Electronic verification of flowmeters in the water industry

Abstract

For water public limited companies in the UK verification of key flowmeters is becoming an increasingly essential element of the required management and maintenance of installed meters demanded by the regulation authorities. In order to achieve regulatory compliance, new electronic solutions are being proposed to supplement or partially replace the current in situ meter verification using insertion probes and other methods. The validity of the claims made for currently available electronic verification devices is reviewed. The measurements required for this approach and their likely achievable uncertainties are considered. There is a brief discussion of the administration of the procedure by users. Successful electronic verification strategies will be dependent on the quality of the manufactured product and the necessary good housekeeping within the manufacturing company. The authors conclude by suggesting that the current concept is promising but may need to be developed if it is to yield a generally acceptable tool capable of achieving all aspects of regulatory compliance.