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'Measurement for New Technologies' Case Study

Monitoring fluids flowing through pipes is vital for the efficiency and safety of many systems, from transporting hot water around buildings to transporting oil across continents. Accurately measuring these rates enables leak detection, helps optimise the system for energy efficiency. Methods for confirming installed flow meters are operating correctly are required to ensure ongoing system performance, leak detection, and also accurate taxation/billing where the fluid attracts a duty.

The EMRP project 'Novel mathematical and statistical approaches to uncertainty evaluation' developed new statistical models based on experimental measurements of system operating pressure, temperature and layout to better relate the effect of flow in real systems to ideal calibration conditions.

Optolution Messtechnik GmbH, specialists in calibrating installed flow meters, is using an adapted version of the project’s fluid flow model in their instrumentation for confirming installed flow meter performance. This removes the need to send meters away for calibration – a difficult and costly procedure. Once this calibration route has been approved by DAkkS, Germany’s accreditation body, Optolution will be able to offer customers an alternative to lab based calibration for flow metering in complex systems.

Read the full two-page 'Accuracy for installed flow meters' case study.