Open Channel Flow Meters
Open channel flow meters deal with free flowing, or free gravity flowing, open channels. An open channel is a flow of fluid where there is one free surface present, and the only pressure on it comes from gravity. The flowing liquid of these channels have a top surface open to the air. The cross-section of their flow is based only on the shape of the lower side of the channel through which they flow. There are many different types of open channel flow, depending on the environment in which they are found. For example, some have no changes in the depth of liquid where others have a constant, unsteady flow.
Quick links to Open Channel Flow Meters Information
Applications of Open Channel Flow Meters
Open channel flow meters work where traditional flow meters cannot. Specifically, traditional flow meters cannot work where the top surface of a liquid is exposed to the open air. Most commonly, open channel flow meters are used in water and wastewater industries, as water and wastewater are by and large the most common liquids found in open channel flows. However, they are also popular anywhere open channel flows are found. They can even measure flow in rivers.
How Open Channel Flow Meters Work
Open channel flow meters monitor the relationship between the depth of the liquid and the flow rate. In contrast, most other flow meters use mass or volumetric data to determine flow rate. To do their work, open channel flow meters typically use ultrasonic transducers, pressure sensors, shaft encoders, or special radars that can function on a free surface.
Other types of open channel flow measurement include: area/velocity flow measurement, level to flow measurement (measured at a designated point behind a weir, in a flume, or other hydraulic pumps, using various secondary devices), and Acoustic Doppler velocimetry (used to record instantaneous velocity components at a single point with a relatively high frequency, which uses the Doppler shift effect to measure the velocity of particles in a remote sampling volume). Another type of open channel flow measurement is dye testing, in which operators add a known amount of dye or salt per unit time to a flow stream. After complete mixing, they measure the concentration; the dilution rate equals the flow rates.
Finding the Right Open Channel Flow Meter Manufacturer
Regardless of your exact application, if you seek an open channel flow meter, you need to find a supplier that is knowledgeable on the subject, skilled, and reliable. Find that supplier by browsing the websites of those flow meter manufacturers and distributors we have listed on our website and reaching out to one or more of them with your specifications.