Flow, level & control
CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR HYDRAULIC FLUID SYSTEMS 1. SYSTEM REPEATABILITY:
Hydraulic stability is essential. Air pockets in the line can lead to dynamic flow situations, causing volumetric errors in delivery. Ensuring a hydraulically locked system eliminates such variability and enhances repeatability.
2. STABLE PROCESS CONDITIONS:
Changes in pressure, temperature, or flow rate can push flowmeters into unpredictable operational zones, affecting calibration and accuracy. Maintaining consistent conditions is vital for reliable performance.
3. PULSATING FLOW MANAGEMENT:
Selection of the pump type is important to avoid pulsating flow. Pulsation from certain pumps can disrupt flow rates, especially in aggressive chemical applications. Pressure regulators and pulsation dampers should be incorporated into flow systems to achieve a smooth and constant flow.
4. STRATEGIC PLACEMENT OF FLOWMETERS:
Positioning the flowmeter just before the dispense valve minimises fluid inertia and improves measurement accuracy.
5. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF VISCOSITY ON FLOWMETER ACCURACY:
Selection of any flow measurement device should always consider the fluid viscosity as turbine meters typically loose accuracy and performance as the fluid viscosity increases, whereas the performance, accuracy and range of positive displacement flowmeters increases with viscosity.
6. VALVE SELECTION AND CALIBRATION:
The type of shut-off valve used can impact delivery accuracy. Fast-acting solenoids are ideal for smaller pipelines, while larger setups benefit from solutions like multi-stage shut-off systems or “automatic overrun compensation” programming to fine-tune results.
7. OPTIMISING ELECTRONIC FLOWMETERS:
High-performance meters (such as Titan’s ultrasonic Atrato® flowmeter) can predict stop signals in advance, ensuring consistent delivery even at high speeds.
ENHANCING PROCESS EFFICIENCY
Hydraulic systems, particularly in the aerospace industry, are operating at increasingly higher pressures to achieve several key benefits - namely, reductions in component size, improvements in overall system efficiency, smaller reservoir requirements, and decreased system weight and footprint. As operating pressures rise, the selection of an appropriate flowmeter becomes even more critical. These flowmeters must not only provide accurate measurements but also be capable of withstanding pressures beyond the system’s maximum operating levels, incorporating a suitable safety factor to ensure long-term reliability and safety.
By accounting for these factors during system design and commissioning and investing in the appropriate flow measurement technology that suits the application requirements, engineers can eliminate common pitfalls in liquid metering and ensure the liquid flow system performs with precision and consistency.
Titan Enterprises offer a range of flowmeters for hydraulic systems ranging from 10 to 950 bar, with bespoke flow variants and OEM versions also available.
Titan Enterprises Instrumentation Monthly October 2025
www.flowmeters.co.uk 17
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