Difference between Different Types of Flow Meters

Here we discuss about Comparison of Different Types of Flow Meter like Magnetic flow meter, Orifice Flow Meter, Ultrasonic flow meter, Turbine Flow meter, Vortex flow meter, Coriolis flow meter, Variable area flow meter.

Comparison of Different Flow Meters

tribute	Turbine Flow Meter	Ultrasonic Flow Meter	Magnetic Flow Meter	Differential Pressure Flow Meter	Coriolis Flow Meter
Working Principle	Mechanical, turbine spins with flow	Ultrasonic pulses	Electromagnetic induction	Pressure difference	Coriolis effect
Pros	High accuracy, wide flow range, low pressure drop, easy installation	Wide flow range, low maintenance, works with dirty and clean fluids	High accuracy, no moving parts, low maintenance	Low cost, wide range of applications, wide flow range	Very high accuracy, handles a wide range of fluids, low maintenance
Cons	Not suitable for dirty fluids, mechanical wear and tear	Costly, may require regular calibration	Limited to conductive fluids, moderate to high cost	Complex installation, sensitive to temperature and pressure changes	Very high cost, generally limited to specific flow ranges

Flow Meters Specifications

Flow meter	Pipe/size	Gas/Liquid	Accuracy	Ideal for measuring	Principle
Orifice	1” – 48”	Liquid/Gas	1%	Mass flow / velocity	Diff. Pressure
Venturi	6” – up	Liquid/Gas	0.50%	Mass flow / velocity	Diff. Pressure
Turbine	0.5” – 2”	Liquid/Gas	0.30%	Mass flow / velocity	Rotating blades produce pulses
Positive Displacement	1” – 24”	Liquid	0.50%	Mass flow	Traps a specific volume
Magnetic	1” – 120”	Liquid	0.2 – 1 %	Mass flow	Faraday’s Law
Ultrasonic	0.5” – 48”	Liquid/Gas	1%	Mass flow	Speed of sound
Vortex	0.5” – 16”	Liquid/Gas	1%	Velocity	Eddies produce pulses
Variable area	0.5” – 3”	Liquid/Gas	1%	Velocity	Diff. Pressure
Coriolis	2” – 150”	Liquid	0.50%	Mass flow	Coriolis principle
Pitot	3” – up	Liquid/Gas	2%	Mass flow / velocity	Diff. Pressure

Note :

1. Pipe/Size may vary from make to make, Above shared details are for reference only.
2. For measuring Mass Flow, appropriate Temperature/Pressure compensation, Density Factors etc… to be considered in calculations of the Mass Flow, if the instrument primarily a volumetric flow measuring device.

Comparison between Turbine and Positive Displacement Flow Meters

Turbine Flow meter	Positive Displacement Flow meter
Indirect measurement	Direct measurement
Requires upstream/downstream straight lengths	No straight lengths required
Affected by fluid viscosity	Free from viscosity effect
For a given small range, a smaller size compared to PD meter	Larger size required to achieve a given flowrate range
Lower operating/maintenance/investment costs	Higher operating/maintenance/investment costs

Credits: N Asyiddin

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