5 Essential Liquid Flow Meters Calibration Techniques


Calibrating liquid flow meters is of prime importance since they are used to provide accurate measurements in HVAC, Energy, Water Utility, and other critical industries. The performance of instruments degrades irrespective of how rugged their construction. Over time, the parts or the flow meters might corrode, rust, or catch dirt. The different parts of the flow meter could get damaged with use, due to improper installation, impact, or mishandling. The calibration needs to be performed on a regular basis to ensure that the measurements are precise.

Things to Keep In Mind When Calibrating Liquid Flow Meters
The following best practices should be employed when calibrating liquid flow meters:

  1. Credibility of the Standard
    A flow meter is calibrated against a standard. This standard should be linked to a recognized standard to provide credibility to the calibration. A recognized standard will be able to prove via calculations, certifications, and documentation that their calibration is based on highly accurate standards. This makes them an authority on the subject and your use of their standard will help you add integrity to your calculations.
  2. Choosing the Standard
    The unit under test (UUT) is the device that needs to be calibrated. When choosing a standard, make sure that it is at least four times more accurate than the UUT. Choice of the standard will also depend on the measurement sensitivity required by the application.
  3. Calibration & the Flow Rate
    When calibrating the UUT against a standard, ensure that the flow rate between them is constant. Since the calibration is performed by checking the flow rate of both the standard and the UUT in real time, any change in the flow will affect the calibration. This will make the calibration inaccurate, and the entire exercise pointless.
  4. Type of Liquid Used
    The liquid that is used by the standard for measurement should be the same in chemical and physical composition as the liquid used by the UUT. The liquid that is measured should be similar, if not the same as the liquid used in the application. The functioning of the flow meter will vary according to the viscosity, temperature, density, and chemical composition of the liquid used.
  5. Physical State of Liquid Used
    Both the standard and the UUT should measure the liquid at the same time. This will ensure that the physical conditions of the liquid are the same when the measurement takes place. This means that there can’t be any room for any miscalculations in terms of volume, temperature, or any other factor. You should make sure that there are no leaks or major temperature fluctuations.

Liquid flow meters are used in applications where the smallest mistake could lead to serious problems. The proper functioning of processes is dependent on the accurate functioning of these instruments. Hence, proper calibration of liquid flow meters is imperative.

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