Vortex throughflow measurement in steam

Two FHNW institutes developed a new measuring method for an innovative product manufactured by Endress+Hauser.

Objectives

Development of a new measuring technique for flowmeters including verification

Background

Endress+Hauser is one of the world’s leading providers of measuring devices, services and solutions in the area of industrial process engineering. The company offers process solutions for measuring flow, fill level, pressure and temperature as well as for analytical measurements, measured value recording and digital communication. A new product has been designed to be able to measure not just the actual mass flow but also the amount of steam in that flow.

Result

The measuring principle of vortex throughflow measurement is based on the Kármán vortex street: here, opposing vortices occur when there is flow around an obstacle. Volume flow and mass flow are directly proportional to the frequency of the vortices. The signal is analysed using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed at the FHNW Institute for Sensors and Electronics in collaboration with Endress+Hauser. The FHNW Institute of Thermal and Fluid Engineering developed the algorithms for analysing the measurement values and then tested the measuring method on a specially constructed steam test facility.

Information