Volume meters measure the total amount of fluid or gas passing through a system, not flow rates or pressures. They are used for billing or process measurement and come in various types, including diaphragm, rotary, turbine, compound, and multi-jet. Water volume meters are either displacement or velocity meters, with variants such as oscillating piston, nutting disc, electromagnetic, and ultrasonic meters.
Volume meters are devices that measure the volume of a substance, typically a fluid or gas, as it passes through a set point in a circuit or system. These meters do not measure flow rates or pressures but the total amount of material passing through them. Volume meters are commonly used to measure consumer consumption for billing purposes or as process measurement devices in manufacturing plants. Typical gas volume meters include diaphragm, rotary, and turbine meters, while fluid volume meters include compound, turbine, and multi-jet types. Both gas and fluid meters display measurements on an integral reading.
Accurately measuring process or consumer usage of gaseous and fluid products requires a device that can measure total material volumes. This type of volume meter measures the total amount of material flowing through rather than flow rates or internal pressure in the system. Typically located at fluid or gas entry points, volume meters are used to update monthly billing details for consumers or to establish system performance in manufacturing facilities. The most common types of volume gauges feature an integral readout, usually a combination of a rotary dial and odometer type indication, or a digital readout.
Both fluid and gas volume meters have several distinct types of measurement mechanisms. Turbine meters are common to both applications and consist of a small internal propeller that is spun by the fluid or gas passing through the meter. The rotary motion is transferred to an electronic or mechanical counter which advances the reading. In both cases, turbine meters are not suitable for systems with high flow rates.
Other common types of gas volume meters include orifice and diaphragm meters. Orifice gauges are of the differential type and rely on a machined internal orifice with a pressure sensor on either side. As gas passes through the orifice, a flow disturbance is created resulting in a pressure differential. The meter uses the different pressure readings between the two sensors to calculate the total volume of gas passing through the meter. Diaphragm meters use the continuous bending of two or more diaphragms in the gas flow path to advance the reading.
Water volume meters generally fall into two categories: displacement meters and velocity meters. A displacement volume meter is very accurate at low flow rates and includes oscillating piston and nutting disc types. Both of these meter types use the rotary or reciprocating motion of an internal mechanism positioned in the path of water flow to advance the reading. This type of gauge is typically equipped with an internal sieve or filter to keep small stones and sand from damaging the internal moving parts.
Velocity volume meters include variants such as single and multi-jet meters. These meters feature one or more internal ports that direct a jet of water at an impeller which then rotates and drives the metering mechanism. Other types of velocity meters include electromagnetic and ultrasonic meters which use ultrasound or electromagnetic induction to measure fluid volume. This type of volume meter is particularly suited to wastewater applications, as there are no internal moving parts that can be damaged or clogged by suspended solids.
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