Is insulation and heat tracing required for an integrated orifice plate flow meter installed outdoors, where temperatures can drop to minus 20°C in winter?
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Is insulation and heat tracing required for an integrated orifice plate flow meter installed outdoors, where temperatures can drop to minus 20°C in winter?
This post was last edited by The wind is gentle on 2018-7-26 at 10:43. It depends on the properties of the medium; if it does not freeze, then there is no need for insulation or heating. If freezing occurs, insulation or heat tracing must be provided. If the outdoor temperature drops as low as -40, it is necessary to use an insulated box.
The medium is hot water at over 50 degrees Celsius, while the outdoor temperature rarely drops below minus 30 degrees Celsius
Insulation is necessary; if possible, electric heating or an insulating fluid should be used, and it is best to place the transmitter inside an insulated box. Since there is no flow of medium in the pressure guiding tube, it will definitely freeze outdoors!
It is necessary to check the freezing point of the medium inside
Heating is necessary because the integrated orifice plate has a pressure guide tube leading to the transmitter, with a length of around 300mm–400mm. The closer to the transmitter end, the higher the water temperature, which is essentially at the ambient temperature. Without heating, problems will definitely arise; electric heating combined with insulation is required. It’s not possible to use an insulation box for integrated orifice plates, so only heating and insulation are feasible.
If it is not an integrated orifice plate, it is generally necessary to add a filling fluid for isolation; since there is no flow of the medium in the pressure tapping tube, heating and insulation enclosures must be used
New to the instrumentation field, coming in to take a look and learn*
My integrated orifice flow meter for superheated steam is filled with an isolation fluid, but even at minus 20 degrees Celsius it freezes to such an extent that it’s problematic; various insulation and heating systems are used, and every possible measure is taken to help it survive the winter – not to mention when dealing with hot water