Steam flow measurement accounts for a large proportion of the flow measurement industry. There are seven different models of flow meters alone to measure steam flow.
Steam is a source of power and is used widely by a number of industries; its main usage being in process plants and power generation.
But steam can prove to be a very difficult gas or liquid (depending on its state). Nevertheless, uptake in steam flow measurement has seen a boost in interest from companies looking at ways to improve their energy efficiency, spurred on by continually increasing energy costs.
Used to measure usage, steam flow measurement provides plant managers with insight into how and where to save energy. It can be used to monitor energy saving schemes and provide enough data to draw comparisons in efficiency against other plants.
All steam flow meters will take into account the following variables when calculating steam flow rates:
• Velocity
• Volumetric flow rate
• Mass flow rate
• Energy rate
A steam flow computer used alongside flow meters gathers all of the various data electronically. Taking that data, along with steam temperature and pressures, a flow computer will provide the energy and mass flow rate readings, making data collection much more manageable.
Types of Steam Flow Meters
There are seven different types of flow meters which can be used to measure steam flow rates. These include:
• Differential Pressure (DP) flow meter
• Vortex flow meter
• Coriolis flow meter
• Ultrasonic flow meter
• Turbine flow meter
• Direct In-Line Variable Area (DIVA) flow meter
• Variable Area flow meter
Types of Steam Flow Computers
A flow computer for steam flow measurement pulls all of the data together within a power generation plant, process plants and other steam measurement systems, making it easy for personnel to interpret and record.
In our next blog we will look in more detail at the most popular types of steam flow meters and how they work.
To find out more about the Ex~i Flow Measurement SFC3000 Flow Computer please contact us now on 01243 554920