Premier Control Technologies Flow, pressure, level and temperature solutions
Monday, January 30, 2023
Let’s start with the word Coriolis, if we look at Earth and the weather as a starting point. The Coriolis effect can be described in terms of movement around the Earth. We can look at hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes rotating above the Earth for the Coriolis effect. The observed movement of these is the result of the Coriolis effect.
The Earth rotates faster at the equator than at the poles, these hurricanes rotate in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres. That’s as deep as I will go at this stage. At the bottom of this article are two videos that explain this.
This Coriolis effect can be used in Metering flows. The past 20 years have seen a rapid rise in the use of Coriolis Meters being used to measure flow of Liquids or gases. (View our range of Coriolis Flow Meters)
The fluid (Liquid or Gas) will travel through a tube when the starting point is at a higher pressure than the end point. To measure this flow at a certain point in a system is crucial for many processes. Using a Coriolis meter in the system at the desired point gives valuable data.
The Coriolis meters are of variable diameters, shapes materials of construction, depending on the flow rate, fluid flowing and the specific design of the manufacture. All these Coriolis meters have in common is that the meter is a tube, they have an applied force on the tube and a measuring device to observe the movement in the tube.
Typically, a vibration is applied to the tube by way of an actuator, the tube will vibrate at the applied frequency. When the tube is full of the fluid and in a no-flow situation the tube simply vibrates. When the fluid starts to move (Flow) the tube will not only vibrate but the tube twists, the measurement of the twist is a direct measurement of the flow.
Coriolis mass flow measurement
Diagram explanation: In the Image above we can see that the actuator that creates the vibration at a specific frequency is a Magnetic Oscillator. The measurement of the movement - or Twist on the sensing tube is by way of the Detectors as shown on the side of the image, these are often optical sensers that are capable of measuring the high frequency tiny movements of the tube.
The Coriolis Meters are suitable for any Liquid or any Gas as long as the Materials of construction are safe to do so. Alicat Coriolis can be used to measure either Gas or Liquid, dual phase (gas and liquid together example a bubbly liquid) is not possible.
The Coriolis Meter therefore lends itself to be able to measure the flow of an unknown fluid: liquid, gas, or even an unknown liquid or gas mixture.
As well as a Volumetric or Mass Flow reading many including the Alicat Coda will also give the user the Density and Fluid temperature readings.
If you change fluid repeat the above steps to zero the device for a new fluid.
Premier Control Technologies offer Alicat and Rheonik Coriolis Meters. With the Alicat we can add a valve and using the onboard PID controller to control the flow of Liquids and Gases. Please note the valve must be selected for the correct fluids, flow rate and Pressures in advance.
Suitable for high accuracy flow measurement for both liquids and gases
Suitable for high temperature liquids and viscous fluids
Where the user has no pressure supply on the inlet Alicat can help you! Simply combining a pump directly connected to the Alicat Coriolis Meter, the user would send the signal to the meter for their desire flow rate, the Meter communicates with the pump to apply the signal to rotate the gears on a micro-gear pump. The meter constantly monitors and adjusts the signal to the pump for a perfectly controlled accurate Flow Rate.
If you want a demonstration or more information, please contact Premier Control Technologies the UK’s sole distributor for Alicat Scientific Inc part of one of UK largest companies The Halma Group.
Here are the two videos we mentioned earlier; they explain the Coriolis Effect very well!
The Coriolis Effect
What's the Coriolis Effect?
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