Response of a slotted orifice flow meter to an air/water mixture

The ability of a flow meter to respond predictably to the presence of liqui d and gas is important to the natural gas industry and to users of steam. I n both cases, the gas can become saturated and some liquids can condense in the line. The response of orifice flow meters to the presence of liquids i s erratic and produces considerable uncertainty. Turbine flow meters can su stain severe damage when subjected to two phase flow. The slotted orifice f low meter has been developed to address the problem of upstream flow condit ioning. This device has been shown to be insensitive to the upstream veloci ty profile. To further evaluate the flow meter for use by the natural gas i ndustry, the effects of adding liquid to a gas flow upon the meter performa nce has been investigated by subjecting a slotted orifice flow meter with a n equivalent beta ratio of 0.50 to a two phase flow consisting of air and w ater. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.