A flow meter is a test tool used in industrial plants and facilities to gauge the flow rate of process fluids and gases. The pace at which process fluid is moving through pipelines, orifices, or vessels at any particular time is referred to as the flow rate. This number is measured by control and instrumentation professionals in order to keep an eye on and control the velocity and effectiveness of industrial flow devices and processes.
For best results, test equipment should periodically be “reset” to eliminate incorrect readings. For instance, a bathroom scale that displays 10 pounds even when no one is standing on it needs to be calibrated to display a starting value of 0.
What is Flow Meter Calibration?
The process of calibrating a flow metre involves comparing its pre-set scale or metering to a reference scale of measurement and modifying its metering to meet the reference scale.
In a variety of industries, such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, and manufacturing, which demand very accurate readings with a small proportion of error, calibration is a crucial component of instruments.
Flow Meter Calibration vs. Recalibration
In order to calibrate a flow metre, measurements taken while it is in use are compared to measurements taken by a standard flow measuring device under the same circumstances. The scale of the flow metre is then adjusted until it closely matches the standard.
Recalibration of a flow metre entails calibrating one that is already in use. Periodic recalibration is necessary because the fluctuating circumstances present in industrial operations cause flow metre readings to frequently get “out of phase” over time.
The two processes differ primarily in that flow calibration is completed before to sending the metre out for usage while recalibration is completed after the flow metre has been in use for some time. The accuracy of measurements can be checked using software tools after a flow metre has been calibrated.
How to Calibrate a Flow Meter
There are various methods for calibrating liquid flow metres, but they all require comparing and modifying the flow metre under test to meet a standard. The calibration standard used in the United States comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), but the calibration standard used in the majority of Europe comes from the Van Swinden Laboratory in the Netherlands.
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