Hi reader I hope you all are having fun in your life. In this post, we will have a detailed look at an introduction to Rotameter. The rotameter is an industrial flowmeter used for measuring flow rate of liquids and gases. The rotameter comes with a tube and float. The float operated through change in flowrate linearly and its flow rage is ten to one. Rotatmers is comon devices that comes with linear scale, and has longer measuring ragen and low pressure losses. Its installation factor is easy. So let’s start with the introduction to the Rotameter.
Introduction to Rotameter
- The rotameters are used for measuring the volumetric flow rate of different fluids in confined tubes. It is part of meter type that is variable area flowmeters that measure flow rate through providing a cross-sectional area of fluids moving the fluids moves and provides measuring effect.
- the rotameter comes with a tapered tube and is created with the use of float and pushed up through the drag force of the flow and pulled down due to gravity. The drag force for a given fluid and float cross section is working of flow speed squared only.
- The high volumetric flow rate in certain areas increases flow speed and drag force as a result float moves upward.
- Since the inner side of the rotameter is cone-like in design an area about float where fluids flow increases, flow speed and drag force reduces until there is mechanical equilibrium for float’s weight.
- Float comes in differnt designs such as spheres and ellipsoids. Float can be diagonally configured and has transparent colors that help ot axillary flow of fluids
Construction of Rotameter
- Rotamterer comes with a transparent-shaped tube with two main components scale and floats. That transparent tube is used for measuring fluid flow.
- A transmitter is best for measuring flow values more accurately than other scales.
- its flow is configured in a tapered tube and both end nets are configured through the pipeline with the use of flanged connections. Rotameters are configured at 90 degrees in the pipeline and a scale exists on the tub for checking the flow rate.
Working of Rotameter
If rotameters used for liquid float get raised due to the velocity head of fluid and liquid buoyancy. For both conditions, high flow rates will increase, and high flow increases the tube.
The float moves in an up direction and down tapered concerning flow rate and annular area between the float and tapered tube wall.
When float moves upward in the tube due to tapered desing annular opening increases.
Since that increases differential pressures about float reduce. If the weight of the float is uniform as compared to the upward force applied by fluids float becomes stable.
The float can compared with a calibrated scale written on the tube. The calibrated scale provides volumetric flow reading in liters per minute (LPM).
Measurement of flowrate:
- The flow rate is sedated openly from standardized gage. The interpretation is celebrated usually from finish point of top of the float.
Features
- These are the main features and properties of Rotameter. Let’s study them.
- It provides an accuracy of about ± four percent
- its design is a quadrangular or tapering shape.
- It has an etched pattern on the body.
- It has flow features from 7GPH to 20GPH for liquid and 2.6 SCFH to sixty SCFM for gases.
- its higest pressure for liquid is 130°F (54°C) and for gases is 100°F (38°C).
- The ambient temperature value is thirty-three to 125°F (one to 52°C).
Advantage of Rotameter
There are numerous advantages of a rotameter over a more complex flow meter comprising:
- It is a low-complex structured device and made with low-cost materials that make it cost-effective.
- It can connected to different points and does not need a power source to work
- It can connected to the pipeline system through a panel
- The scale on this mterre is linear since flow rate based on changes in areas. That means we can read a complete pattern
- It provides highly repeatable features.
Disadvantage of Rotameter
There are also some disadvantages to the usage of rotameters that you must keep in mind:
- It needed to connect at 90 degrees for proper working since uses gravity for flowrate measurement.
- If there is opauqw fluid flow float not visible through the rotameters transparent tube.
- The scale of the rotameter is applicable for certain fluids and conditions where it is used which means devices recalibrated fluids conditions vary.
- It is not easy to use rotameters for machine reading. The magnetic float is used for these applications.
Read also:
- What Does an Anemometer Measure, Types & Work Process
- Introduction to Magnetic flow meter, Working, Types & Applications
- Ultrasonic Flow Meter
Faqs
- The rotameter is a flow meter device that measures the volumetric flow rate of gas or fluid. It comes with a tapered tube with a moving inner float. it is also called a mechanical flow meter, gravity flowmeter
- The variable area flow meter is a flowmeter that measures the volumetric flow of liquids and gases. There is no difference in the variable area flow mete, rotameters, or flow meters, and can be interchangeable.
- The rotameter is a device that measures the volumetric flow rate of fluid in a closed tube. It is part of a meter called variable area flowmeters, that measures flow rate by allowing cross-sectional area fluid to move through to change and cause measurable effects.
- The area of proportional to the volume flowing in units of time through variable meters, so these meters are increments of equal scale. The linearity of a rotameter scale is about 5%.
- Each rotameter comes with two main components, a tapered metering tube created with glass, metal, or plastic and a float that configured in a tube
- The common use of a rotameter flow meter is to measure the flow rate of liquids and gases. It comes with a plastic metal or glass tube and floats. Float responses to flow rate variation is linear and 10 to 1 flow range.
- The output of the flow detection component is linear. The pressure loss is less. Glass tube rotameter is simple and less costly.
- it is easy to use as long as the flow is defined in the field, and its disadvantage is the chances of fragile glass tubes, especially unguided structure rotors for gases.
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