The non-contact flow meter is a kind of flow metering device that does not need to insert, pipe penetration or cut any mechanical parts through the pipe or extend into the flow system to accurately measure the liquid flow rate in the closed pipe.
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Non-contact flow meters can be installed on the outer wall of the pipeline to achieve flow measurement without pipe or flow interruption. And there is no pressure loss for its non intrusive flow meter sensor. Clamp on ultrasonic flow meter realizes the non-contact measurement of the liquid flow rate.
Non-contact flow meter uses ultrasonic technology to measure the volume flow by detecting the effect of the ultrasonic beam (or ultrasonic pulse) when the fluid is flowing.
When the sound wave propagates in the fluid, the speed of the sound wave will increase in the downstream direction and decrease in the counter current direction. The same propagation distance will have different propagation times.
According to the ultrasonic liquid flow meter, there are: transit time flow meter; Doppler flow meter.
Transit-time Ultrasonic Flow Meters: These meters work by measuring the time it takes for sound waves to travel downstream and upstream in the pipe. The difference in time between these two measurements is used to calculate the flow rate.
Doppler Ultrasonic Flow Meters: These meters use the Doppler effect, where the frequency of the reflected sound waves changes based on the velocity of the fluid. This change in frequency is then used to calculate the flow rate.
According to the structure of ultrasonic flow meter: panel-mounted, wall-mounted, integrated, portable flow meters, handheld flow meters, alignment rail transducers, clamp-on flow meter, insertion ultrasonic flow meters , etc.
Oil and Gas Industry: Used for monitoring crude oil flow, refined petroleum products, and gas pipelines without risking leaks or contamination.
Water and Wastewater Management: Deployed in treatment plants and distribution systems to measure water flow in large pipes and open channels.
Chemical Processing: Ideal for handling corrosive chemicals and hazardous materials without exposing sensors to harsh environments.
Food and Beverage Industry: Ensures hygiene by measuring the flow of liquids such as milk, juices, and other beverages without direct contact.
Pharmaceutical Industry: Supports the precision required in drug manufacturing and sterile processing.
With advancements in sensor technology and data processing, non-contact flow meters are expected to become even more accurate, reliable, and cost-effective. Emerging trends include:
Non-contact flow meters offer a highly impelling solution for industries requiring accurate, contamination-free, and low-maintenance flow measurement. With a range of technologies available, selecting the right meter depends on fluid properties, application requirements, and budget considerations. As technology continues to evolve, non-contact flow meters will play an increasingly vital role in industrial automation and process optimization.
Sino-Inst is a Professional flow meter manufacturer and supplier. Our Ultrasonic flow meters are popular in the market. Expert team of our company is always available for customers with best flow measurement solutions.
So far, there are as many as 60 Flow Meter Types available for industrial use. The reason why there are so many varieties is that so far we have not found a flow meter that is suitable for any fluid, any range, any flow state and any use conditions.
Each of these 60 kinds of flow meters has its specific applicability and limitations. According to the measurement principles, there are mechanical principles, thermal principles, acoustic principles, electrical principles, optical principles, atomic physics principles, etc. According to the most popular and extensive classification method at present, it is divided into: volumetric flowmeter, differential pressure flowmeter, float flowmeter, turbine flowmeter, electromagnetic flowmeter, vortex flowmeter, ultrasonic flowmeter, mass flowmeter wait.
Here we have selected the 11 most commonly used flow meters to introduce and analyze their advantages and disadvantages.
We have introduced the definition of flow measurement and flow meter in the blog “Flow Measurement 101“. If you are a newbie, you can refer to it.
Next, let’s take a look at 11 Flow Meter Types and Their Advantages and Disadvantages.
The electromagnetic flowmeter is an instrument for measuring conductive liquids based on Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic flowmeters have a series of excellent characteristics that can solve problems that are difficult to apply with other flowmeters, such as the measurement of dirty flows, mud, and corrosive flows.
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Electromagnetic flowmeters have a wide range of applications.
Large-diameter instruments are mostly used in water supply and drainage projects.
Small and medium diameters are often used in high-demand or difficult-to-measure situations, such as blast furnace tuyere cooling water control in the steel industry, measurement of pulp liquid and black liquor in the papermaking industry, strong corrosive liquids in the chemical industry, and slurry in the nonferrous metallurgical industry.
Small diameter and micro diameter are often used in the pharmaceutical industry, food industry, biochemistry and other places with hygienic requirements.
Electromagnetic flowmeter can also be used for Partially Filled Pipe flow measurement.
Learn more about Magnetic Flowmeter Technology and choose Magnetic Flow Meters for your applications.
Turbine flowmeter is the main type of velocity flowmeter. It uses a multi-blade rotor (turbine) to sense the average flow velocity of the fluid and derive the flow rate or total amount.
Generally, it consists of two parts: sensor and display, and can also be made into an integral type.
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Turbine flowmeters are widely used in the following measurement objects: petroleum, organic liquids, inorganic liquids, liquefied gases, natural gas and cryogenic fluids. In Europe and the United States, turbine flowmeters are second only to orifice flowmeters in terms of natural measurement meter.
Learn more about Turbine Flowmeter Technology and choose Turbine Flow Meters for your applications.
The vortex flowmeter is an instrument in which a non-streamlined vortex generator is placed in the fluid. The fluid alternately separates and releases two series of regularly staggered vortexes on both sides of the generator.
Vortex flowmeters can be divided according to frequency detection methods: stress type, strain type, capacitive type, thermal type, vibration type, photoelectric type and ultrasonic type, etc.
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Vortex flowmeter is suitable for measuring various liquid media, such as water, petroleum, chemicals, solutions, etc.
At the same time, it is also suitable for measuring various gas media, such as air, natural gas, nitrogen, etc.
In addition, vortex flowmeters can also be used to measure steam flow.
Vortex flowmeters can measure over a wide temperature and pressure range. Generally, vortex flow meters can adapt to the temperature range from -200°C to +400°C and the pressure range from vacuum to high pressure.
Learn more about Vortex Flowmeter Technology and choose Vortex Flow Meters for your applications.
Ultrasonic flowmeter is an instrument that measures flow by detecting the effect of fluid flow on ultrasonic beams (or ultrasonic pulses). According to the principle of signal detection, ultrasonic flowmeters can be divided into propagation velocity difference methods (direct time difference method, time difference method, phase difference method and frequency difference method), beam offset method, Doppler method, cross-correlation method, and spatial filtering method. and noise method, etc.
Ultrasonic flowmeters are the same as electromagnetic flowmeters. Because there are no obstructions in the flow channel of the instrument, they are both unobstructed flowmeters. They are a type of flowmeter suitable for solving difficult problems of flow measurement, especially in large-diameter flow measurement. The advantages.
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The transit time method is applied to clean, single-phase liquids and gases. Typical applications include tap water, diesel, etc.
In terms of gas applications, we have good experience in the field of high-pressure natural gas;
The Doppler method is suitable for two-phase fluids with a low heterogeneous content. For example: raw sewage, factory effluents, dirty process fluids; generally not suitable for very clean liquids.
Learn more about Ultrasonic Flow Meter Technology and choose Ultrasonic Flow Meters for your applications.
In addition to being used in flow measurement, ultrasonic technology has also been applied to liquid level measurement, providing an excellent liquid level measurement solution!
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Non-contact maintenance-free steel pipe diameter measuring gauge. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Coriolis mass flow meter This flow meter is a novel instrument that directly and precisely measures fluid mass flow. The main structure uses two side-by-side U-shaped tubes, and the bent parts of the two tubes vibrate slightly toward each other, and the straight tubes on both sides will vibrate accordingly. That is, they will move closer or open at the same time, that is, the vibrations of the two tubes are synchronous and symmetrical.
If the fluid is introduced into the tube and flows forward along the tube while the tube is vibrating synchronously, the tube will force the fluid to vibrate up and down with it.
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Coriolis mass flow meters are the best choice for applications like:
Learn more about Coriolis Mass Flow Meter Technology and choose Mass Flow Meters for your applications.
Thermal flow meter sensors contain two sensing elements, a speed sensor and a temperature sensor. They automatically compensate and correct for gas temperature changes.
The electric heating part of the instrument heats the speed sensor to a certain value higher than the working temperature, so that a constant temperature difference is formed between the speed sensor and the sensor that measures the working temperature. When the temperature difference is kept constant, the energy consumed by electric heating, which can also be said to be the heat dissipation value, is proportional to the mass flow rate of the gas flowing through it.
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Thermal gas mass flow meter is a new instrument used to measure and control gas mass flow.
Learn more about Thermal Mass Flow Meter Technology and choose Thermal Mass Flow Meters for your applications.
Positive displacement flowmeter, also known as fixed displacement flowmeter, or PD flowmeter for short, is the most accurate type of flow meter.
It uses mechanical measuring elements to continuously divide the fluid into a single known volume part. The total volume of the fluid is measured based on the number of times the measuring chamber is filled and discharged with the fluid in this volume part.
Volumetric flowmeters are classified according to their measuring components and can be divided into oval gear flowmeters, scraper flowmeters, double rotor flowmeters, rotating piston flowmeters, reciprocating piston flowmeters, circular gear flowmeters, and liquid-sealed rotary drum flowmeters. , wet gas meter and membrane gas meter, etc.
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Volumetric flowmeters, differential pressure flowmeters and float flowmeters are among the three most commonly used flowmeters and are often used for total volume measurement of expensive media (oil, natural gas, etc.).
Learn more about Volumetric Flow Meters: Comprehensive Guide and Product List.
A differential pressure flowmeter is an instrument that calculates flow based on the differential pressure generated by the flow detection component installed in the pipeline, the known fluid conditions, and the geometric dimensions of the detection component and the pipeline.
The differential pressure flow meter consists of a primary device (detection component) and a secondary device (differential pressure conversion and flow display instrument). Differential pressure flowmeters are usually classified in the form of test pieces, such as orifice flowmeters, Venturi flowmeters, velocity-averaging tube flowmeters, etc.
The secondary devices are various mechanical, electronic, electromechanical integrated differential pressure gauges, differential pressure transmitters and flow display instruments.
The detection parts of differential pressure flow meters can be divided into several categories according to their working principles: throttling device, hydraulic resistance type, centrifugal type, dynamic head type, dynamic head gain type and jet type.
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Learn more about Differential Pressure Flow Meter Technology and choose Differential Pressure Flow Meters for your applications.
The float flowmeter, also known as the rotor flowmeter, is a type of variable area flowmeter. In a vertical tapered tube that expands from bottom to top, the gravity of the float with a circular cross-section is borne by the liquid power, so that the float Can rise and fall freely within the conical tube.
The float flowmeter plays a decisive role in small and micro flow.
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Disadvantages are low pressure resistance and a greater risk of the glass tube being fragile.
The float of the metal tube rotor flowmeter is in the measuring tube. As the flow rate changes, the float moves upward. At a certain position, the buoyancy force on the float and the gravity of the float reach a balance.
At this time, the flow annular area between the float and the orifice plate (or tapered tube) remains constant. The annulus area is proportional to the rising height of the float. That is, the rising position of the float in the measuring tube represents the flow rate. The changing position of the float is transmitted to the external indicator by the internal magnet, allowing the indicator to correctly indicate the flow value at this time. .
This prevents the indicator housing from being in direct contact with the measuring tube. Therefore, even if a limit switch or transmitter is installed, the instrument can be used under high temperature and high pressure working conditions.
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Metal tube float flowmeter is a variable area flow measurement instrument commonly used in industrial automation process control.
Can be used to measure the flow of liquids, gases and steam. It is especially suitable for medium flow measurement with low flow rate and small flow rate. Commonly used are water and air measurements.
The working principle of the open channel flowmeter is to use open channel technology to measure the fluid level and then calculate the flow rate through the microprocessor inside the instrument.
Due to non-contact measurement, open channel flow meters can be used in harsher environments.
Under the control of a microcomputer, the open channel flowmeter transmits and receives the open channel, and calculates the distance between the open channel flowmeter and the measured liquid surface based on the transmission time, thereby obtaining the liquid level height. Since there is a certain proportional relationship between the liquid level and the flow rate, the liquid flow rate Q can be finally obtained according to the calculation formula.
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Ultrasonic open channel flowmeter is suitable for measuring the flow of rectangular, trapezoidal and U-shaped open channels in reservoirs, rivers, water conservancy projects, urban water supply, sewage treatment, farmland irrigation, water administration and water resources.
Ultrasonic open channel flow meters need to be measured together with weirs and troughs. Commonly used weirs and troughs include Parshall troughs, rectangular troughs, triangular weirs, etc. The appropriate matching method can be selected according to different site environments.
Understanding the various types of flow meters is only half the battle in choosing the right one for you. You can learn more details in our flow meter selection guide to choose the best flow meter for your measurement!
We at Sino-Inst produce and supply common industrial flow meters, including: electromagnetic flow meters, turbine flow meters, vortex flow meters, ultrasonic flow meters, Coriolis mass flow meters, oval gear flow meters, non-full tube electromagnetic flow meters, etc. More than 50 species.
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