Posted on

Open Channel Flow Monitoring

Open channel flow monitoring is a method of measuring water flow rates in irrigation channels, streams, and storm water systems. It’s also used in wastewater processing for monitoring the effluent discharge. In most applications for open channel flow, weirs and flumes are used. For those of us not familiar, weirs and flumes concentrate the flow into a known cross sectional area, relating an accurate level reading to an accurate flow rate. The height of the water in the channel, going over the weir or flume, is directly proportional to the flow rate. Continue reading “Open Channel Flow Monitoring”

Posted on

Proving Flow Through Chillers

Water chillers are nothing new, with nearly an estimated 100,000 units operating in North America alone. Chillers are the cooling machines of choice to condition industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities. They are used to lower the temperatures of all kinds of equipment and processes such as: robotic machinery; semiconductors; injection and blow molding machines; welding equipment; die-casting and machine tooling; paper and cement processing; power supplies; power generation stations; compressed air and gas cooling systems; medical imaging machines; chemical, drug, food and beverage production; even simply to cool potable water to desirable levels. Whether for office comfort, keeping data server centers from overheating, or specialized industrial processes, water temperature control plays a vital role in many of the behind-the-scenes activities that affect our everyday lives. Continue reading “Proving Flow Through Chillers”

Posted on

How the Dwyer Series IEF and IEFB Overcome Typical Sources of Error

There are a wide variety of technologies that can be used for fluid flow measurement, such as differential pressure, paddlewheel, electromagnetic, and ultrasonic. Furthermore, each technology has multiple installation configurations. It is important to understand the nuances of different technologies and installations in order to pick the right flowmeter for your application. 

When purchasing a flowmeter for an HVAC application, such as boiler feed water monitoring or chilled/condenser water monitoring, we found that our customers value the ability to hot-tap (or pressure tap) a pipe to install an insertion flowmeter. This is done by installing an isolation valve in a pipe, allowing an insertion flowmeter to be placed into and removed from a live system without having to drain it. Draining a system is time consuming, costly, and generally not a good option for HVAC systems in buildings because it requires the entire system to be shut down. Permanently installing a hot-tap valve followed by an insertion flowmeter (with hot-tap capability) is an ideal alternative to a costly inline meter. 

When considering an insertion flowmeter for an HVAC application, there are four key sources of error to be aware of:  Continue reading “How the Dwyer Series IEF and IEFB Overcome Typical Sources of Error”