Measurement of fluid flow

Abstract

This chapter discusses the technique of measurement of fluid flow. The measurement of fluid flow is of great importance in many industrial processes, some examples including air flow in the ventilating ducts of a coal mine, the flow rate of water in a condenser at a power station, the flow rate of liquids in chemical processes, the control and monitoring of the fuel, lubricating and cooling fluids of ships and aircraft engines, and so on. Fluid flow is one of the most difficult of industrial measurements to carry out, because flow behavior depends on many variables concerning the physical properties of a fluid. There are a large number of fluid flow measuring instruments available, generally called flow meters that can measure the flow rate of liquids or the mass flow rate of gaseous fluids. The two main categories of flow meters are differential pressure flow meters and mechanical flow meters.