ABB Swirl Meter solution for steam measurement for food manufacturer
Customer Issue
A food production plant in the North of England had been having issues measuring steam usage accurately for a number of years.
The local JWF Engineer visited site to discuss the application in further detail. Having inspected the installation it became evident the measurement was inaccurate due to installation constraints of not having sufficient straight pipe section for the type of flow meter being used (Vortex flow meter).
Typically Vortex flow meters require a minimum of straight pipe section of 15DN and up to 50DN when installed after a control valve to maximise operational reliability, the flow into the flow meter cannot be distorted if at all possible as this will affect the measurement.
Solution
Having reviewed the application and installation JWF carried out a flow calculation based on the process data and offered an ABB Swirl flow meter to replace the existing flow meter.
The ABB FSS430 Swirl flow meter inlet pipe (swirler) converts the axial flow of the incoming medium into a rotational movement making its own flow profile.
The benefit of this principle is the straight pipe length requirements, typically 3DN for straight pipe, after bends and reducers and as low as 5DN after a control valve all with a measurement accuracy of 0.5%.
Outcome
The customer installed an ABB FSS430 Swirl meter which has had an immediate impact of measuring the flow of steam accurately.