Flow

Why Flow Measurement Matters

Flow measurement instruments quantify the volume or mass of liquids, gases, or steam moving through closed conduits, open channels, or industrial pipelines over a specified time period.

Flow measurement is essential across all process manufacturing, municipal utility management, energy generation, and environmental monitoring. Accurate flow tracking enables accurate customer billing, optimised fluid transport, precise chemical mixing ratios, energy efficiency management, and regulatory compliance for trade effluent and water withdrawal.

Flow Measurement Technologies

Flow measurement technologies vary according to media properties and operational demands.

Electromagnetic flowmeters utilise Faraday’s law of induction, generating a magnetic field across an insulated pipe section to measure the voltage induced by conductive liquids.

Ultrasonic flowmeters use transit-time or Doppler acoustic techniques, calculating flow velocities by transmitting high-frequency sound waves diagonally across the fluid path.

Differential pressure devices (such as orifice plates and Venturi tubes) infer flow based on pressure drops across flow restrictions using Bernoulli’s principle.

For direct mass flow measurement without temperature or pressure compensation, Coriolis meters measure fluid inertia forces within oscillating tubes, while thermal mass meters measure heat dissipation from heated sensor elements to determine gas mass flow.