ARTICLES AND PRESS RELEASES

DKF - Nitrogen Refrigeration Application

The idea of preserving food goes back as far as the ancient Roman and Chinese Empires. Before the advent of chemical refrigeration, food was held and shipped in ice, leading to a great deal of food waste. Various prototypes of refrigerators were built between 1755 and 1880. Many well known inventors, including Benjamin Franklin attempted prototypes. Michael Faraday was another. He then went on to found the principle of electromagnetic induction used in some of the magmeters we manufacture. Our modern day food network is complex and supported by various... Read More

Sub-Metering of Natural Gas

Sub-Metering of Natural Gas Flexible Flow Measurement Delivers Improved Accuracy and Substantial Savings Unlike oil, natural gas exists in abundance in the United States. Of the natural gas consumed in the United States in 2011, 95% was produced domestically. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects U.S. natural gas production to increase from 23.0 trillion cubic feet in 2011 to 33.1 trillion cubic feet in 2040, a 44% increase. Almost all of this increase in domestic natural gas production is due to projected growth in shale gas production, which will grow... Read More

Sierra Expands Primary Standard Gas Flow Calibration Systems & Online Store

Sierra Expands Primary Standard Gas Flow Calibration Systems & Online Store New Economical, Portable CalTrak® 300 & 350 Open Industrial Hygiene & Environmental Markets Monterey, CA- March 25, 2014 – Sierra Instruments, a leading global mass flow meter and controller manufacturer, is pleased to announce the expansion of their primary gas flow calibration systems with the new economical CalTrak® 300 and 350. With increased portability and ease-of-use, now end-users can deliver precision flow calibration and validation, based on a primary standard, to their lab equipment or manufacturing process.... Read More

Industry Information

Air Flow Meters

Air flow meters are devices used to measure various aspects of the flow of air. Air flow meters may measure the volume of the air, the speed of the air or the mass of the air, depending on the type. Air flow meters are most frequently used to infer mass flow after taking various flow measurements such as absolute pressure, differential pressure, viscosity and temperature as air flows through a tube. Besides air, these flow meters can also measure many different types of gases including nitrogen, oxygen, argon, helium, hydrogen, natural gas and carbon dioxide.

Air flowmeters have many plastic or metal parts that work together to produce a reading. The parts are manufactured to very close tolerances in order to provide readings with an accuracy as low as 2%. Air flow meters come in several types. Besides variations such as size or material, they may vary in pressure range, switching technology, and the presence and type of transmitters. These variations allow air flow meters to have applications in several industries. In the medical industry, flow meters are used to measure patients' air intake, allowing physicians to further determine the severity of any illness. These types of flow meters are called peak flow meters and are particularly beneficial for asthma patients. Air flow meters are also common in the automotive, petroleum and gas, utility services, HVAC, food processing and raw materials industries.

There are four main categories of air flow meters that are identified based on how they obtain a reading of the flow rate or quantity of air. Differential pressure air flow meters are the most common type. These devices take both a primary and a secondary measurement and report the difference. The first measurement causes a change in kinetic energy by directing the air through a hole or orifice in the flow meter which is measured by the second element. Positive displacement meters separate the air flow into specific volumes which are then counted. Vanes, gears, pistons, or diaphragms are commonly used to divide the air which is counted mechanically or electronically. Velocity air flow meters use a depth measurement and the average air velocity of the flow to produce a reading. They have a greater range than differential pressure devices. The last category is true mass air flow meters. They directly measure the mass of the fluid, not the volume; two common kinds are thermal meters and Coriolis flow meters. Air flow meters vary in how they obtain and report a reading but the list of parts may include pressure ports, bellows, spindles, pinions, gear mechanisms, gauges, cell caps, magnets, sensors, pistons, nuts, seals, levers and more.

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