Litre Meter flowmeters help cut freight costs

Litre Meter advises that helical screw flowmeters, engineered and supplied by Kral, are being used for fuel flow monitoring on Rhine barges

The helical screw flowmeter enables the accurate measurement at larger flows of higher viscosity liquids that normally offer some lubrication characteristics, including fuel oils.

The extremely accurate positive placement metering principle of this twin-screw meter design has been well proven.

The basic meter, produced by Kral of Austria, is derived from a range of screw pumps that have been used for more than 30 years.

The unit is supplied with the Litre Meter standard or intrinsically safe pick-up and pulse output transmitter system.

These meters can be constructed in a variety of materials from low-cost aluminium to 316L stainless steel units.

These serve almost all metering or flow control applications of viscous fluids.

A positive displacement meter works by dividing the flow into discrete 'pockets'.

This prevents the flow by-passing the meter's rotor and producing errors.

The helical screw flowmeter has rotor scrolls that accept and release continuous flow.

While the flow is being transported through the centre portion of the meter it is trapped by the 'flights' of the scrolls, which form positive displacement 'pockets'.

A sensor detects the motion of the rotor and produces a high resolution pulse output.

The flow rate range of the Litre Meter OM series of meters is between 0.015 to 7500 l/min.

The meters are supplied in sizes from 13mm (1/2in) to 150mm (6in) with BSP screwed entries or DIN flanges.

Special connections to customers' requirements are available.

All meters are flow tested and have a factory calibration certificate optionally fully traceable to the equivalent of UKAS standards (Austrian Calibration Service/OKD).

The standard OMH Series meters are very robust and are designed to operate at pressures of up to 420 bar and at temperature limits of between -20C to +230C.

Special meters can be built to operate at pressures up to 690 bar with screwed connections or wafer fitting API 6BX flanged mountings.

APPLICATION ON RHINE BARGES.

In order to maximise the profitability of freight transport operations on the Rhine, operators need to take all opportunities available to optimise fuel use.

That's why barge operators are turning to diesel engines equipped with electronic fuel-management systems fitted with Kral Volumeter technology in order to monitor the fuel consumption of their tow boats.

When barge operators invest in a new boat they focus on the engine's guaranteed fuel consumption, the cost of which can rapidly overtake the cost of the engine.

Standard electronic management systems indicate fuel consumption determined as an average from the number of injection strokes and the injected quantity of fuel.

The average injected quantity provides a guideline which can vary as much as 20 per cent from actual fuel consumption.

Kral fuel consumption meters measure the actual flow of fuel directly in the fuel line.

The Kral Volumeter has an accuracy of between +/- 0.1 per cent and +/- 0.4 per cent.

This means that the barge operator can accurately check the fuel consumption at idle speed and at full load.

Rhine barges do not need to travel at full throttle.

The meter enables the captain to calculate fuel consumption to allow the efficient operation of a speed regulator.

Even a small reduction in engine speed can give savings on fuel quantities.

Kral meters measure and show changes in fuel consumption immediately after operation of the speed regulator.

River current and water depth create resistance to motion.

Kral fuel-consumption measurement enables captains to determine the best position in the river by measuring the level of fuel consumption at different points.

Accurately measuring fuel consumption also allows engineers to tune the engines to their optimum level.

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