Brooks Instrument Blog

The longstanding popularity of variable area flow meters is well warranted, as it’s been the go-to piece of equipment for the measurement of gas, liquid and steam flow for a century.  But as the times change and processing of petrochemicals and other petroleum-based products becomes more globalized, finding cost-effective and reliable measurement devices is growing in importance.

Our free webinar, “One World One Product: Bringing a Global Perspective to Metal Tube Variable Area Flow Meters,” on April 16 you will give you the opportunity to learn about the most recent innovations in VA flow meters, including a brand new product just entering the market now.

You will learn how to use the best product for your project or company to minimize plant downtime, get tips on making sure you have the right VA meter for your specs, and more.  Receive a thorough overview of exactly how a VA meter works from our experts, as well as tips on how to find a supplier that best suits your service, inspection, and team needs.

The key speaker will be Jim Dillon, a global product manager at Brooks Instrument and an expert in the field of both rotameters and engineering. So come and learn from the best. You can enroll by clicking here.

I am a firm believer that the world is getting smaller each day. I credit this reduction in size to technology.  We can contact anyone in the world in seconds by using texts, emails, phone calls and video conferences.  

So how does this “shrinking planet” impact a flow meter and more specifically, a variable area meter (rotameter)?

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In this series, we’re discussing the flow control challenges faced by users of abrasive or aggressive fluids. The first post described several applications for these challenging fluids, and briefly introduced a couple of concerns encountered by these users. In this post, we’ll review these concerns in more detail and summarize a few flow control options available for these difficult applications.

Material compatibility is a major concern when measuring the flow of aggressive fluids like acids.  There are several alternatives to ensure the wetted materials in process instrumentation ‘get along with’ the process fluid. Some options include: the use of high-alloy or exotic metals like Hastelloy C, applying a chemically-resistant lining to the wetted flow path , or even using instruments constructed entirely out of chemically-resistant plastics. In addition to the instruments that provide a way to measure flow, instruments that provide a control function (like valves) should also be specified with appropriate consideration for material compatibility.

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I have to say, this was a fun one to do around the holiday’s. I enjoyed seeing a lot of the guesses coming in for our Guess the Year this Flow Meter was Made blog post. A few thought the answer was in the serial number, but it wasn’t. For a while there I didn’t think anyone was going to get it right. So many people guessed within a  year! But the correct year was …

1954

We had 5 winners that will be receiving a 4GB memory stick in the shape of a Brooks GF40/80 Series mass flow controller/mass flow meter.

Happy New Year everyone!

I’m really excited to announce the availability of a low flow rate option for our Model MT3809 armored rotameters. The MT3809 variable area flow meter is now capable of accurately measuring flow rates as low as 5 L/h of air and 0.08 L/h of water with this new option. We’ve had customers requesting this new option but the real advantage is that we now have HART communications for a low flow armored flow meter. Read more…

The Brooks online store is starting to grow! This week, we added the Sho-Rate 1250 and 1255 low-flow glass tube rotameters to the online shop. As a reminder, we’re offering free shipping on all orders within the domestic United States.

The 1250 and 1255 Sho-Rate flow meters feature an easy-to-read scale with rotating lens. These provide a 180-degree magnified view, making it the ideal choice for displaying on panels and cabinets. The Model 1250 Sho-Rate flow meter provides 10-percent accuracy for liquids and gases, and the Model 1255 flow meter provides 5-percent accuracy.

The Model 1250 is available in 65 mm scale lengths, while the Model 1255 comes in 150 mm scale lengths. The rotameters are configured with a standard control valve on the inlet, the valves and fittings are 316 stainless steel, and the O-rings and seals are Viton fluoroelastomer.

It’s official! Brooks Instrument has launched its online store. Now we can give customers quick and easy access to the Brooks family of products. Best of all, we’re offering free shipping on all orders within the domestic United States.

Currently, the store offers the 2500 Series plastic tube flow meters (rotameters) for purchase. In the coming months, we’ll be adding pressure gauges, pressure transducers, mass flow controllers, mass flow meters and more.

Our goal is to get Brooks’ products into the hands of customers as efficiently as possible to support your application needs. So, stop by the online store and check back to see what’s new in the coming months!

We just launched yet another new website, this time for our buddies over at Key Instruments, which is a division of Brooks Instrument. We redesigned www.KeyInstruments.com with enhanced company and product information, a variety of technical support options, as well as direct access to Key Instruments’ new e-commerce site, www.KIDirect.com.

With a simple, updated design, KeyInstruments.com is easy to navigate, including upgraded search functions to find documentation, products, FAQs and more. Updated content includes hundreds of data sheets and instruction manuals.

We made sure to think of the users of KeyInstrument.com as we developed the new site. Our goal is to provide the best products and services for our consumers, and this website supports that, allowing users to easily access all aspects of the company, from information about specific products, to technical support, to requesting a quote.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

The first attempts to replace the horse as the primary mode of transportation involved burning wood to create steam to drive a steam engine. If the new crop of biotechnology and renewable energy companies realize their dreams we will once again be fueling our transportation and even using chemicals created from wood cellulose and other plants. Genetic engineering which has been the catalyst in the revolution of drug and food development is now being used to tackle our need for renewable fuels. I had experience, while still a student in the late 1970s, on the potential of enzymes to breakdown cellulose into sugar the basic building block for chemicals. I even had dreams of creating a cellulose driven economy but with oil costing only $20/bbl, I soon realized it would be difficult to compete. The catalyst driving the current group of bio energy hopefuls is the need to find renewable fuels which are better for the environment. Three conversion technologies are actively being funded. Read more…

We are focusing on improving our order fulfillment process because we know it will result in faster lead times and more satisfied customers.  I want to provide a “peek” into our lean manufacturing journey, share my personal experiences and include a photo or two of our rotameter assembly lines.

The improvement process starts by defining in great detail how we do things today.  It is difficult to change a process without totally understanding what you are doing today.  Once this first step is completed a cross functional team reviews each step of the process and as a group looks for areas of improvement.  I have participated in these group sessions and they are very powerful due to the free exchange of ideas.  Each suggestion is noted, debated and usually implemented.  Possible ideas can be as simple as organizing the workspace which reduces operator movement and “travel time” to adding new test equipment or assembly fixtures.

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