Please discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using orifice plates to measure steam flow, as well as possible improvement methods
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Some people believe that using orifice plates to measure steam flow presents issues such as large errors and easy deformation of the orifice plates, and suggest avoiding their use for this purpose. Please share your thoughts; it would be helpful to have photos of the orifice plates removed during maintenance, as I’ve heard that many of them have become deformed.
We used nozzles. After about two years, we opened them to take a look and they were in pretty good condition.
We use venturi tubes, and they have worked very well all along.
For steam flow measurement, we generally use standard orifice plates for low-pressure steam, and standard nozzles for medium-pressure and higher pressure steam; we have not used venturi tubes. It has been used for many years without any problems being detected.
We changed the boiler we were about to use to a nozzle.
I use vortex flowmeters for steam measurement; they are a bit expensive, but they save hassle
Advantages of using orifice plates for measuring steam flow: 1. High accuracy, making them suitable for billing purposes; 2. The flow rate is linear, resulting in good measurement accuracy; 3. From an instrumentation perspective, installation and maintenance require only the involvement of specialized personnel, primarily mechanical engineers (which is a bit selfish). Disadvantages: 1. Orifice plates cause significant pressure losses, which is not conducive to energy savings; 2. They are prone to leakage and difficult to maintain.