Many sectors find it vital to measure the water flow rate because they help high-quality liquid or fluid products. A high-tech device called a water flow meter is needed to measure flow rate in many sectors that deal with fluids.
Although water flow meters come in many types, we will look at smart water flow meters in this article. A digital liquid flow meters used to measure and monitor water flow rate in sectors that deal with clean water, wastewater, tap water, RO water, raw river water, well water, seawater, acid water, pure water, and irrigation water.
When water is measured correctly using proper devices, wastage is reduced, and it also makes work in hydraulic systems cost-effective. A good example is when you use adequate water flow meters to measure water flow through a domestic tap. When controlled in the right way, they will reduce the monthly bills incurred from using water. Liquid flow meters also help to detect leaks in pipes and containers holding the water.
Before choosing a water flow meter, there are factors that you need to look into. These factors include the cost of the flow meter, setting up the meter, calibration, and repair. The lifespan of a flow meter is also an avital factor. Now that you have a little bit of what flow meters are all about, let’s now look at some examples of water flow meters.
Liquid Turbine Flow Meter
In liquid turbine flow meters, mechanical fluid energy is used to spin the pinwheel either clockwise or vise versa. The rotor blades are placed in the meter to use the force of fluid flowing through the pipe, which spins the shaft based on the water flow rate. The spinning blades are monitored using two methods: magnetic and sensor mechanism. The magnetic method uses a magnet fixed on the blades. When the blades spin, the magnet will pass through a metal piece attached to the meter at an angle. When this happens, the water flow rate is read from a full revolution that the blades make. One benefit of using a turbine water flow meter is that it can measure water flowing from either direction in the pipe. A turbine flow meter is used to measure clean water such as demi water, clean tap water, hot water, pure water, chiller water, and RO water. It is not wise to use a turbine water meter with dirty water because debris and pebbles may clog the blade or break them.
Benefits of Using a Turbine Water Flow Meter
- Accuracy when you want to measure water consumption rate
- Using a turbine water flow meter allows the user to detect water leaks when water flows from the reverse direction
- This type of liquid flow meter measures water use rate in real-time
- It is cheap, unlike other liquid flow meters, and is also easy to maintain
- Turbine flow meters can measure clean fluids with low viscosity with no risk of damage
- With proper calibration, the turbine flow meter easily read flow rate
Digital Magnetic Water Flow Meter
The magnetic flow meter uses the Faraday law of electromagnetic induction principle in fluids measurement. The flowing water creates and transmits a proportional magnetic field as water flows into the tube. As a result, the induced water’s voltage difference is sensed as a voltage signal by the electrodes from the tube’s exterior wall. Voltage made will go up when water starts to flow faster into the tube. In other words, the voltage signal is proportional to the rate of water flow. With liners and electrodes made from different kinds of material, the user can use these types of flow meters to measure dirty water, seawater, or wastewater sludge.
Benefits of Using a Magnetic Water Flow Meter
- Using magnetic flow meters gives you accurate and reliable readings since they produce signals proportional to the flowing water.
- The user can install this type of liquid flow meter in systems that work under low water flow pressure. This means that you can set it upstream or downstream with shorter meter connections.
- It is cheaper than other flow meters.
- This type of liquid flow meter is found as insertion water flow meters or electronic in-line volumetric water flow meters.
- Since there are no moving parts inside this type of water flow meter, it has a longer lifespan.
- The user can use batteries to power magnetic water flow meters. GPRS can also be used.
Ultrasonic Digital Water Flow Meter
This type of flow meter is used to measure the water flow rate in a circular tube according to the “speed difference method.” The clamp-type transducer ultrasonic flow meter is among this type of meter. The user can use this type of flow meter to tap water, clean water, and well water since it’s a non-invasive water flow meter.
Multi-jet Flow Meter
Used in residential and small commercial sectors in fluids measurement, multi-jet flow meters give accurate results in small sizes. This type of meter has many ports that surround an internal chamber. These ports create multiple jets of water against an impeller. The velocity of water flow determines the rotational speed of the impeller. Multi-jet flow doesn’t have the straight-through flow path needed for high flow rates. That is why they don’t come in large sizes. They are also prone to damages due to moving parts. The flow of water is reversed since they record airflow.
IoT enabled Ultrasonic Water Sensor
These water flow meters are known as water sensors because they don’t have moving parts. They send data to the cloud in real-time since they are IoT enabled. The created data is processed in the cloud with cloud sensors. After that, the end-user will then get reliable water usage data that is accurate. In case of any failure or downtime, the user will be notified immediately. The service team will then rectify the problem. These are the latest technologies in digital water flow meters, and they can be used for mass and rapid deployment in commercial and residential segments.
Conclusion
Digital liquid flow meters have made it easier for users to monitor and measure liquid flow accurately. However, the user needs to use the correct type of flowmeter with the right application. The meter should also be installed in the right way.
