What is a Flow Meter?

As you might have guessed from the name, a flow meter is a device used to measure the flow rate or amount of liquid or gas flowing through a pipeline.

Flow meters are used in all sorts of diverse industries. For example, to measure leakage from a hydraulic valve, water flow in a river or stream or pipeline, fuel levels through a fuel injector, or all manner of other applications.

There are a wide variety of types of flow meters. So, when making a purchase it’s important to consider several criteria before making a decision. These include the:

Type of substance whose flow is to be measured.

Viscosity of the substance.
Minimum and maximum flow rates of the substance.
Minimum and maximum temperatures of the substance.
Cleanliness of the substance.
Maximum pressure and pressure drop.
Consistency of the flow rate (intermittent or continuous).
Location of the meter.
Precision requirements of the reading.
Compatibility of the meter with the chemical composition of the substance.
Size of the pipeline.
Response time of meter.

As you can see, there are a number of factors to be considered, and doing so can eliminate some of the possible varieties of flow meter from your selection. For example, Coriolis meters have a slow response time for injection flow, making them unsuitable for this purpose. Similarly, turbines are not suitable for viscous fluids.

Once you have narrowed down your list, you can look at the remaining options. These may include – but are not limited to – the following varieties.

Turbine Flow Meters - Suitable for clean and less viscous liquids which produces very accurate readings

Ultrasonic Flow Meters - More suitable for dirty liquids, which may damage other types of meter

Positive Displacement Flow Meters - Used for viscous and fluid liquids when turbine meters would be unsuitable due to an abundance of turbulence

Vortex Meters - Favoured for their durability, vortex meters are also largely unaffected by variations in pressure

Coriolis Meters - Very suitable for a wide manner of fluids and gases, the Coriolis meter is normally expensive, vulnerable and high maintenance

Venturi Flow Meters - An energy-efficient but fairly expensive meter which measures differential pressure.

For a far more comprehensive list of meters suitable for measuring flow, and to learn about pricing and availability, visit the Flow, Level & Pressure Instruments section of our Buyer’s Guide.

Kontorr Flow Meter

An exciting new flow meter which is still in the developmental phase is the Kontorr Flow Meter. This hybrid meter has been designed to combine the advantages of various different existing meters to achieve a more reliable, accurate and cost-effective product. To read more about its potential advantages, and for a general overview of flow meter options, please read The Kontorr Flow Meter - A New Choice in Flow Measurement.