Selecting a Coriolis flowmeter over other types of flow meters is an investment in the effectiveness of measurement throughout the system. These meters are typically more expensive than other meter types, but they offer several advantages that make them a top choice offering a good return on investment.
A micro motion Coriolis meter is designed to measure mass flow through a system. While originally used in processing plants, they are now used in a wide variety of industries including in the petrochemical, chemical production, and the oil and gas processing industries. In these types of applications, the ability to measure the flow by weight rather than just by volume provides greater accuracy and increased consistency in any type of processing system.
The Measurement Basics
As a fluid flows through a micro motion Coriolis meter, it is split into two different tubes. These tubes are affixed to a drive coil that creates an oscillation in the tubes. Both of the tubes are carefully configured to oscillate in opposition to each other at the natural resonant frequency. The result is a twisting of the tube that indicates the flow through the meter.
This twisting is very small, and it is measured in the voltage it produces from pickoffs located along the tube. This is tracked, creating a sine wave that measures the difference between the two tubes. The difference in the measurements at the pickoffs is called Delta-T, and it is directly proportional to the specific mass flow rate through the system at that given moment in time.
A micro motion Coriolis meter is not required for all applications. However, they are an important consideration when precision measurement is required for critical types of applications. Today, these Coriolis meters can be found in power plants, processing facilities, water treatment systems and used in pharmaceutical and life science types of industries.
