Clamp-on flowmeter shows benefits as test device

A "robust and reliable" KATflow ultrasonic flowmeter has been successfully applied in a 'Testing' application at British Nuclear Group, on nitric acid and hazardous chemicals

When engineers at British Nuclear Group were faced with a difficult flow measurement application, they chose the clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeters and expertise available from Katronic Technologies to provide them with the solution.

The decision made by British Nuclear Group to purchase a new flowmeter was a fairly straightforward one, as Chris Fairclough Senior Technical Adviser explains, "We have a series of systems on our test rig that require calibration.

We needed to be sure what flow we were running at and certain areas do not contain a flow meter".

The difficulty that the engineering team faced was finding a device that would cope with the varying measurement conditions that they have on the rigs.

From the nature of the application it was decided that the best tool to use would be a portable ultrasonic flowmeter.

This type of device avoided the need to make any pipe modifications and allowed them to move the equipment to different locations on the rig without difficulty.

The clamp-on flowmeter was of particular interest to the engineers given the nature of the liquids that are flowing through the system - for example measuring the nitric acid flow through an air sparged pipe and the recycled flow through the rig.

As well as the advantages of portability and being able to avoid pipe modifications the non-invasive nature of the ultrasonic flowmeter means that there is no risk to any operator, or part of the of the plant being exposed to the hazardous chemicals through use of the instrument.

When looking for a potential supplier, it was not the actual flowmeter that led Chris to choose Katronic but the customer service that he and his colleagues received.

"Originally Katronic was not the first company that we tried but the service was quick, friendly and efficient".

Although at first attracted by the service that they received it was not long before the technical benefits of selecting Katronic became apparent.

One of the key features of the KATflow range of ultrasonic flowmeters is their ability to measure in both transit time and Doppler mode.

By being able to offer two modes of measurement, the KATflow 220 provided exactly the flexibility that the engineers at British Nuclear were looking for to cope with some of the more demanding locations that they needed to meter.

"The Doppler application allows measurement on areas with turbulent flow".

In contrast to transit time ultrasonic flow measurement, the Doppler principle flowmeters require the presence of particulate, gas bubbles or severe turbulence in the flow, in order to achieve a reliable reading.

Chris and his colleagues were aware that in some locations on the system the flow condition was not conducive to standard transit time measurement and therefore the flowmeter from Katronic was perfect for this application.

By using a portable flowmeter rather than a more conventional permanently installed inline device, the engineers at British Nuclear were also able to make considerable savings on the running of the system.

"The flowmeter allows us to validate commissioning data in a wide variety of locations, where measurements are only required for a short period of time; and to calibrate the system without the need for a permanent meter.

These are necessary sometimes, and also a portable meter saves time and money".

Katronic do supply flowmeters for permanent installation: however for this project a battery and optionally mains-driven portable device was seen as the best solution.

Once in operation the Katronic ultrasonic flowmeter proved highly successful on a variety of different applications.

As Mr Fairclough points out "...the unit is performing very well with accurate results once correctly configured".

When asked about what he liked most about the flowmeters he added that the flowmeter is "easy to use, durable and accurate".

It is the robustness of both the measurement accuracy and of the flowmeter itself that are the key features of all Katronic flowmeters.

This on-going success and the results achieved at British Nuclear Group are not simply attributed to the technology that Katronic have on offer; it is the vital combination of good product and the best possible technical support that makes the difference.

It is this that can often differentiate between a properly functioning instrument and a disappointed customer.

This situation was summed up nicely by Mr Fairclough, who seemed very happy with the whole Katronic package and described the service he got as "9 out of 10, friendly staff, prompt service and eager to help with good technical advice".

It is through assisting their customers that Katronic hope to maintain their reputation as one of the most reliable suppliers of flowmeters in the business.

For more information on this application, or any other details on the KATflow range of flowmeters, please contact Katronic Technologies via the Processingtalk Reader Response Service.

Back to top