What is the significance of flow measurement?

What is the significance of flow measurement?

Auto  gauge pressure transmitter

Flow measurement is a science that studies the quantitative changes of matter. The mutual transformation between quality and quantity is a fundamental law of the connection and development of things. Therefore, its measurement objects are no longer limited to the traditional sense of pipeline fluids. Any place where the flow of fluids needs to be mastered has issues related to flow measurement. As a key supporting instrument, pressure transmitters often work in conjunction with flow measurement equipment to ensure the accuracy of data collection.

Industrial production processes are a major field for flow measurement and instrument application. Flow, along with temperature, pressure, and level, is collectively known as the four major parameters in process control. People monitor and control the production process through these parameters. Among them, the precise monitoring of pressure parameters cannot do without stable capacitance type pressure transmitter. In complex working conditions such as the chemical and power industries,  smart pressure transmitter, with their anti-interference and harsh environment resistance characteristics, lay a solid foundation for parameter collection. At the same time, the interaction between pressure transmitter HART and devices such as flowmeters and level gauges can achieve comprehensive feedback of production data. Only by ensuring the reliable operation of EX pressure transmitter can the four major parameters in process control form a closed loop, facilitating the efficient and stable advancement of industrial production.

Correct measurement and regulation of fluid flow are the foundation for ensuring the safe and economic operation of the production process, improving product quality, reducing material consumption, enhancing economic benefits, and achieving scientific management.

Among all process detection instruments, the output value of flow instruments accounts for approximately 1/5 to 1/4. In energy measurement, a large number of flowmeters are used. For example, in the petroleum industry, from oil extraction, storage and transportation, refining to trade and sales, every link cannot do without flowmeters.

With the vigorous development of the natural gas industry, the measurement of natural gas has attracted particular attention. This is because in the processes of natural gas collection, processing, storage, transportation, and distribution, millions of flowmeters are needed, and some of these flowmeters involve huge settlement amounts, requiring extremely high measurement accuracy and reliability.

In addition, in the measurement of gas, refined oil, liquefied petroleum gas, steam, compressed air, oxygen, nitrogen, and water, a large number of flowmeters are also used, and a significant portion of them are used for trade settlement, with measurement accuracy needing to meet relevant national standards. This places high demands on flow measurement.

Flowmeters used for energy measurement are often directly related to the benefits of enterprises and serve as the basis for trade settlement. They are also important means for scientific energy management and improving economic efficiency. In the field of environmental protection, flow measurement instruments also play a significant role. To control air pollution, it is necessary to monitor the emissions of flue gas and other greenhouse gases that pollute the atmosphere. The discharge of waste liquid and sewage pollutes surface water sources and underground water sources. Therefore, it is necessary to treat waste liquid and sewage and control their discharge. As a result, millions of flue gas emission points and sewage discharge outlets have become objects of flow measurement. The measurement of exhaust gas and sewage flow is highly challenging. The difficulty with flue gas lies in its dirtiness, dust content, corrosiveness, wide range of flow rates, and irregular cross-sectional area, as well as the difficulty in ensuring the length of the straight pipe section. The difficulty with sewage lies in the dirtiness of the medium, low pressure head, large diameter, special cross-sectional area, and non-full pipe.

In the field of scientific experiments, a wide variety of flowmeters provide a large amount of experimental data. The flowmeters used in this field have more special features, among which the high temperature, high pressure, high viscosity of the fluid, as well as the variable composition, pulsating flow and micro flow are all frequently encountered measurement objects.

Apart from the above-mentioned application fields, flowmeters are also widely used in modern agriculture, water conservancy construction, bioengineering, pipeline transportation, aerospace, military fields, etc.

Flow measurement is a complex and diverse technology. This is not only because the requirements for measurement accuracy are getting higher and higher, but also because the measurement objects are complex and diverse. For example, the types of fluids include gases, liquids, and multiphase fluids; the fluid conditions range from high temperature to extremely low temperature, from high pressure to low pressure; there are both low-viscosity liquids and liquids with very high viscosity; and the flow range is extremely wide, with micro flows as low as a few milliliters per hour and large flows possibly reaching tens of thousands of cubic meters per second. Pulsating flow and multiphase flow further increase the complexity of flow measurement.

On the other hand, this complexity and diversity have promoted people's application research on flow measurement instruments.