Go to GlobalSpec.com Home
Newsletter   FREE GlobalSpec e-Newsletters
Receive the latest news, trends, and technology relevant to your work.
(See Titles)

Chapter 22 - Insertion (Sampling) Flow Measurement

By D. W. Spitzer, Editor
From Flow Measurement

Most flow measurements are made by meters that are installed in-line such that
all of the fluid passes through the meter body. Insertion (sampling) flow measurement
is a different technique because the meter is inserted into the pipe and the
flow rate is inferred from the measurement at a point in the flow stream.
There are both similarities and differences between in-line and insertion techniques.
On the one hand, fluid properties, pipe flow phenomena, and the basic
principles of flow sensing are the same. There are significant differences, however,
in operating principles, installation, and applications.

What Is an Insertion Flowmeter?

An insertion flowmeter consists of three basic components: a sensor, a probe
assembly, and electronic circuitry. The sensor provides a signal proportional to the
velocity or flow rate at a point in the flowstream from which total flow rate is
inferred. The circuitry properly conditions the raw signal from the sensor and performs
required computational functions.

More >>
© 2001 ISA

Products & Services
Flow controllers monitor and maintain flow-rate variables, typically in process applications. Search by Specification | Learn more about Flow Controllers
Gas flow meters are used for measuring the flow or quantity of a moving gas in an enclosed pipe or passage. Search by Specification | Learn more about Gas Flow Meters
Liquid flow meters are used for measuring the flow or quantity of a moving fluid. Search by Specification | Learn more about Liquid Flow Meters
Volumetric gas flow switches are devices with a switch output used for measuring the flow or quantity of a moving gas in terms of a unit of volume per unit time, such as cubic feet per minute. Search by Specification | Learn more about Volumetric Gas Flow Switches
Volumetric liquid flow switches measure the flow or quantity of a moving fluid in terms of a unit of volume per time, such as liters per minute. These flow sensing devices have a switch output. Search by Specification | Learn more about Volumetric Liquid Flow Switches

Product Announcements
Nice Instrumentation, Inc. - Low-Profile Insertion Vortex Flow Meters
The low profile insertion vortex flow meter (LPIV) is a cross pollination of an inline meter and an insertion meter. The purpose is to simplify the installation and eliminate human error when... (read more)
ERDCO Engineering Corporation - 20 Series Turbo-Flo Probe
Here is the precision of a turbine meter with insertion meter ease of use. The low mass non-metallic turbine rotates in direct proportion to fluid velocity and can provide local flow rate and total... (read more)
INTEK, Inc. - Air and Gas Duct Flow Meters
Duct Flow Meters for Air & Gas Rheotherm flow sensing probes for duct gases are easy to install and provide long-term service with little or no maintenance. The output can be in mass, standard... (read more)
Hoffer Flow Controls, Inc. - HOFFER SADDLE TURBINE SERIES FLOWMETERS
Hoffer has recently introduced a new series of insertion style turbine meters that provides a turbine meter insertion design for liquids that can be installed in small metal, composite or plastic... (read more)
McCrometer - New Coal-Bed Methane Gas Wafer-Cone Flow Meter
Engineers with small line size processes looking for a precision flow meter will find the versatile Wafer-Cone® Flow Meter from McCrometer offers superior accuracy and is now approved by the United... (read more)
Nice Instrumentation, Inc. - Hot Tap Insertion Vortex (HTIV) Flow Meters
Our HTIV is one of the most heavy duty vortex insertion designs in the world today. The vortex sensing element is CNC machined out of one piece of solid stainless steel. The ceramic piezo electric... (read more)
Liquid Controls Group; a Unit of IDEX Corporation - LCMag™ Electromagnetic Flow Meters
The LCMag family of electromagnetic flow meters offers the best solution for measuring the flow of electrically conductive liquids (5µS/cm minimum). A production sensor consists of a stainless steel... (read more)
Fluid Components Intl. (FCI) - Mass Flow Meters ATEX Approved for Air/Gas Service
With their intelligent microprocessor-based design and no-moving part thermal mass flow sensors that deliver high accuracy gas flow measurement, the precision GF90 Insertion and GF92 Inline Mass Flow... (read more)
ERDCO Engineering Corporation - 25 Series Turbo-Flo Probe
Here is the precision of a turbine meter with insertion meter ease of use. The low mass non-metallic turbine rotates in direct proportion to fluid velocity and can provide local flow rate and total... (read more)
 

Topics of Interest
Why should a separate chapter be written about custody transfer measurement since flow measurement is flow measurement? This is true, except that, when money is to be exchanged, achieving the best... (Read More)
Hoffer Flow Controls continues to supply many "insertion" type turbine flowmeters to the petroleum pipeline industry. This type of meter is commonly used for leak detection and not custody transfer. (Read More)
Versatility and low installation cost make the target flowmeter a viable candidate for many difficult flow measurement applications. Full bore, in-line meters are available in sizes from 1/2 to 6... (Read More)
Turbine flowmeters are designed to accurately measure the flow of liquids and gases in pipes. They are volumetric flow measuring devices and have been commercially available since the late 1940s. (Read More)
Flowmeters that measure mass directly using the properties of mass, as opposed to those that measure volume or velocity, were developed and commercialized in the 1980s. Meters of this type have... (Read More)