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.
Read more…
In yesterday’s blog post, I took you through why we need to know about your normal and maximum operating temperatures and pressures in your application to specify the right variable area (VA) flow meter for your process. Today, we’ll dive into flow rates and reference conditions.
3. Flow rate – minimum, maximum, normal
Of course flow rate is an obvious requirement but it is more complicated than it appears. The goal is to specify a VA meter where the normal operating flow is in the 60% to 80% of the meter’s range. Why you ask because a variable area meter is more accurate in the upper part of its range. I will talk more about accuracy in my next blog post. Of course a flow meter needs to be chosen that handles the minimum and maximum flows too. The other component of flow rate is the units. Read more…
Categories: Variable Area/Purge Meters Tags: flow meter, flow meters, va flow meter, va flow meters, va meter, va meters, variable area, variable area flow meter, variable area flow meters, variable area meter, variable area meters
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…
Categories: Variable Area/Purge Meters Tags: chemical, engineering applications, flanged meters, flow accuracy, flow meter, flowmeter, HART communications, petrochemical, rotameter, rotameters, variable area flow meter, variable area flow meters, variable area meter
We continue to add more products to our e-commerce website, www.BrooksInstrument.com/Shop. We just added the model 8601 pressure regulator this week. There six different variations of the model 8601 available now in addition to the glass tube variable area flow meters, plastic tube variable area flow meters, and pressure gauges. Read more…
More new products were just added to our online store at www.BrooksInstrument.com/Shop. Now you can purchase 28 different pressure gauge models in addition to the glass and plastic tube variable area flow meters that are already online. Read more…
While many of you use Brooks mass flow controllers or variable area flow meters for gas flow measurement and control, you might not know that Brooks also manufactures an exceptional capacitance manometer series for vacuum measurement applications – the XacTorr™ series capacitance manometers.
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!
It’s official! Brooks Instrument has launched its online store. Now we can give customers quick and easy access to 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 Brooks 2500 Series plastic tube rotameters for purchase. In the coming months, we’ll be adding Brooks’ pressure gauges, pressure transducers, mass flow controllers 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…
