An ultrasonic flow meter is a type of a flow meter that measures the velocity of a fluid with ultrasound enabling it to calculate the volume flow. Using ultrasonic transducers, which convert a signal in one form of energy to another form of energy, the flow meter can measure the average velocity along the path of an emitted beam of an ultrasound, by averaging the difference in measured transit time between the pulses of ultrasound propagating into and against the direction of the flow or by measuring the frequency shift from the theory of the Doppler effect, which works the same way as a moving car with a siren.
Ultrasonic flow meters are affected by the acoustic properties of the fluid, can be impacted by temperature, density, viscosity, and suspended particles depending on the exact flow meter. They vary greatly in purchase price but are often inexpensive to use and maintain because they do not use moving parts, unlike the mechanical flow meters.
The ultrasonic flow meter is a best option to use since it is easy to install on existing pipelines (there exists clamp-on versions) hence no need to buy new pipelines so as to measure flow. In addition, because it is non-invasive and there are no moving parts make it very long lasting considering that there will be no wearing off. Hence, the owner will not have to think about added costs of maintenance and frequent replacement of worn out parts.
In medical applications, doctors can avoid bleeding of patients while trying to measure their blood flow. They simply need to apply coupling gel on the skin then place a sensor pad, which will produce blood pulsation in the arteries and veins with great detail for diagnosis required by the doctor. The ultrasonic can also be used to measure the flow of slurries accurately than any other meter. Slurry by its very nature has a very high concentration of particles. The sound velocity of the particles also differs sufficiently from that of the carrier medium. The flow meter is often used to provide a signal when the velocity drops below the critical level.
The penetration depth of the ultrasonic beam, which depends on the concentration of the slurry, and the flow profile, tends to cause considerable errors of measurement. They can also be used to measure gases, which do not apply to many other flow meters. Apart from tube wall and sonic windows, no parts are in contact with the flowing gas therefore, there will not be any hazards. However, sound cannot be transmitted in a vacuum. So transmission of sound between the sensors requires that the gas have a defined minimum density.
The ultrasonic flow meters are also redundant. The signal converter activates an alarm in the event of a sensor-measuring measuring path) failure. The flow meter, however, remains operating within its specified accuracy because the remaining beams are not affected and continue to work accurately. This makes the ultrasonic flow meter much more reliable than other flow meters.
This post is contributed by SpireMT, a leading supplier of ultrasonic flow meters, wireless telemetry systems, digital flow meters, magnetic flow meter, electrical energy meters, water flow meters and many more. For more information visit at www.spiremt.com