MAMCE/EIE/EI2303 - Industrial Instrumentation-Ii/Question Bank
MAMCE/EIE/EI2303 - Industrial Instrumentation-Ii/Question Bank
MAMCE/EIE/EI2303 - Industrial Instrumentation-Ii/Question Bank
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Part-B
1. Explain the principle of operation of and tapping of orifice meter.
Ans:Orifice Flow Meter
An Orifice flow meter is the most common head type flow measuring device. An orifice
plate is inserted in the pipeline and the differential pressure across it is measured.
Principle of Operation
The orifice plate inserted in the pipeline causes an increase in flow velocity and a
corresponding decrease in pressure. The flow pattern shows an effective decrease in cross
section beyond the orifice plate, with a maximum velocity and minimum pressure at the
venacontracta. The flow pattern and the sharp leading edge of the orifice plate (Fig. 1.3) which
produces it are of major importance. The sharp edge results in an almost pure line contact
between the plate and the effective flow, with the negligible fluid-to-metal friction drag at the
boundary.
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The concentric type is used for clean fluids. In metering dirty fluids, slurries and fluids
containing solids, eccentric or segmental type is used in such a way that its lower edge
coincides with the inside bottom of the pipe. This allows the solids to flow through without any
obstruction. The orifice plate is inserted into the main pipeline between adjacent flanges, the
outside diameters of the plate being turned to fit within the flange bolts. The flanges are either
screwed or welded to the pipes.
Machining Methods of Orifices
Machining of the orifice plate depends on its specific use. Three types shown in Fig. 1.5
explains the machining methods.
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Types 1 and 2 are very commonly used and F is known as the plater. These two
are easier to manufacture and are easily reproducible while type 3 is not. Thickness t as
chosen to withstand the buckling forces. Type 1 has also reduced pressure losses. Type
3, known as the quadrant edged orifice, is used for more viscous fluids where
corrections for low Reynolds number and viscosity are necessary.
Materials Chosen For Orifices
The material chosen for orifice plate is of any rigid material of non-rusting and
noncorrodible. It is vital that the material should not corrode in the fluid being metered.
Otherwise the edge of the orifice will get damaged to a sufficient extend to interfere with the
character of the flow and the accuracy of the measurement. We should choose a material whose
coefficient of Thermal expansion is known. The common materials used are Stainless steel,
Monel, Phosphor bronze, Glass, Ceramics, Plastics, Brass, Copper, Aluminium and Tantalum.
Position of Taps in Orifice
There are five common locations for the differential pressure taps :
Flange taps
Venacontracta taps
Radius taps
Full flow or pipe taps and
Corner taps.
Flange taps.
They are predominantly used for pipe sizes 50 mm and larger and the
centerlines are 25 mm from the orifice plate surface. They cannot be used for pipe size of less
than 35 mm diameter. Since the venacontracta may be closer than 25 mm from the orifice plate.
Venacontracta taps.
These taps use an upstream tap located one pipe diameter upstream of the orifice plate, and a
downstream tap located at the point of minimum pressure. Venacontracta taps normally limited
to pipe size 150 mm or large depending upon the flange rating and dimensions.
Radius taps.
d1 = D and d2 = 1/2 D. These are similar to venacontracta taps except that downstream
tap is located at one half pipe diameter. These are generally consider superior to the
venacontracta tap because they simplify the pressure tap location dimensions and do not vary
with changes in orifice ratio.
Pipe taps.
Pipe taps are located 2.5 pipe diameters upstream (d1 = 2.5D) and 8
diameters downstream (d2 = 8D) from the orifice plate. Because of the distance from the
orifice,exact location is not critical, but the effects of pipe roughness, dimensional
inconsistencies and so on are more severe.
Corner taps.
These taps are similar in many respects to flange taps, except that the pressure is measured at
the Corner between the orifice plate and the pipe wall. These are used for diameters of less
than 50 mm.
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2. Discuss in detail the installation and piping arrangements of different fluids in head
flow meters.
Ans:Installation of Head Flowmeters:-
The head flow meter consists of a primary element such as an orifice, venturi, or pitot
tube used with a differential pressure meter to measure the differential head caused by the
flowing fluid at the primary element. The differential pressure meter may be any of the various
meters such as the enlarged leg-mercury manometer, the bell gauge, the hollow gauge, the
diaphragm gauge, the tilting U-type gauge or electronic differential pressure flow transmitters.
The differential-pressure meter and the primary element require careful connection
and installation. It must be remembered that the meter is used for the purpose of measuring
differential pressure. Any extraneous or false head introduced by the connecting piping cause a
serious error.
Pressure Pipe Layout
Pressure piping is the pipe which connects the pipe tapping of the head producers to the
meter or the differential pressure transducers. The important points to be carefully noted in
laying the pressure piping in order to avoid the false readings are :
o Condensation of water vapour in the case of air or gas, and
o Air or vapour locks in the case of liquids and steam.
The following rules should be strictly followed in laying the pressure pipe, so as to avoid
the above difficulties.
Meter below the pipe
If the meter or the differential transducer is to be located below the level of the main or
pipe line in which the orifices is installed, the pressure pipe should be laid as follows.
(a) Liquids and Steam
Pressure pipes should fall continuously from orifice to meter at a slope of not less than
1/10 as shown in Fig. 1.13. If the horizontal distance is too high to allow this slope by direct
connection between the orifice and the meter, then pressure pipes may be first taken below the
meter and then risen to the meter.
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In this case, the pipe is first laid vertically downwards to a distance of about 0.5 m in
order to minimise the possibility of entrance of air or gas from the main, and the pipe is raised
continuously at a slope of not less than 1 : 10 to the meter. The meter is fitted with air vessels as
shown in Fig. 1.15
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in both the impulse lines connecting the differential pressure transmitters.Four types of
condensation pots are manufactured to suit the various pressure ranges.
(i) Made of cast iron for pressure upto 16 kg/cm2
(ii) Made of carbon steel for pressure upto 64 kg/cm2
(iii) Made of stainless steel for pressure above 64 kg/cm2 and below 100 kg/cm2.
(iv) Made of molybdenum steel for pressure upto 200 kg/cm2.
In the case of vertical steam mains, it is essential that both the condensation pots placed
at the level of the upper orifice connection. Its installation is illustrated in Fig. 1.17.
A leg of large bore is used to convey the pressure from the lower connection to the
appropriate condensation pot. The bore should not be less than 14 mm throughout. If
possible,for obtaining better results, this pipe may be run in contact with the main within the
main lagging.
Installation of Sealing Pots
Sealing pot is intended for protecting primary instruments like, pressure gauges,
pressure or differential pressure transmitters etc. from the influences of chemically
aggressive medium under measurement.
They are also used in the metering of oils or tarry liquids, which are of low viscosity
in the mains due to high temperature ; but owing to atmospheric cooling in pressure
pipes these become viscous and as such make meter sluggish in response.
The sealing pots transmit the orifice pressures to a second and less viscous liquid,
the separating surfaces occurring in parallel bore of the sealing vessels and serving
as friction less pistons. These are usually connected very close to the mains. The
sealing liquid must be noncorrosive and immiscible with the fluid to be metered. It
should preferably be of moderately low viscosity such as transformer oil, spindle
oil, kerosene, paraffin oil, glycerine etc.
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The sealing pots transmit the orifice pressures to a second and less viscous liquid,
the separating surfaces occurring in parallel bore of the sealing vessels and serving
as friction less pistons. These are usually connected very close to the mains.
The sealing liquid must be noncorrosive and immiscible with the fluid to be
metered. It should preferably be of moderately low viscosity such as transformer oil,
spindle oil, kerosene, paraffin oil, glycerine etc.
Fig. 1.18 shows how installation of sealing pot is being made.
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Explain the installation of operation of the pitot tube with neat sketch
Ans:Pitot Tube
An obstruction type primary element used mainly for fluid velocity measurement is the
Pitot tube.
Principle:
Consider Fig. 1.20 which shows flow around a solid body. When a solid body is held
centrally and stationary in a pipeline with a fluid streaming down, due to the presence of the
body, the fluid while approaching the object starts losing its velocity till directly in front of the
body, where the velocity is zero. This point is known as the stagnation point. As the kinetic
head is lost by the fluid, it gains a static head. By measuring the difference of pressure between
that at normal flow line and that at the stagnation point, the velocity is found out. This principle
is used in pitot tube sensors.
The simplest pitot tube consists of a tube with an impact opening of 3.125 mm to
6.35mm diameter pointing towards the approaching fluid.
This measures the stagnation pressure.
3.
An ordinary upstream tap can be used for measuring the line pressure. The simplest pitot
tube consists of a tube with an impact opening of 3.125 mm to 6.35mm diameter pointing
towards the approaching fluid. This measures the stagnation pressure .
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The total pressure developed at the point where the flow is stagnated is assumed
to occur at the tip of a pitot tube or at a specific point on a bluff body immersed in the
stream. The pitot tube causes practically no pressure loss in the flow stream. It is
normally installed through a nipple in the side of the pipe. It is frequently installed
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through an isolation valve, so that it can be moved back and forth across the stream to
establish the profile of flow velocity.
Certain characteristics of pitot tube flow measurement have limited its industrial
application.For true measurement of flow, it is essential to establish an average value of
flow velocity. To obtain this with a pitot tube, it is necessary to move the tube back and
forth across the stream to establish the velocity at all points and then to take an average.
For high-velocity flow streams, it is required to provide necessary stiffness and
strength.A tube inserted in a high-velocity stream has a tendency to vibrate and get
broken. As a result, pitot tubes are generally used only in low-to-medium flow gas
applications where high accuracy is not required.
Averaging Pitot Tube (Annubar)
To obtain a better average value of flow, special two-chamber flow tubes with several
pressure openings distributed across the stream are available, as shown in Fig. 1.23.
These annular averaging elements are called annubars. They consist of a tube with highand low pressure holes with fixed separations.
An annubar flow sensor produces a differential pressure (P) signal that is the algebraic
difference between the average value of the high-pressure signal (Ph) and low-pressure single
(Pl) as shown in the above Fig. 1.23.
A high-pressure profile is produced by the impact of the flow velocity profile on the
upstream side of the sensing tube. Inside the high-pressure chamber, an average high-pressure
signal is obtained by correctly placing the sensing ports in the tube. The flow that passes
through the sensor creates a low-pressure profile. This pressure profile is sensed by downstream
ports directly behind the high-pressure ports. Working on the same principle as the highpressure side, an average low pressure signal is produced in the low-pressure chamber.
Advantages
1. No pressure loss.
2. It is relatively simple.
3. It is readily adapted for flow measurements made in very large pipes or ducts.
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Disadvantages
1. Poor accuracy.
2. Not suitable for dirty or sticky fluids and fluids containing solid particles.
3. Sensitive to upstream disturbances.
4. Explain the principle of operation of flow nozzle.
Flow Nozzle:
i) Flange Type Flow Nozzle
The Flow nozzle is a smooth, convergent section that discharges the flow parallel
to the axis of the downstream pipe.
The downstream end of a nozzle approximates a short tube and has the diameter
of the venacontracta of an orifice of equal capacity. Thus the diameter ratio for a
nozzle is smaller or its flow coefficient is larger.
Pressure recovery is better than that of an orifice. Fig. 1.10 shows a flow nozzle
of flange type.
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Advantages
1. Permanent pressure loss lower than that for an orifice plate.
2. It is suitable for fluids containing solids that settle.
3. It is widely accepted for high pressure and temperature steam flow.
Disadvantages
1. Cost is higher than orifice plate.
2. It is limited to moderate pipe sizes.
3. It requires more maintenance. (It is necessary to remove a section of pipe to inspect or install)
5.
Explain the principle and operation of Dall tube with neat sketches.
Ans:Dall Tube:
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It consists of a flanged spool piece body with a short, straight inlet section terminating in
an abrupt decrease in diameter or inlet shoulder. This is followed by a conical restriction
and a diverting outlet separated by a narrow annular gap.
The high pressure tap is a hole drilled through the body tangent to the inlet shoulder.
The low pressure tap is drilled through the body so as to connect with an annular slot in
the throat. The inlet shoulder immediately proceeding the restriction has little effect on
permanent pressure loss.
The outlet cone causes a decrease in flow velocity that provides an increase in pressure
recovery It is not suitable for measuring the flow of fluids containing solids which could
settle out in the throat slot. The Dall tube is used for water, sewage, air and steam flow
measurement.
The Dall tubes are normally cast in gun metal. But for 450 mm and larger sizes, high
grade cast iron is used. When it is required to protect the tube from corrosion, it may be
lithcote lined.
Advantages
1. Low head loss
2. Short lying length
3. It is available in numerous materials of construction.
Disadvantages
1. Pressure difference is sensitive to up-stream disturbances.
2. More straight pipe required in the approach pipe length.
3. It is not considered for measuring flow of hot feed water.
6. Explain the principle of operation Variable Head Type Flow meters.
Ans:
In the variable head type flow meters, a restriction of known dimensions is generally
introduced into pipeline, consequently there occurs a head loss or pressure drop at the restriction
with increase in the flow velocity. Measurement of this pressure drop is an indication of
the flow rate.
Headtype flow measurement derives from Bernoullis theorem which states
that in a flowing stream, the sum of the pressure head, the velocity head and the
elevation head at on a point is equal to their sum at another point in the direction
of flow plus the loss due to friction between the two points.
Velocity head is defined as the vertical distance through which a liquid would
fall to attain a given velocity.
Pressure head is the vertical distance which a column of the flowing liquid would
rise in an open-ended tube as a result of the static pressure.
In general, a onedimensional flow system is assumed. The schematic representation
of such a system with a restriction in the pipeline is shown in Fig. 1.1.
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Ratio:
Most variable head meters depend on a restriction in the flow path to produce a change
in velocity. For the usual circular pipe, the Beta ratio is the ratio between the diameter of the
restriction and the inside diameter of the pipe.
= d/D ...(1.8)
where d = diameter of the restriction
D = inside diameter of the pipe.
Reynolds Number:
In practice, flow velocity at any cross section approaches zero in the boundary layer
adjacent to the pipe wall and varies across the diameter. This flow velocity profile has a
significant
effect on the relationship between flow velocity and pressure difference developed in the
head meters.
Sir Osborne Reynolds proposed single, dimensionless ratio known as Reynolds number,
as a criterion to describe this phenomenon. This number, Re, is expressed as
Re =VD
...(1.9)
where V = velocity
D = Diameter of the pipeline
= density and
= absolute viscosity.
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Measuring fluid flow with an orifice and differential pressure manometer as shown in
Fig. 1.2, requires that the effect of the fluid over the manometer liquid be taken into account.
Furthermore, the pressure differential at the orifice is usually expressed in liquid-column
height. Then
P1 P2 = (m f)h ...(1.12)
where h = differential at restriction, liquid column height
m = weight density of manometer fluid
f = weight density of fluid over the manometer fluid.
Finally if the flow rate is to be converted at the control room temperature at which the
fluid density is s, then from equations (1.4), (1.11) and (1.12).
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