High-viscosity flowmeter

With such high viscosity, an elliptical gear flow meter is likely not suitable; a twin-rotor type should work, as should a wedge-shaped flow meter. For applications with very high viscosity, wedge-shaped meters are usually chosen, as they have larger pressure tapping ports, which can be 50 or 80 in size. Twin-flange differential pressure transmitters are also used in such cases； You can ask the manufacturer about target flow meters; in theory it’s possible, and if that works, target flow meters should require the least amount of maintenance.

The target-type ones should be fine, but their accuracy isn’t very high; although the accuracy claimed online is high, it’s probably not achievable in reality.

Thank you! However, the pipe diameter is only 80, and the flow rate is relatively low; it might need to be reduced to 50, in which case the pressure tapping port cannot be that large.

Which domestic company is good at manufacturing wedge flow meters?

It is necessary to verify whether the fluid is still a Newtonian flow; otherwise, taking the square root of the pressure difference does not result in a linear relationship with the flow rate. Is the owner using a positive displacement pump for this material? If so, the pump’s rotational speed can be used to estimate the flow rate, which is a reliable method. @jiaguoyun

This post was last edited by Wang Tianze on 2015-12-16 at 19:53. A target flow meter is a better choice; it can measure liquids with high viscosity, such as heavy oil, crude oil, and toothpaste-like substances. The flow rate measured by this type of meter is also appropriate, meeting the requirements for measurement in field conditions. It should also be noted that a target flow meter is not a differential pressure flow meter. It is measured based on the force exerted by the fluid on the target plate. When the medium flows through the measuring tube, its kinetic energy creates a pressure difference with the target plate, resulting in a force that causes the target plate to move slightly. The magnitude of this force is proportional to the square of the flow velocity of the medium. When using a target flowmeter for measurement, it is not necessary to calculate the differential pressure value.

Personally, I think elliptical gears and dual rotors are better; using a differential pressure method for measuring differential pressure definitely won’t work, and there are no good domestic target-type options available

Based on my experience, the flow rate is determined by measuring the speed of the gear pump, while pressure control (or interlocks) in the additional piping is used to prevent overpressure in the pipelines. @jiaguoyun