Professional Documents
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G1426
Introduction
Irrigation is no different from any other crop production
input; to be managed effectively and economically it must be
measured accurately. Several devices exist to measure water
flow in pipelines. A relatively new alternative is the ultrasonic
flowmeter. The USFM is a non-invasive device that can be used
to measure both flow rate and volume. Clamp-on transducers
eliminate in-line installation, allowing one meter to be used
at many locations (Figure 1). Exterior installation eliminates
pressure losses and prevents leaking that can be associated
with in-line meter installations.
The transmission, or transit-time, ultrasonic flowmeter
operates on the principle of phase shift. Two transducers act
alternately as transmitter and receiver as two paths of sonic
beams travel back and forth across the pipe (Figure 2). One
beam travels downstream while the other moves upstream.
The motion of the fluid causes a frequency shift in both waves.
This shift is related to the velocity of the fluid. Research has
shown that, when installed properly, USFM accuracy ranges
from +/- 1 to +/- 5 percent of full scale.
Flowmeter Transducers
Fluid
Flow
Well
Distance downstream from
flow disturbance (measured
in pipe diameter, DP)
Abbreviation
Single Elbow
2 Elbows in different planes*
Swing Check Valve
Butterfly Valve, vertical axis 50% open
Butterfly Valve, horizontal axis 50% open
SEL
2EL
CHK
BV5
BH5
Flow disturbance
(swing check valve)
Ultrasonic
Flowmeter
Material
PVC
PVC
Steel
Aluminum
SEL
2EL
CHK
BH5
BV5
6
8
6
6
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
2
4
6
8
10
15
20
10
20
40
60
80
100
150
200
Distance (in.)
8
16
24
32
40
60
80
12
24
36
48
60
90
120
16
32
48
64
80
120
160
25
40
Upper envelope boundary
30
10
Accuracy (%)
Accuracy (%)
20
20
0
-10
-20
15
10
-30
-40
0
0
10
20
30
Distance Downstream (Dp)
40
50
1.20
Multiplier = 0.989 + (0.345/Dp) + (0.052/Dp2)
R2 = 0.999
Multiplier
1.12
1.08
1.04
1.00
0.96
10
20
30
Distance Downstream (Dp)
Figure 5. Bias-correcting multiplier.
40
10
20
30
Distance Downstream (Dp)
40
50
1.16
50
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
15
20
30
40
50
1.15
1.10
1.07
1.06
1.05
1.04
1.03
1.03
1.02
1.01
1.01
1.00
1.00
1.00
Accuracy
after adjustment
(+/-, %)
20
9
5
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Accuracy
pre-
Adjusted
adjustment
Flow Rate
(+/-, %)
Multiplier
(gpm)
Accuracy
post-
adjustment
(+/-, %)
Accuracy range
of adjusted
flow rate
(gpm)
758
2.0
35
1.15
872
20
1046 - 697
795
3.5
19
1.08
859
919 - 799
837
6.0
1.05
879
905 - 853
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