An Overview, Principle and Its Advantages of Paddlewheel Flow Meter
A Paddlewheel flow meter is a vital instrument used in modern industries to meet the flow meter demands. Three basic components are used in a typical paddlewheel flow meter:
- the paddlewheel flow sensor
- the pipe fitting
- display screen
The paddlewheel sensor contains a freely suspended wheel that has magnets attached to it. They are perpendicular to the flow of water, and they rotate as the wheel rotates.
Principle of Paddle Wheel Flow Meters
As the impeller or wheel rotates with the flow, the magnets attached to it also rotates. The more the velocity of the water or liquid, the more is the frequency of the impeller. Hence, the frequency of the impeller can be measured and then decoded into the flow rate units. In this way, the flow rate can be measured.
The displays receive the signal from the paddlewheel and then convert it into the required flow rate units. The signal produced is able to generate an alarm and send a signal to the external system as well. The best thing about the paddlewheel flow sensor is that it offers low cost and maximum accuracy. It is compatible with many types of applications, which include water flow.
Paddle Wheel Flow Meter Advantages
- Low cost and high accuracy in water flow measurement.
- Requires easy installation procedure
- There is no pressure drop, and hence it is ideal gravity flows.
- They incur very little installation and maintenance costs.
Paddle Wheel Flow Meter Limitations
- They are most suitable with clean fluids as the dirty water contains suspended particles that can pose problems for flow measurement.
- The paddlewheel flow meter is not suitable for gases.
- It works on the condition that the flow of the fluid through the pipe should be turbulent.
- It requires a straight pipe in order to measure the water flow in exact terms.
- The pipe must contain the full volume of the fluid. If there are air bubbles inside the tube or pipe, then there is a chance of inaccurate reading of the flow rate of the fluid.
Some important applications where paddlewheel flow meters are used:
- Chemical Processing Industry
- Irrigation Industry
- Water Treatment Applications
- Beverages Industry
- Other water Processing Industries
Because of their low price and high performance, they are most widely used in several types of water processing industries. They are becoming more and more popular with the rising demand of the market.
Conclusion
Thus we see, the paddlewheel flow meter is one of the most useful flow meters. It offers many kinds of benefits as compared to other kinds of flow meters. There are many kinds of paddlewheel flow meters available in the market from which you can choose the accurate flow meter as per your need.
