Due to its accuracy, dependability, and capacity to preserve the measured results for analysis and data storage, processors typically resort to digital (rather than analog) instruments when accurate process measurements arise.

First, let’s define flow meters and describe these devices’ functions.

Let’s compare digital (i.e., electronic) and analog (i.e., mechanical) measuring devices in general, as well as their benefits and drawbacks, and then go over the different types of digital flow meters (https://adkinstruments.in/products/digital-water-flow-meter-india) available today that are appropriate for sanitary processing applications while outlining their various working theories.

WHAT IS A FLOW METER?

In the sanitary processing industries, flow meters are used to measure the flow rate of fluids through pipes and tubes during industrial activities. Flow meters in these plants track product and utility flows (steam, water, glycol, etc.).

Why record the movement of a fluid? There are several causes.

Monitoring flow may be useful in dosing activities when a specified volume of liquid must be coupled with a determined amount of a solid, such as when forming a dough. Plant operators can determine how productive their operation is at a given time by measuring fluid flow in continuous or batch processing activities.

Shear forces, frequently applied to products flowing through pipes due to flow velocity, may impact the permeant structure of particular goods, such as their rheology. For maintaining product quality, the fluid flow rate must be understood. In Clean-in-place (CIP) operations, a special cleaning fluid flow rate through the pipes is required for thorough cleaning.

ANALOG OR DIGITAL FLOW METER?

There is frequently both analog and digital equipment that can be utilized for any form of measurement. Let’s take a quick look at each, including how it functions and its benefits and drawbacks.

Flow Meter – Digital – Analog

The measurement of a substance (such as a liquid or gas) is transferred onto a calibrated measurement indication by analog instruments, which are basic mechanical machines.

An example of an analog measurement device is the common thermometer. The clear tube in the thermometer, calibrated to detect how hot (or cold) the substance is, rises as mercury warms up in the storage bulb at the thermometer’s base.

The process of measurement is entirely physical. The complexity of digital instruments is higher. A typical mag meter is one of the most often used types of digital flow meters in the sanitary processing industries. As shown in this section, digital flow meters work in many ways depending on the type of meter, including electromagnetic induction, the Coriolis phenomenon, and ultrasonic wave propagation.

Electronic Flow Meters

The characteristics of the object being measured, such as its heat if using a thermometer or its flow rate if using a flow meter, are converted by digital instruments into an equivalent electrical form.

A transducer, a part of the digital instrument, carries out this conversion. The electrical data that the transducer provides passes through several stages to deliver the right data.

• a signal-processing component that boosts the transducer’s output
• a multiplexer and signal converter that combine the various analog signals the processing unit provides
• a device that transforms analog data into its digital equivalent, or an analog-to-digital converter into a display that converts the measured quantity from analog to digital form.

Moreover, the measured substance’s temperature is a factor converted for in digital equipment. See the figure below for a mental representation of how these instruments operate.

Electronic Flow Meters Electronic Instruments

Analog instruments are straightforward, reasonably priced gadgets that frequently function well under challenging operational situations. Yet, compared to digital instruments, their measurements could be more accurate.

Contrarily, digital instruments are more sophisticated, expensive, and vulnerable to unfavorable operating conditions than analog equipment. Nonetheless, users can retain the findings of their measurements electronically for later analysis or the upkeep of operating records, and they are more exact in their measurements than analog devices.

Digital flowmeters are preferred for gauging fluid flows in sanitary processing facilities. Its electronics components and displays may be remotely situated and separated from the fluid flow sensors to reduce environmental risks during operation. Also, sustaining effective operations and the caliber of the goods produced in these kinds of facilities depends on the correctness of the test findings and the capacity to gather and evaluate data offered by digital flow meters.

DIGITAL FLOW METER TYPES USED MOST OFTEN IN SANITARY PROCESSING APPLICATIONS:

The main way digital flow meters vary is in how their sensing devices collect fluid velocity data. However, converting this data from analog to digital is generally the same for all flow meters available.

The following paragraphs will briefly overview the flow meter types most frequently utilized in sanitary processing operations.

Electronic Flow Meter Metallic Flow Meter

• MOLECULAR FLOW METER

Magnetic flow meters, often known as mag meters, measure the voltage a liquid generates through a magnetic field to estimate the fluid flow rates. This sort of meter operates on the electromagnetic induction physical principle. Mag meters need an electrically isolated pipe surface, such as a rubber-lined steel tube, and a conducting fluid with ions like water.

Slurries and liquids with embedded solids are just two examples of fluids in which mag meters can detect fluid velocity. Unfortunately, when measuring some liquids, the electrodes in this meter may be vulnerable to corrosion, producing unreliable results. Certain magnetic flowmeters provide electrodes constructed of high nickel, corrosive-resistant alloys to address this.

• The CORIOLIS FLOW METER

The highly specialized Coriolis digital flow meter uses a lateral tube that vibrates and deforms in response to fluid flow pressures. Sensors track and evaluate how this vibration varies in frequency, phase shift, and amplitude. The variations seen indicate the fluid’s mass flow and density.

No matter the type of gas or fluid being measured, flow measurements calculated using a Coriolis-type meter are quite accurate. The “U”-bend in the instrument makes it bulkier and heavier than other types of meters, raising questions about trainability.