Flow meters are essential instruments for measuring the liquid and gas flow in a particular flow system. Before you decide to buy a flow meter, there are several factors that you need to put into consideration. The reason is that there are many types of flow meters designed to operate on particular flow systems and applications. Picking the wrong type of digital flow meter for your application may lead to inconsistencies when measuring flow rate.
Besides the type of liquid or gas you intend to use with your flow meter, you also need to know the difference between flow meter designs and their working principles. This post will look at some of the most important factors you need to consider when shopping for a digital flow meter to use in your production plant or application. The information we share will help you avoid many issues that usually arise in the flow measurement process, leading to adverse effects.
How to select a digital flow meter for your flow system
If you are new to the flow measurement industry, you probably don’t know how to select the best flow meter for your system. To get the best out of your flow system, you need to select the correct flow regardless of which media is used. These are some of the considerations required when choosing a flow meter:
Understand the purpose of the digital flow meter
Before you go ahead to buy a flow meter, you need to understand the functions of your flow meter in your application. A flow meter may function as a monitor for monitoring the amount of fluid running through the pipeline or channel in real-time. Other types of flow are used to regulate flow in terms of speed and direction of flow. Therefore, it is important to understand what the flow meter will do in the flow system. If you intend to use a flow meter for a short period, you can lease it instead of buying a new one. Leasing is much cheaper than buying a new digital flow meter that you will only use for a while.
Consider the cost of the installation
When selecting a flow meter to use, don’t just focus on the initial purchasing amount. You should also consider the cost of installing the flow meter. Flow meters come with different designs, which are installed differently. In other words, installation requirements vary depending on the type of flow meter. For example, the cost of buying a turbine flow meter is not much. What will inflate the operating cost is the entire flow system because of repairs or recalibration. Other flow meter designs don’t need to be installed in the pipeline. These flow meters are called insertion flow meters. Installing them is not expensive, and operations won’t stop if any repairs are necessary.
Look for extensive information online
If you are not conversant with flow meter matters, the best thing to do is look for more details about the flow meter online. The internet contains all the information you require about a particular flow meter. You can just search for proper flow meters based on the application and flow system you intend to set up. As you do that, make sure that you also compare the prices of different manufacturers or companies.
Explore the operating parameters
The type of flow meter you intend to buy must go hand in hand with the measurements parameters of your flow system. Measurement parameters include accuracy, temperature, and pressure requirements.
Conclusion
Digital water flow meter selection is an important aspect of setting up a flow system. You need to ensure that you have picked the correct type to make maximum use of the measurement instrument. Remember that you can always ask for help from the flow meter manufacturer if you are unsure which type of flow meter will work well with your flow system.