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Area meter

Athena Renee Battaglia Jonalyn Briton

Area Meter
A mechanism to measure fluid through a fixed-area conduit movement of a weighted piston supported by the flowing fluid; rotameters and piston-type meters. flow rate by the or float includes

In case of Full-Bore meters, the variation of flow rate through a constant area is related to the flow rate. Unlike Full-Bore meters, area flow meters are devices in which pressure drop is constant and the area through which the fluid flows varies with flow rate. Area is to be related to flow rate through proper calibration.

Rotameter
A Rotameter is a device that measures the flow rate of liquid or gas in a closed tube. It belongs to a class of meters called variable area meters, which measure flow rate by allowing the cross-sectional area the fluid travels through to vary, causing some measurable effect.

Rotameter is a typical area meter. Consists of gradually tapered glass mounted vertically in a frame with the large end up. Fluid flows upward through the tapered tube and suspends freely a float (which is submerged in the fluid) Float is the indicating element, and the greater the flow rate, the higher the float rides in the tube. The tube is marked in divisions, and the reading of the meter is obtained from the scale reading at the reading edge of the float, which is taken at the largest cross section of the float. A calibration curve must be available to convert the observed scale reading to flow rate.

A rotameter consists of a tapered tube, typically made of glass, with a float inside that is pushed up by flow and pulled down by gravity. At a higher flow rate more area (between the float and the tube) is needed to accommodate the flow, so the float rises. Floats are made in many different shapes, with spheres and ellipsoids being the most common. The float is shaped so that it rotates axially as the fluid passes. This allows you to tell if the float is stuck since it will only rotate if it is free. Readings are usually taken at the top of the widest part of the float; the center for an ellipsoid, or the top for a cylinder. Some manufacturers may use a different standard, so it is always best to check the documentation provided with the device.

Flow Rate:Computation

q=
where q umax Dt Df

2-D 2) umax (Dt f


- Volumetric flow rate - Maximum Velocity of the fluid - Tube Diameter - Float Diameter

Advantages
A rotameter requires no external power or fuel, it uses only the inherent properties of the fluid, along with gravity, to measure flow rate. A rotameter is also a relatively simple device that can be mass manufactured out of cheap materials, allowing for its widespread use.

Disadvantages
Due to its use of gravity, a rotameter must always be vertically oriented and right way up, with the fluid flowing upward. Due to its reliance on the ability of the fluid or gas to displace the float, graduations on a given rotameter will only be accurate for a given substance at a given temperature. The main property of importance is the density of the fluid; however, viscosity may also be significant. Floats are ideally designed to be insensitive to viscosity; however, this is seldom verifiable from manufacturers' specifications. Either separate rotameters for different densities and viscosities may be used, or multiple scales on the same rotameter can be used. Rotameters normally require the use of glass (or other transparent material), otherwise the user cannot see the float. This limits their use in many industries to benign fluids, such as water. Rotameters are not easily adapted for reading by machine; although magnetic floats that drive a follower outside the tube are available.

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