Experiment 2 --- Flow Measurement

Controlling the flow in piping systems is a significant issue in the chemical process
industries. Obviously, in order to control the flow in a pipe, the flow must be measured.
This experiment will introduce you to three devices that are used to measure flow. One,
the rotameter, is a simple mechanical device that is designed to be read by an operator.
It is rugged, relatively inexpensive, and easily installed. The second, the orifice plate,
can be set up to be read locally or remotely using pressure transducers. Both are
designed for flows that do not contain significant amounts of solid material. The third,
the magnetic flow meter, is a more sophisticated device than either the rotameter or the
orifice plate. It requires that the flowing material be electrically conductive, but can
measure flows with suspended material. Brief descriptions of the three devices are on
the attached pages, along with the simplified directions and questions.

Below are some basic experimental guidelines that are common to all three sub-
experiments.

1. Trace the piping in the flow loop so you understand the basic process of getting flow
from the feed tank to the receiving tank .
2. Ensure that the water level in the receiving tank is above the pump that recycles the
water in the receiving tank to the feed tank. Use the hose and tap to fill as necessary
3. Ensure that the feed tank is about 60% full of water. Use the recycle pump to pump
from the receiving tank to the feed tank. Before activating the recycle pump, have
the lab instructor verify that you have the valves in the correct position.
4. Refill the receiving tank to about 50% full.
5. Ensure that the water will only flow from the feed pump through the desired flow
measuring device. Follow the piping and open and close the necessary valves to
allow the water to flow from the feed pump, through the measuring device, and back
to the receiving tank.
6. Close the final (discharge) valve just prior to the discharge into the receiving tank.
7. Have the lab instructor verify that your valving is correct for the measuring device you
want to use.
8. Turn on the feed pump
9. Slowly open the discharge valve until you obtain a desired reading. Slowly change
the discharge valve opening to obtain different flow rates.
10. When the receiving tank is about 50 - 60% full, activate the recycle pump.
11. Monitor the level in the receiving tank and turn off the recycle pump if the receiving
tank level approaches the level of the top of the recycle pump.
12. When you are ready to leave the lab, have the lab instructor verify that you have left
the flow loop in the proper condition.
Rotameter Experiment

The purpose of this portion of the experiment is to develop a calibration curve for a
rotameter so that it may be used to measure flow in a pipe.

The rotameter is a very commonly used flow measuring device, especially in low
pressure systems. It is used for both liquid and gas flows. As shown in Figure 1 below,
this simple device is just a tapered tube with a metal bob on a central shaft. (The bob
can actually be any material that does not react with the fluid being measured and the
central shaft is not really necessary, but serves to keep the bob aligned in the tube.) As
the fluid flows in the annular space between the bob and the tube, a drag force is
generated that tends to pull the bob along. The force of gravity tends to resist this drag
force. The drag force is proportional to the square of the velocity, whereas the
gravitational force is proportional to the mass of the bob. If the drag force is greater than
the gravitational force, the bob rises. As the bob rises, the annular space gets bigger
and the velocity, and hence the drag force, drops. At some point, the drag force and
gravitational force balance and the bob remains fairly steady. (If there is no balance
point, the bob either sits at the bottom of the tube or slams against the top of the tube ---
neither condition is very useful for measuring flow!)

As you will show in CHEG 3110, the flow rate through a rotameter is given by:

2 • g • Vb ρ b − ρ f
u= •( ) (1)
C • Ab ρf

Q = A*u (2)

A = f ( y) (3)

where
u = flow velocity
Vb = volume of the bob
ρ b = density of the bob
ρ f = density of the fluid
Ab = frontal area of the bob
A = area of the annulus between the bob and tube wall
y = distance from the bottom of the meter
f(y) = the function that defines the tube taper
g = gravitational acceleration
C = a drag coefficient
Q = volumetric flow rate

The annular cross section (A) at any distance above the base is a function of the design
of the meter. The proper choice of the bob diameter and the tube taper can make the
functional term nearly linear such that the formula reduces to:
 ρb − ρ f
Q = Cm • y • (4)
ρf

where Cm now contains the constants and the drag coefficient from equations (1) - (3).

While Cm could be evaluated for each meter, it is much more convenient to develop a
calibration curve for a particular application. That will be the exercise in this portion of
the lab.

Vary the flow rate through the rotameter by slowly opening the valve on the discharge
line. Measure the flow with an appropriate container and a stop watch. Build a
calibration curve for the flow meter. In equation (4), note that the flow is dependent on
the density of the fluid and the bob, both of which change as the temperature changes.
Therefore, you will need to record the fluid temperature for each of your observations.
Take between five and ten different flows and rotameter positions for the calibration
curve.

Some questions:

What calculations and assumptions would you have to make to build a calibration curve
that would apply over a fairly large fluid temperature range?

Estimate the meter coefficient (Cm in equation 4) from your data.

Bob

Flow

Rotameter Schematic
Figure 1
Orifice Plate Experiment

The purpose of this portion of the experiment is to calibrate an orifice plate so it may be
used to measure flow.

Sufficiently far (about 5 pipe diameters) from an any obstruction, turbulent flow in a pipe
is reasonably stable in that the velocity at any point in the flow cross section is the same
as all other points, on average. Thus, at line 1 in Figure 2 below, the velocity is almost
constant across the pipe cross section. In order to pass through the restricted opening
at line 2 (the orifice), the flow must converge and accelerate in order to pass through the
restriction. The flow forms a jet as it exits the orifice and the cross section of the jet
continues to decrease for some small distance downstream1. Eventually, the flow
diverges and within a few pipe diameters of the orifice the flow is again constant across
the pipe cross section. The pressure exerted by the fluid is related to its velocity and it
can be shown (and you will do so in CHEG 3110), that the flow rate through the orifice
is given by:

2 • ∆p
Q = C • A2 •
A2 (5)
ρ • (1 − 22 )
A1

Where
Q is the volumetric flow rate
A1 is the cross sectional area of the pipe
A2 is the cross sectional area of the orifice
∆ p is the pressure drop (P1 - P2)
C is coefficient of discharge
ρ is the fluid density

The coefficient of discharge is dependent on the ratio A2/A1 and somewhat dependent
upon the Reynolds Number. The Reynolds Number is used to characterize the flow of
fluids and its definition should be remembered. The definition is:

D •u • ρ
Re =
µ
where
D = pipe diameter
u = fluid velocity
ρ = fluid density
µ = fluid viscosity
Fortunately, this dependence on Re is relatively weak and for our purposes, we can
treat C as a constant.

For a particular installation, A1 and A2 are constants, so many of the terms in equation
(5) can be collected and (5) rewritten as:

2 • ∆p
Q=K• (6)
ρ

In this experiment, vary the flow rate through the orifice plate by slowly closing the valve
on the discharge side of the flow system setup. Measure the flow at any given valve
position by using an appropriate container and stop watch. Record the pressure
difference (∆ p) at the same time as the flow is being measured.

A plot of Q vs ∆p will result in a calibration curve for the orifice plate. Is this a straight
line? Equation (5) is dimensionally consistent and "C" is dimensionless. Convert
everything to consistent units and determine the value and units of "K".

In this experiment, the pressure difference is displayed by two different methods and
you are to develop calibrations curves for both methods. Method one uses the
manometer, while method two uses the electronic display from the differential pressure
transducer. (Note – this signal could be taken to a computer for display via a LabView
vi.)

For the manometer, the pressure drop is directly proportional to the difference in height
between the liquid heights in the two legs of the manometer. The differential pressure
transducer displays a value that is proportional to the pressure difference. Is this
displayed value a voltage or a current? Is the resulting calibration curve linear?

Since the fluid is water, the following properties are approximately true:

Density: 62.4 lbm/ft3

Viscosity: 0.01 centipoise
A1 = 1.049 inches
A2 = 0.777 inches

1
The point of the minimum jet diameter is called the vena contracta and ideally it is at
this point that the down stream pressure measurement is made. In practice, however,
the downstream pressure measurement is made in the flange near the orifice. Since the
diameter of the vena contracta is a function of the orifice diameter, we can bundle all the
variation into one coefficient (C in equation 5) and use the orifice diameter. Thus the
value of C in equation 5 is a function of Re and A2/A1.
 1 2

P1 P2

Orifice Plate Schematic

Figure 2

Magnetic Flow Meter Experiment

The magnetic flow meter is a relatively sophisticated device (compared to the rotameter
or orifice plate). The flowing, conductive particles (ions or true particles) induce an
electric potential which is measured by the flow meter electronics. Flow meters are
sized for a maximum flow and the induced potential is essentially compared to the
maximum permitted potential. In this way, the flow through the meter is related to the
maximum measurable flow. The flow meter display can display the flow directly (in
appropriate units) or as a percentage of the maximum measurable flow. The flow meter
in this experiment displays the flow as a percent of the maximum.

Your goal in this experiment is to determine:

a) what is the maximum measurable flow rate?

b) build a LabView vi to take the signal from the flow meter and display the
volumetric flow rate on a meter of some form. Be sure to include the flow
units on the meter display.