Hello,

I want to install a flowmeter to measure mass flow of monomer styrene. The fluid has some special properties, such as, converting to polymer rapidly in ambient temperature (and so it is always cooling down) that this would cause solid build up. So, I'm looking for a suitable type of flowmeter that is able to do the job in such this condition. I would appreciate your help in this regard.

 

You should consider a coriolis flow meter with a heating jacket to standardise the temperature of the fluid going through it and ensuring that no air enters the system

Regards
www.icenta.co.uk

 

Coriolis has been suggested but I would have gone so far as to recommend a single straight tube full bore coriolis meter.

In the early days of single tube full bore coriolis meters (Solartron) we replaced a number of twin bent tube meters which had blocked on difficult fluids.

It may be easier to insulate the meter thoroughly and install conventional heat exchangers before hand to protect the meter from polymerisation. But wherever the heat exchanger is, if it fails for whatever reason, you will have a chance to save a single tube meter.

(in fact had this situation on a road surface dressing application where they had the product set up in the coriolis meter but were able to rod it out and put it back in service).

 

You might check into Max Machinery, Inc. in Healdsburg, CA (www.maxmachinery.com). They offer PD flow meters for urethane, etc. They offer tracing jackets to maintain temperature.

Regards,

 

I think I agree with John Catch on a Max Machinery meter. But what I would do, since I am a belt and suspenders engineer is to heat tape the meter under the steam jacket, with a temperature sensor doing auto-cutover from steam heat to electric heat. Otherwise, you better just have a spare meter handy. I think Max meters would be less expensive and similarly accurate in this application to Coriolis mass flow meters.

Walt Boyes, FInstMC, Chartered Measurement and Control Technologist
Life Fellow, International Society of Automation
Editor in Chief, Control and ControlGlobal.com
[email protected]

 

Further thoughts:

OVAL Corporation of Japan (see http://www.oval.co.jp/english/index-e.html) can supply PD flow meters with heating jackets or you could consider using a progressive cavity pump to control the flow rate (we have experience of using one effectively in a chewing gum factory)

Regards

icenta Controls
www.icenta.co.uk