therefore, in
many flow measurement installations a Square Root Extractor is
fitted to the output of a differential pressure transmitter.

DP FLOWMETER
INSTALLATIONS

EQUATION FOR
CALCULATION
For the calculation of velocity(v ) below equation is used.
b

For the calculation of volumetric flow rate(Q) below equation is used.

Where,
= Db/Da = (Ab/Aa)0.5
Pa, Pb = Pressure at point a and b
= Density of fluid
Co = Orifice Coefficient
= Compressibility Factor
AT = cross-section area of the orifice

ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF ORIFICE
ADVANTAGES:- FLOWMETERS
They are easy to install.
One differential pressure transmitter applies for any pipe size.
Many DP sensing materials are available to meet process requirements.
Orifice plates have no moving parts and have been researched extensively;
therefore, application data well documented (compared to other primary
differential pressure elements).
DISADVANTAGES:The process fluid is in the impulse lines to the differential transmitter may
freeze or block.
Their accuracy is affected by changes in density, viscosity, and temperature.
They require frequent calibration.

VENTURI METER

Its typical variation of fluid velocity and pressure by allowing it to

flow through such a constricted convergent-divergent passage was
first demonstrated by an Italian scientist Giovanni B.
Venturi tube consists of a section of pipe with a conical entrance,
a short straight throat, and a conical outlet. The velocity increases and the
pressure drops at the throat. The differential pressure is measured
between the inlet (upstream of the conical entrance) and the throat.

COUNTINUE.
The inlet section of the venturi meter is of the same diameter as that
of pipe line in which it is installed which is followed by the short
convergent section with a converging cone angle of the 15-20.
Its length is parallel to the axis is approximately equal to 2.7(D1 D2).
Where,
D1 = diameter of pipe ;
D2= diameter of throat.
A long diverging cone with a section angle of above 5 7
wherein the fluid is reacted and large portion of the kinetic energy is
converted back into the pressure energy.
The convergent section is a short pipe that tapers from the original
18
pipe size to that of the throat of the meter.

COUNTINUE.
The divergent section of the venturi meter is gradually diverging pipe
with the cross-sectional area gradually increasing from that of the
throat to the original pipe size.
A piezometer ring is an annular chamber provided at the pressure taps
with small holes drilled from the inside of the tube and is used for
averaging out the individual pressures transmitted through the several
small holes to a pressure measuring device.
Venturi tubes are available in sizes up to 72", and can pass 25 to 50%
more flow than an orifice with the same pressure drop. Furthermore,
the total unrecovered head loss rarely exceeds 10% of measured d/p.
19

EQUATION FOR
CALCULATION
For the calculation
of velocity(u ) below equation is used.
2

For the calculation of volumetric flow rate(Q) below equation is used.

Where,
P1, P2 = Pressure at point a and b
= Density of fluid
Cv = Orifice Coefficient
= Compressibility Factor
AT = cross-section area of the throat

ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF
ADVANTAGE:VENTURI
METER
It can handle low-pressure applications.
It can measure 25 to 50% more flow than a comparable orifice plate.
It is less susceptible to wear and corrosion compared to orifice plates.
It is suitable for measurement in very large water pipes and very large
air/Gas ducts.
Provides better performance than the orifice plate when there are solids
in Suspension.

DISADVANTAGE:It is the most expensive among the differential pressure meters.

It is big and heavy for large sizes.
Its has considerable length.

PITOT TUBE

The pitot tube was invented by the French engineer Henri Pitot in the
early 18th century and was modified to its modern form in the mid-19th
century by French scientist Henry Darcy.

HOW PITOT TUBE IS WORK

A pitot tube is simply a small cylinder that faces a fluid so that the
fluid can enter it. Because the cylinder is open on one side and
enclosed on the other, fluid entering it cannot flow any further and
comes to a rest inside of the device. A diaphragm inside of the pitot
tube separates the incoming pressure (static pressure) from the
stagnation pressure (total pressure) of a system. The difference
between these two measurements determines the fluids rate of flow.
In industry, the velocities being measured are often those flowing in
ducts and tubing where measurements by an anemometer would be
difficult to obtain. In these kinds of measurements, the most practical
instrument to use is the pitot tube. The pitot tube can be inserted
through a small hole in the duct with the pitot connected to a Utube water gauge or some other differential pressure gauge for
determining the velocity inside the ducted wind tunnel. One use of
this technique is to determine the volume of air that is being delivered
to a conditioned space.

ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF PITOT
TUBE
Advantages:
Pitot tubes measure pressure levels in a fluid. They do not contain any
moving parts and routine use does not easily damage them. Also, pitot
tubes are small and can be used in tight spaces that other devices
cannot fit into.
Disadvantages:
Foreign material in a fluid can easily clog pitot tubes and disrupt
normal readings as a result. This is a major problem that has already
caused several aircraft to crash and many more to make emergency
landings.

NOZZLE METER
Nozzle is a modified venturi tube with the outlet divergent section so
that it resemble an orifice with a well rounded upstream edge.
The inlet section of flow nozzle can be a quarter ellipse or a circle.
Flow nozzle are made of stainless steel or any other corrosive material.
The upstream or high pressure tap is located at about one pipe dia.
from the entrance to the nozzle while low pressure tap is located in the
pipe directly opposite to the straight portion of the nozzle.

ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF NOZZLE
Advantages:
METER
Low permanent pressure loss as compared to orifice.
It can be used for fluid having Reynolds number as low as 6000 and as high
as 50000.
It has high co-efficient of discharge with usual value of 0.99, with wide range
of ratio between 0.2 to 0.8.
Due to rigid construction, it can be used for metering fluids at high
temperature and flows.
Its cost is lower than venturi.

Disadvantages:
Cost is higher than orifice, Low accuracy as compared to venturi, Low
pressure recovery.
Cant moderate pipe size after using this meter.

REFERENCE
1. PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL BY A. P. KULKARNI, (PP. 5.1 - 5.16),
NIRALI PRAKASHAN.
2. GOOGLE.COM
3. WWW.WIKIPEDIA .COM