Specific type of flow meters - part 3

Water Level Sensor There are many types of water level sensors that can be used depending on the specific application. Some of these have been described in the previous two sections of our "Specific type of flow meters". Water sensors can usually be used with other types of liquids however some may not be used with flammable liquids due to the electronic components and risk of fire.

Liquid Flow Meter Liquid flow meters are designed to observe the flow of liquids through a channel or conduit and report the flow data to a flow computer or other components of your system. Many of the various liquid flow meters have been described in the previous two sections. Again, be sure to check the flow meters usage information, as some are not safe to use with flammable liquids.

Positive Displacement Flow Meter Positive displacement flow meters, also called PD meters, consist of a chamber that obstruct the flow of liquid and have a chamber of a known capacity. This chamber is filled and emptied repeatedly as the liquid flows through and each fill/discharge cycle is counted to calculate the total flow rate of the liquid. These may cause a significant pressure drop in the channel or conduit they are attached to.

Mass Flow Meter A mass flow meter is designed to measure a flow rate of a gas or liquid in units of mass flow, for instance pounds per minute. The two most common types of mass flow meters are thermal or coriolis and can come as inline or insertion types.

Portable Ultrasonic Flow Meter These are ultrasonic flow meters designed to used at any location you need to check flow data. The portable ultrasonic flow meter usually comes as clamp on flow meter and are non-invasive. They often come as single or dual sensor type and are clamped onto a pipe to detect flow data just as the non-portable variety does. Various distributors may call them clamp on ultrasonic flow meter.

This concludes the descriptions of flow meters and their applications at this time. We will continue to write descriptions tailored to laypersons level of understanding, so you should check back here often to see any updates we provide. In the near future we plan to include a full glossary of terms as well as descriptions of other equipment that are used with flow meters.

Some of the terms we will explore in new and upcoming sections of this site include flow meter calibration, open channel flow calculator, universal flow monitors, flow meter computer, water level sensor relay output and much more.