What is a digital flow meter? Digital flow meters are devices used to measure the rate of flow of liquids or gases in pipes or channels. And Digital flow meters support data processing and signal output. Such as temperature and pressure compensation, 4-20mA, RS485, etc. Digital flow meters are more helpful for the monitoring of multi-pipe flow systems.

Digital Flow Meters

Different digital flow sensors include turbine, thermal mass, electromagnetic, ultrasonic, orifice plate, venturi. The different designs of the flowmeters have a variety of applications. With 4-20ma, RS485, or others output.

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Sino-Inst offers a variety of digital flow meters for flow measurement. If you have any questions, please contact our sales engineers.

If you know enough about the flowmeter. Then you can choose different types of digital flow meters according to your measurement needs.

Choose the Right Digital Flow Meters Types

Magnetic Flow Meters

Magnetic flow meter is also called electromagnetic flow meter, mag flow meter or magmeter. Suitable for the measurement of conductive liquids.

Turbine Flow Meters

Turbine flow meters are velocity flow meters, also called impeller flow meters. Used to measure the instantaneous flow and cumulative flow of liquids and gases.

Vortex Flow Meters

Vortex flow meter, also called Vortex shedding flow meter. Vortex Flow Meter is suitable for flow measurement of steam and various liquids and gases.

Precession Vortex Gas Flowmeter

Precession vortex flowmeter is a new type of gas flowmeter. It can be used for the measurement of natural gas, propane, air, nitrogen and other gases.

Ultrasonic Flow Meters

The ultrasonic flow meter measures the liquid flow rate quickly and effectively. There are two types of ultrasonic flowmeter technology: Doppler frequency shift and transit time.

Ultrasonic Gas Flow Meters

Ultrasonic Gas Flow Meter uses the principle of measuring the transit time of ultrasonic waves in the pipeline. Ultrasonic Gas Flow Meter is an ideal choice for various gas measurements.

Differential Pressure Flow Meters

Differential Pressure Flow Meter is also called DP flow meter. Differential pressure flow meters use the principle of differential pressure to measure the flow of liquid, gas and steam.

Volumetric Flow Meters

Volumetric Flow Meter, as a mechanical flow meter, is also called Positive displacement flowmeter. It can measure the volume flow of high viscosity and corrosive fluids.

Mass Flow Meters

Mass flow meter directly measures the mass flow of the medium passing through the flow meter. It can also measure the density, temperature and viscosity of the medium.

flow meter digital output

Digital flow meters can output flow rate data in different ways, and some of the most common types are:

  • Pulse Output: This type of output produces a series of pulses that are proportional to the flow rate. By counting the pulses, you can calculate how much fluid has flowed through the meter.
  • 4-20 mA Output: This type of output generates a current signal that represents the flow rate. This signal can be used to monitor the flow rate continuously. Check 4-20mA Flow Meters
  • RS-485 or Modbus Output: These are communication protocols that allow the flow meter to send data to a computer or other device.
  • Wireless Output: Some flow meters have wireless capabilities that enable them to transmit data over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other wireless protocols.

These different types of outputs allow you to integrate digital flow meters into different systems and applications, making it easier to monitor and manage fluid flow.

Sino-Inst’s gas and liquid flowmeters have various output methods. Users are generally interested in these three output modes: pulse output, 4-20mA current signal output and RS485 communication output.

Generally speaking, the pulse output is an output that comes with the flowmeter when it leaves the factory, regardless of whether the customer mentions it or not. For other output methods, you can explain to our sales manager according to the actual working conditions. Which output mode you need can be configured for you.

Flow meter signal output

So what is the difference between these three output methods? Here is a brief explanation for you.

1. What is pulse output?

Pulse output refers to metering parameter output. Pulse output provides basic parameters for meter calibration and remote meter reading. Pulses are shown on some flowmeter displays as blinking lights. One blink is one pulse. Pulse signals are digital signals.

2. What is 4-20mA current signal output?

The transmission distance is generally about 100 meters. It can be connected to a computer, and the value can be read out on the computer. It is an analog signal output.

3. What is RS485 communication output?

With remote transmission function. The transmission distance can reach 1200 meters. It is a wired transmission. It is digital data packet transmission.

Most users choose 4-20mA signal output on the flowmeter. Instead of choosing a 0-20mA signal, or a pulse signal, etc. In fact, there is a reason for this.

  1. The voltage signal of the flowmeter is unstable, and it is easily disturbed during long-distance transmission, while the current signal is relatively stable. The current signal is used in the transmission process, and the voltage signal (range of voltage value) is used for detailed control in the control instrument (integrator) and DCS system.
  2. The signal with a range of 0~20mA cannot be distinguished from the fault signal. Less than 4mA indicates that the line is faulty, or there is a suspicion of zero drift. The birth of the two-wire instrument promotes the change of the standard, and the new standard of the current signal is 4~20mA.  
  3. The 4-20mA specification is set for 2-wire sensors. Among them, the current of 0-4mA is to supply the needs of the small working current of the sensor itself. If 0-20mA is selected, when the signal is small, the sensor will not be able to obtain sufficient working energy.  
  4. In fact, for the 4~20MA signal, usually the DCS system counts it as a fault when it is greater than 20.2mA and less than 3.8mA.

Digital flow meter working principle

What is a Flow Meter and how does it work?

Video source: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_pL7bGEF52s?start=2

A flow meter is an instrument that indicates the flow rate to be measured and/or the total amount of fluid in a selected time interval. Simply put, it is a meter used to measure the flow of fluid in a pipe or open channel.

A flow meter also called a flow sensor, is a device or an instrument used to measure the linear, nonlinear, mass, or volumetric flow rate of a liquid or a gas.

Read more about: How does a flow meter work? and Types of flow meter

Digital Flow Meter Applications:

Digital liquid flow meter

Digital gas flow meter

Digital flow meter with totalizer

The flow totalizer mainly refers to a display and control instrument used in conjunction with a flow meter.

In fact, most Digital Flow Meter’s digital display meters can be regarded as a small totalizer.

The flow totalizer is used in conjunction with various flow sensors or transmitters, temperature sensors or transmitters and pressure transmitters. It can measure, display, accumulate and calculate the flow parameters of various liquids, steam, natural gas, and general gases. Alarm control, transmission output, data acquisition and communication.

It is suitable for measurement, display, control and measurement integration of industrial process flow parameters without compensation, such as tap water, oil, liquid, and solid fluid.

The flow totalizer can receive the orifice differential pressure input or the input signals of various flow meters such as vortex flowmeters, electromagnetic flowmeters, and turbine flowmeters.

Know More about Flow Measurement

If you need to know the flow rate in you pipe, or river, that when you need a flow meter. So, flow meter is the instrument that can finish the flow measurement.

Flowmeters consist of a primary device, transducer and transmitter.

The transducer senses the fluid that passes through the primary device.

The transmitter produces a usable flow signal from the raw transducer signal.

These components are often combined, so the actual flowmeter may be one or more physical devices.

Different types of flow meters are available for different application,

and depending upon the requirement, a careful selection of flow meter is made.

For e.g., we prefer vortex flow meters flow steam flow measuremnet. And we like the ultrasonic flow meters for non-contact pipe flow measuremnt.

Turbine type flow meter cannot be used for measuring the flow in an unclear liquid

(waste water or corrosive liquids).

Read More….

Electronic flow meter, are industrial digital flow meters for fluid flow rate measurement. Electronic flow meters types like: Magnetic, Vortex, and Ultrasonic flow meters.

While magnetic, vortex, and ultrasonic–are neither exclusively nor exhaustively electronic in nature. They do represent a logical grouping of flow measurement technologies.

All electronic flow meters have no moving parts, are non-intrusive, and are made by electronics technology.

Magnetic flowmeters, are the most directly electrical in nature, deriving their first principles of operation from Faraday’s law. Vortex meters depend on piezoelectric sensors to detect vortices shed from a stationary shedder bar. And today’s ultrasonic flowmeters owe their successful application to sophisticated digital signal processing.

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In line flow meters, also called in-line flow meters (or, flow indicator). In line flow meters are flow meters, which are installed in the flow path of you media pipe, and measure the flow rate.

In-line flow meters coudl be digital and mechanical flow meters. Common in-line flowmeters include turbine flowmeters, electromagnetic flowmeters, and ultrasonic flowmeters. With stainless steel material, analog and 4-20mA output, in-line flow meters can measure and controll inline flow.

Sino’s in-line flow meters are ideal for measurement of gases, fuel, or water based liquids. Applications include: deionized water flow, pickling, compressed gases, harsh environments, coolant lines, residential water and industrial applications.

Read More…

Of course, if you are not very familiar with the type of flowmeter. Then, you can choose suitable digital flowmeters according to your measuring medium.

Flowmeter types

Flow Metering Principles

  • Differential Pressure Flowmeters
  • Velocity Flowmeters
  • Positive Displacement Flowmeters
  • Mass Flowmeters
  • For Open Channel Flowmeters – weirs, flumes, submerged orifices, current meters, acoustic flow meters and more

For different working principle, We offer different types of flow meters, like:

  • Differential Pressure Flow Meters
  • Orifice Plate
  • Venturi Tube
  • Flow Nozzles
  • The Sonic Nozzle – Critical (Choked) Flow Nozzle
  • Calorimetric Flowmeter
  • Ultrasonic Doppler Flowmeter
  • Positive Displacement Flowmeter
  • Variable Area Flowmeter or Rotameter
  • Velocity Flowmeters
  • Pitot Tubes
  • Electromagnetic Flowmeter
  • Turbine Flowmeter
  • Vortex Flow Meter
  • Thermal Flowmeter
  • Coriolis Flowmeter
  • Mass Flowmeters
  • Open Channel Flowmeters

How to choose your flow meters?

To choose a suitable flow meter, you need to:

  1. Understand your application requirements:

    Consider the type of fluid being measured in process production, such as gas, liquid, steam, etc.
    its working status.
    Such as: temperature, pressure;
    Density, viscosity, conductivity, corrosion and related parameters;
    Single-phase flow or two-phase, multi-phase fluid;
    Allowable pressure loss;

  2. Choose the right measurement technique:

    Pick the most suitable method based on the fluid’s properties, accuracy needs, and cost.

  3. Check the flow range:

    Make sure the flow meter can handle the required flow range.

  4. Evaluate the required accuracy:

    Choose a flow meter that can provide the needed accuracy for your application.

  5. Check the compatibility with the fluid:

    Ensure that the flow meter is suitable for the fluid’s properties.

  6. Consider the environment:

    Choose a flow meter that can withstand the environmental conditions.

  7. Evaluate the cost:

    Pick a flow meter model that fits your budget and can still meet your requirements.

Following these steps can help you select a flow meter that is accurate, reliable, and appropriate for your application. You can also consult with a flow meter supplier or expert to help you choose the right flow meter for your needs.

Sino-Inst offers over 50 flow meter for flow measurement. About 50% of these are differential pressure flow meters, 40% is the liquid flow sensor, and 20% are Ultrasonic Level Transmitter and mass flow meter.

A wide variety of flow meters options are available to you, such as free samples, paid samples.

Sino-Instrument is a globally recognized supplier and manufacturer of flow measurement instrumentation, located in China.

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Digital Flow Meters: Liquid and Gas | Manufacturer's Guide

Digital Flow Meters for Monitoring Gases & Liquids, Good Price, Contact Now! Live Chat Available.Types: Electromagnetic flowmeter, Turbine flowmeter,vortex..

Product SKU: Digital Flow Meters

Product Brand: Sino-Inst

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 200

Price Valid Until: 2069-09-31

Product In-Stock: PreOrder

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