Fluid Speed Detector using Impulse Detection with Two Load Cells and NodeMCU ESP8266

Abstract

Fluid flow sensors or flow meters have been made and used as a measuring instrument for gas or fluid flow. However, most flow meters have moving mechanical parts so that it can cause slippage as in flow sensors that use gear used to measure waste flow accompanied by residue in the form of solids, so this will cause the flow to become clogged when it enters the gear, from flow sensors. For this problem, it is necessary to make a flow meter sensor that can measure the flow of fluid types accompanied by solid residues. The method for measuring fluid flow can use the concept of kinematics where the fluid rate can be known from the length of the path taken by the fluid to the fluid travel time on a predetermined path. The implementation to determine the fluid travel time on a predetermined path is to use two load cell sensors which are placed at the starting point of the track and the end of the track at a certain distance. The load cell can detect the movement of the fluid hitting a thin rod attached to the load cell so that the detected quantity is mass. Impulse detection to determine fluid velocity is obtained from the time interval when there is a change in mass from the first load cell to the second load cell at a predetermined distance. The test was carried out on a PVC pipe with a diameter of 4 inches which is positioned horizontally, the distance between the two load cells in a horizontal PVC pipe position is 7 cm. Calibration of the tool using the IR Sensor TCRT5000 with the help of a white object, so that the test results obtained the detected fluid flow velocity is from 0.2 m/s to 3 m/s. The average error of the flow rate measurement between the load cell and the TCRT-5000 is 1.95 percent.