Large Diameter Flow Meters
Monitoring flows in large diameter pipes is notoriously expensive. Today it is possible to measure flows in large pipes using retrofit intrusive and clamp on flow meter technology. Using insertion flow meters it is possible to monitor flows in pipes up to 6000mm in diameter. Non intrusive clamp on flow meters can measure up to 8000mm lines.
Insertion Flow Meters
RS Hydro regularly install, hire and calibrate electromagnetic insertion meters and quadrinas for measuring flows in relatively large pipes in the UK and overseas. Typical applications include meter verification and testing, trunk mains analysis, network modelling, permanent and temporary flow measurement and hydro power station flow measurement.
The ABB AquaProbe and Quadrina can be temporarily or permanently installed whilst the pipe is under pressure. Due to its ease of installation, this meter is a more economical option for large sized pipes compared to using full bore flow meters. The probe has no moving parts, has a wide flow velocity range and is easily dismantled for quick installation. Rugged and reliable, this flow meter can be powered using inter-changable batteries for up to 5 years at a time. In addition, GSM dataloggers can be used to transmit all flow data to your PC.
Clamp On Flow Meters
Non invasive flow meters can be used to measure almost any liquid on any pipe size but due to their non-intrusive nature they can be installed without having to modify the pipeline. The sensors are simply clamped to the outside of the pipe to ascertain the in-situ flow rates.
Clamp on flow measurement devices provide drift-free flow measurements in ultraclean to dirty liquids. This mode handles 80 percent of multiphase liquids-including fluids with gas bubbles, liquid droplets and entrained solids-that previously required Doppler-type meters because conventional transit-time meters failed. Such flow meters can be configured to dual channel to allow flow measurement in two different pipes, leak detection by measuring at two different locations on the same pipe and dual-path measurement at one location for maximum accuracy.
Again, installation and maintenance costs compared to full bore electromagnetic flow meters are minimal without any loss of accuracy or performance. Clamp on flow meters are available in fixed/stationary or portable formats. RS Hydro can provide flow meters for rental or sale to any location in the world.
