Hi,

i have an application where i need to measure the net consumption of oil in engine in power generating station. the challenge here is pulsation in flow line can go upto 200 Hz. How this pulsation will affect flow meter in terms of accuracy & life. Another challenge is i need very high accurate about 0.1% of actual flow. I need your expert advice on above and possible source of flow meter for this type of application.

 

The question is what type of fuel is it?

If it is diesel oil and it is a relatively small engine then the fuel supply system may be such that you will need a flow and return meter to determine the total fuel consumption.

In heavy fuel oil engines, flow measurement usually takes place in the low pressure make up supply to the mixing tanks and you only need one flowmeter.

This makes a difference to your accuracy expectations. Typically HFO fired engines will use PD meters which can be obtained at the accuracies you require. Petrol Instruments of Italy can provide a bi-rotor meter for this duty (their meters are used on board ships, for example). But many engines use sliding vane meters, oval gear meters, the Kraal helical rotor meters or, in some applications, coriolis meters.

The caution with coriolis meters is that they can prove sensitive to pressure pulsations and you need to be very clear about the application when talking with Emerson, Foxboro or E&H, for example brands I know have been used for fuel flow to engines).

Now, if you are representing that there will be a 200Hz pressure pulsation then 'd have to assume you refer to a high speed diesel where the flow meters must be installed in flow and return in the high pressure circuit, pulsations being due to the pump (and due to valve/injector operation?), as in the HFO fuelled engines the meters are in the low pressure circuit where the pumps are centrifugal and they are isolated from the valve/injector pulsations.

That means your accuracy is going to be hard to achieve but your flow rates will help in that the supply flow rate should be constant and the return flow rate will have a 2:1 range from max flow to half max flow. I'd suggest talking to FTI for their meter solutions as they specialise in high speed diesel metering.