Corrosion Detection of an Orifice Plate for Flow Rate Measurement using Heat Transfer Mechanism

Abstract

Flow rate measurement is a critical parameter in industries which is measured by various techniques. But among them the most commonly used method of flow rate measurement is using differential pressure. A restriction placed in the path of flow produces a drop in pressure which is measured. The fundemental principle of bernoullis is used to compute the volumetric flow rate. The orifice plate is the primary sensing element widely used in differential pressure based flow measurement. Hence the accuracy of the flow rate depends upon the dimensions of the orifice plate. The reason for this is the flow rate is computed assuming that the dimensions of the primary sensing element is constant. Due to this reason it is important to detect any damges to the orifice plate. Erosion and plugging of contaminants are common problems encountered in this method. Improper values of pressure adversely lead to drop in transmitter accuracy. This paper provides a novel method for detecting damages in an orifice plate without visual confirmation. This technique provides a significant advantage of providing diagnosis information related to an orifice plate which thereby helps to measure the flow rate of fluids using differential pressure method with accuracy. This objective of our work is focused towards process industries where majority of the flow rate is measured using differential pressure method.