Turbine flow meters have historically provided volumetric total flow and with advancements in electronics technology, flow rate measurements. They are commonly used in hydrocarbon liquid measurements where the fluid lubricates the turbine to help the rotor assembly move freely.
In a Processing Magazine article, Digital Transformation Strategies for Mechanical Flow Instrumentation, Emerson’s Tom Bass highlights their role as simple to operate and maintain, as well as a reliable, cost-effective method for achieving accurate flow measurement.
These devices originally were mechanical devices using gears and rotary counters to measure the turbine revolutions. Tom describes the shortcomings of these mechanical meters.
First, they cannot deliver real-time flow readings and, second, there is no capability to send data to an information-gathering or automation system.
Advancing beyond mechanical counting, electronic signal processing uses a proximity sensor:
