Posted to News on 18th Mar 2024, 12:00
Titan Enterprises analyses solutions for low flow liquid measurement
The measurement of low flow is becoming widely used in many industries. However, the smaller the flow, the trickier it is to control and measure, and finding a suitable flow measuring technology at reasonable cost can prove challenging for both users and flow sensor manufacturers, as the experts at Titan Enterprises explain.
There is no set definition for low flow' in terms of measurement limits for fluidics handling. However, low-flow applications encounter amplified flow stability and performance issues not seen in larger flows. The minimal liquid volume being measured in low flows renders them highly sensitive, such that even the slightest disruptions in process or ambient conditions can exert a substantial impact on flow stability.
Within the markets Titan Enterprises operates in, the company considers low flow rates as those below 50 ml/min, with many customers seeking flow rates of between 2 and 20 ml/min.
Neil Hannay, Titan's senior R&D engineer observes: We are certainly seeing an increase in demand for low flow measurement technologies driven by various industries moving towards transporting heavily concentrated liquids, which are then diluted at the point of use. This translates into huge savings on transport and storage costs and also has a positive environmental impact.
Whether cleaning fluid additives, syrups and flavourings for beer or soda, chemical additives for oil and fuel, paint pigments or administering drugs, low flow flowmeters are required to dose these concentrated fluids at the end process, dispensing the precise amount of liquid to the correct dilution.
Measuring low flow is a challenging application to satisfy. The amount of energy available in low liquid flow is unlikely to be sufficient to drive most mechanical flowmeters to give linear results. By comparison, electronic flow meters can be limited by sensitivity, zero drift and slow response times.
Titan Enterprises says its oval gear flow meters are particularly effective for measuring low flow viscous fluids. We know there is a strong market for low flow meters and we are currently working with two international OEMs to develop a solution for measuring ultra-low flows using our oval gear technology and miniaturised gears, says Neil.
