TDS 3032A00

English
September 1995
Magnetic
Flowmeter
Fundamentals
2
Magnetic Flowmeter Fundamentals
INTRODUCTION TO MAGNETIC
FLOWMETERS
The magneti c fl owmeter i s one of the most fl exi bl e
and uni ver sal l y appl i cabl e fl ow measur ement
systems avai l abl e. I t pr ovi des compl etel y
obstr ucti onl ess fl ow meter i ng, i s near l y i nsensi ti ve
to fl ui d pr oper ti es, and i s capabl e of measur i ng the
har shest cor r osi ve fl ui ds. I t i nstal l s l i ke a
conventi onal segment of pr ocess pi pi ng and has a
pr essur e dr op si mi l ar to an equi val ent l ength of
pi pe. Magneti c fl owmeter s ar e i deal l y sui ted for
measur i ng har sh chemi cal s, sl ur r i es, fl ui ds wi th
sol i ds i n suspensi on, and other extr emel y di ffi cul t-
to-measur e fl ui ds. Thei r oper ati ng pr i nci pl es pr ovi de
fl ow measur ement wi th a si gnal that i s i nher entl y
l i near to the aver age vol umetr i c fl ow r ate
r egar dl ess of fl ui d temper atur e, pr essur e, densi ty,
vi scosi ty, or di r ecti on. The onl y l i mi tati on i s that the
fl ui d must be el ectr i cal l y conducti ve and non-
magneti c.
Whi l e magneti c fl owmeter s may be techni cal l y
feasi bl e for most fl ui ds and offer many advantages,
they ar e not necessar i l y the most cost-effecti ve. For
many cl ean, non-cor r osi ve fl ui ds other means of fl ow
meter i ng may be just as sui tabl e at l ower cost.
Magneti c fl owmeter accur acy, for exampl e, may not
outwei gh the advantage of a si mpl er devi ce wi th
tol er abl e accur acy. Wher e no other measur ement
devi ce wi l l wor k, or wi l l not wor k r el i abl y wi th the
necessar y accur acy, the magneti c fl owmeter i s an
obvi ous choi ce. I deal fl ui d candi dates gener al l y fal l
i nto the categor i es of cor r osi ve, vi scous, or di r ty
fl ui dspar ti cul ar l y sl ur r i es. Magneti c fl owmeter s
ar e wi del y used i n the water and waste, pul p and
paper , mi ni ng, chemi cal , and food i ndustr i es.
APPLYING FARADAYS LAW TO FLOW
MEASUREMENT
Far adays Law of El ectr omagneti c I nducti on i s
the key pr i nci pl e appl i ed to magneti c fl owmeter
oper ati on. Wor ki ng on the same pr i nci pl e as the
el ectr i cal gener ator , Far adays Law states that a
vol tage wi l l be i nduced i n a conductor movi ng
thr ough a magneti c fi el d. The magni tude of the
i nduced vol tage i s di r ectl y pr opor ti onal to the
vel oci ty of the conductor , the l ength of the conductor ,
and the str ength of the magneti c fi el d. Fi gur e 1
i l l ustr ates the pr i nci pl e appl i ed to the el ements of a
fl owmeter . I n thi s fi gur e V i s the vel oci ty of a
conducti ve fl ui d i n a nonconducti ve pi pe fl owi ng
thr ough an ar ea havi ng fi el d str ength B, and wi th
the el ectr ode contacts spaced at di stance D. The
conducti ve fl ui d al ong a l i ne between the el ectr odes,
the vel oci ty, and the magneti c fi el d ar e al l at r i ght
angl es to one another . Under these condi ti ons,
Far adays Law i s r educed to the fol l owi ng equati on:
I n thi s equati on the r esul ti ng el ectr omoti ve for ce
(emf) E i s measur ed i n vol ts, and k i s an added
pr opor ti onal i ty constant.
Another cal i br ati on factor Q must be added to the
basi c equati on to make i t useful for fl ow
measur ement. Li near vel oci ty i s r epl aced by a
vol umetr i c fl ow r ate as i n the fol l owi ng equati on:
The val ue Q i s the vol umetr i c fl ow r ate, A i s the
cr oss secti onal ar ea of the pi pe, and V i s the fl ui d
vel oci ty. I n Far adays equati on the k factor r el ated
the output to the i nduced emf. I ncor por ati ng both
cal i br ati on factor s k and Q pr oduces the desi r ed
pr acti cal equati on for a fl ow meter i ng devi ce:
To pr oduce standar di zed meter per for mance, the
factor y cal i br ati on pr ocedur e measur es fl ow Q and
output E, and adjusts k el ectr i cal l y. These equati ons
expl ai n the si mpl i ci ty of the fl ow meter i ng pr i nci pl e,
and the i nher entl y l i near r el ati onshi p between fl ui d
vel oci ty and i nduced vol tage.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DEVICES
Most magneti c fl owmeter systems ar e di vi ded by
functi on i nto a pr i mar y and secondar y devi ce. The
pi pe secti on wi th coi l s and el ectr odes, shown i n
Fi gur e 1, makes up the pr i mar y devi ce and i s cal l ed
the fl owtube. The secondar y devi ce i nter pr ets the
vol tage gener ated at the el ectr odes, and tr ansmi ts a
standar di zed si gnal to the r eadout or contr ol system.
Var i ous manufactur er s r efer to the secondar y devi ce
as the tr ansmi tter or si gnal conver ter .
Flowtube
The pr i mar y functi on of the fl owtube i s to pr oduce
a vol tage pr opor ti onal to the vel oci ty of the fl ui d
bei ng measur ed. The fi el d coi l s ar e ener gi zed by
passi ng a cur r ent thr ough them to devel op the
magneti c fi el d. The pr ocess fl ui d functi ons as a
movi ng conductor that i nduces a vol tage i n the fl ui d.
The fl ush-mounted el ectr odes i nsi de the fl owtube
ar e i n di r ect el ectr i cal contact wi th the conducti ve
pr ocess fl ui d, ther eby pi cki ng up vol tages pr esent i n
the fl ui d. To pr event the vol tage fr om bei ng shor ted,
the fl ui d must be contai ned i n an i nsul ated mater i al .
Thi s i s accompl i shed by l i ni ng a metal fl owtube wi th
a nonconducti ng mater i al such as PTFE or r ubber .
E kBDV =
Q A V =
E
kBDQ
A
----------------- =
3
Rosemount Inc.
D
E
E
B
V
FIGURE 1. Cutaway View of the Model 8705 Magnetic Flowmeter Flowtube.
8
7
0
5
-
0
0
2
A
B
Fl owtube l i ner s, i n addi ti on to thei r nonmagneti c
pr oper ty, must be car eful l y sel ected for compati bi l i ty
wi th the pr ocess fl ui d. Pol yur ethane and PTFE ar e
the two most common l i ner mater i al s; the di ffer ent
l i ner mater ai l s featur e uni que pr oper ti es that may
be mor e or l ess sui tabl e for the pr ocess fl ui d or
oper ati ng condi ti ons of an appl i cati on. Rel ated
fl owtube components i ncl ude mounti ng fl anges,
wi r i ng, and housi ng. The housi ng pr otects the fi el d
coi l s, el ectr odes, and wi r i ng fr om the envi r onment.
These components ar e shown i n Fi gur e 1.
Transmitter
Si gnal conver si on, condi ti oni ng, and tr ansmi ssi on
ar e the pr i nci pal tr ansmi tter functi ons. The
tr ansmi tter tr ansl ates the fl owtube output i nto a
usabl e si gnal for pr ocess contr ol or moni tor i ng. The
l ocati on of the tr ansmi tter var i es between
manufactur er s. I n most cases the pr efer r ed l ocati on
for the tr ansmi tter i s some di stance fr om the
fl owtube. A r emote si te offer s conveni ence and
fl exi bi l i ty, as wel l as a mor e beni gn envi r onment
than that of the fl owtube. I n some cases the
tr ansmi tter i s mounted di r ectl y on the fl owtube,
maki ng the tr ansmi tter an i ntegr al par t of the
fl owtube package.
Because the fl ow si gnal i s typi cal l y at a weak
mi l l i vol t l evel , pr ecauti ons ar e often necessar y i n
speci fyi ng the type of cabl e and the number of
condui ts r equi r ed between the fl owtube and
tr ansmi tter . These speci fi cati on pr ecauti ons ar e
necessar y to pr otect the si gnal fr om both i nter nal
and exter nal i nter fer ence. The al l owabl e di stance
between the fl owtube and tr ansmi tter depends on
the fl ui d conducti vi ty and fl owmeter desi gn.
4
Magnetic Flowmeter Fundamentals
ELECTRICAL DESIGN
The pr acti cal appl i cati on of Far adays Law to
i ndustr i al fl ow measur ement has l ed to many
fundamental desi gn chal l enges. The gr eatest
di ffi cul ti es ar i se because the r el ati vel y smal l fl ow-
i nduced vol tage at the el ectr odes can be di stor ted by
extr aneous vol tages.
Undesi r abl e vol tages, cl assi fi ed as noi se, come
fr om many sour ces. The fol l owi ng par ti al l i st
descr i bes the types of noi se that must be consi der ed.
El ectr ochemi cal emf r esul ti ng fr om the
el ectr ol yti c r eacti on between the metal
el ectr ode and the i on-conducti ng pr ocess fl ui d.
I nducti ve coupl i ng, r efer r ed to as quadr atur e
vol tage i n ac desi gns, occur r i ng wi th any
conductor l ocated wi thi n the magneti c fi el d.
El ectr ode ci r cui t vol tage r esul ti ng fr om
capaci ti ve coupl i ng wi th the coi l exci tati on
ci r cui ts or other power ci r cui ts.
Tr ansmi ssi on l osses r esul ti ng fr om l ead r esi s-
tance capaci ti ve coupl i ng i n transmi ssi on cabl es.
Str ay vol tages or cur r ent l oops r esi di ng wi thi n
the pr ocess fl ui d.
Because any noi se component r epr esents a mea-
sur ement er r or when i ncl uded wi th the el ectr ode
vol tage, desi gner s and manufactur er s of magneti c
fl owmeter s i nvest consi der abl e effor t to el i mi nate
noi se. Si nce the fi r st i ndustr i al appl i cati ons, effor ts
to deal wi th noi se, whi l e at the same ti me str i vi ng
for hi gher accur acy, have l ed to an evol uti onar y
change i n the basi c magneti c fl owmeter desi gn.
Design Evolution
Al l magneti c fl owmeter s oper ate on the pr i nci pl e
of el ectr omagneti c i nducti on. I n the attempt to appl y
Far adays Law to the devel opment of a pr acti cal
measur ement i nstr ument, manufactur er s have
r ecogni zed some common pr obl ems, and fr om these
pr obl ems var i ous desi gn appr oaches have evol ved.
Al l desi gns must contend wi th the changi ng fl ux
densi ty of a magneti c fi el d, and wi th the i ntr oduc-
ti on and separ ati on of unwanted noi se on the fl ow
si gnal . Attempts to el i mi nate these pr obl ems i ntr o-
duce ter ms such as zer oi ng, nul l i ng, el ectr ode l oop,
quadr atur e vol tage, and phase detecti on to the
ter mi nol ogy associ ated wi th magneti c fl owmeter s.
These ter ms do not necessar i l y appl y to al l desi gns.
Ear l y exper i ments to gener ate a magneti c fi el d for
a fl ow meter i ng devi ce i nvol ved ei ther a per manent
magnet, or el ectr omagneti c coi l s dr i ven by a con-
stant dc cur r ent. However , i n many of these exper i -
ments the el ectr ochemi cal emf was so gr eat that the
vol tage i nduced by fl ow was actual l y a mi nor por ti on
of the el ectr ode si gnal . I n some cases i t i s possi bl e to
cor r ect for the undesi r abl e si gnal components, but as
shown i n Fi gur e 2, most of the er r or s ar e qui te
unpr edi ctabl e. Some factor s affecti ng thi s unwanted
vol tage ar e fl ui d vel oci ty, fl ui d chemi str y, el ectr ode
mater i al , fi l ms or deposi ts on the el ectr odes, and
pol ar i zati on of the el ectr odes fr om the l ow-l evel
cur r ents passi ng thr ough them.
ac-Driven Field Coils
Some manufactur er s use fi el d coi l s dr i ven di r ectl y
by ac l i ne power . The i ntensi ty of the magneti c fi el d
pr oduced var i es si nusoi dal l y, and as a r esul t, the
vol tage i nduced at the el ectr odes i s al so si nusoi dal .
Wi th thi s meter desi gn, the ampl i tude of the ac
el ectr ode vol tage i s pr opor ti onal to the fl ui d vel oci ty.
Si nce the unwanted el ectr ochemi cal vol tages var y
much mor e sl owl y than the 60 Hz fl ow vol tage, they
can be detected and effecti vel y fi l ter ed out.
Another unwanted vol tage i s pr oduced by an
el ectr ode l oop consi sti ng of the el ectr odes, the l ead
wi r es, and the conducti ve fl ui d. Because the mag-
neti c fi el d fl uctuates si nusoi dal l y at 60 Hz, a vol tage
i s al so i nduced i n any conductor l ocated wi thi n the
magneti c fi el d, i ncl udi ng the components of the
el ectr ode l oop. Thi s vol tage i s pr opor ti onal to the
r ate of change of the magneti c fi el d str ength, and i t
i s i deal l y 90 degr ees out of phase wi th the fl ow
si gnal hence the name quadr atur e vol tage. The
quadr atur e vol tage r el ati onshi p to the fl ow si gnal i s
i l l ustr ated i n Fi gur e 3. Empl oyi ng phase detecti on
ci r cui tr y, quadr atur e vol tage can be i denti fi ed by a
method cal l ed synchr onous demodul ati on, and can
be separ ated fr om the total vol tage measur ed at the
el ectr odes. Synchr onous demodul ati on i s per for med
at the tr ansmi tter , so pr otecti ng the quadr atur e
r el ati onshi p of the fl ow si gnal components i s vi tal i n
or der to avoi d a phase shi ft i n r oute to the tr ansmi t-
ter . Thi s expl ai ns the need for separ ate condui t and
power -shi el ded, i nter connecti ng cabl e i n some
systems.
Fi el d coi l s dr i ven di r ectl y by unr egul ated ac l i ne
vol tage ar e subject to var i ati ons i n fi el d str ength as
the l i ne vol tage fl uctuates. As a r esul t, the el ectr ode
FIGURE 2. Signal Components.
8
7
1
2
-
0
9
1
A
Electrode
Voltage
Time
Measured Voltage
Electro-chemical
Voltage
5
Rosemount Inc.
FIGURE 3. ac Magnetic Flowmeter Flow Signal.
8
7
1
2
-
0
9
2
2
A
si gnal al so var i es wi th l i ne vol tage, i ndependent of
fl ow vel oci ty. Al though thi s effect can be r educed by
suppl yi ng a r efer ence vol tage to the tr ansmi tter
ci r cui tr y, a si gni fi cant i naccur acy i s associ ated wi th
thi s cor r ecti on.
Another effect of the ac l i ne vol tage on the mag-
neti c fi el d i s the char acter i sti c for m of the i nduced
fl ow si gnal . The si gnal necessar i l y takes the same
si nusoi dal for m as the ac vol tage. Refer to the I n-
Phase Noi se Si gnal shown i n Fi gur e 3. Unfor tu-
natel y, thi s i s the same for m as the most pr eval ent
sour ce of str ay si gnal s i n most envi r onments. Repr e-
sentati ve of these str ay si gnal s i s 50 and 60 Hz noi se
fr om fl owmeter magnet coi l s, power l i nes, i nducti on
motor s, wel di ng equi pment, and other vol tages
pr esent i n the pr ocess pi pi ngi ncl udi ng gr ound
potenti al s. Al l thi s noi se i s pi cked up as a vol tage at
the el ectr odes, and i t can be much str onger than the
r el ati vel y weak fl ow si gnal . Havi ng the same phase
r el ati onshi p as the noi se, the fl ow si gnal cannot be
detected by the phase-sensi ti ve ci r cui tr y. Zer oi ng i s
necessar y to separ ate thi s vol tage fr om the actual
fl ow si gnal . Thi s i s done by measur i ng the vol tage at
the el ectr odes under a no-fl ow condi ti on, and adjust-
i ng a contr ol to zer o i t out. Shoul d these str ay vol t-
ages change, as i s typi cal l y the case, r ezer oi ng woul d
be r equi r ed to mai ntai n an accur ate output.
Pulsed dc Field Coils
Another desi gn exhi bi ts i mmuni ty to el ectr ochemi -
cal noi se of an ac desi gn wi thout the associ ated
quadr atur e and other i nduced vol tages i nher ent i n
an ac desi gn. Thi s desi gn i s most commonl y r efer r ed
to as pul sed dc. Pul sed dc systems exci te, or power ,
EVENT SEQUENCE
Magnetic Field Transition Begins.
Transients Present Due to Transition of Magnetic Field.
Magnetic Field and Flow Signal Stabilize.
Flow Signal Sampled.
Magnetic Field Transition Begins.
Transients Present Due to Transition of Magnetic Field.
Magnetic Field and Flow Signal Stabilize.
Flow Signal Sampled; Difference Taken from Previous
Sample. Flow Rate Calculated.
FIGURE 4. Pulsed dc Magmeter Flow Signal.
8
7
0
1
-
0
2
6
5
A
6
Magnetic Flowmeter Fundamentals
the magnet coi l s per i odi cal l y wi th a l ow fr equency
squar e wave. Wi th thi s desi gn the fl ow si gnal i s a dc
pul se wi th an ampl i tude pr opor ti onal to the vel oci ty
of the fl ui d conductor . Ther e i s no need to compen-
sate for vol tage and fr equency var i ati ons on the ac
power l i ne. Al though str ay noi se may be pi cked up
al ong wi th the i nduced fl ow vol tage at the el ectrodes,
i t i s easi l y separated by measuri ng the pul se ON and
pul se OFF vol tage and subtr acti ng the di ffer ence.
When the pul se i s ON, both the desi r ed fl ow si gnal
and unwanted noi se si gnal s ar e pr esent; but when
OFF, onl y the noi se i s pr esent. Fi gur e 4 i l l ustr ates
the events associ ated wi th the pul se ON and OFF
sequence. I n thi s sequence the ci r cui tr y sampl es and
cor r ects for noi se-i nduced vol tage wi thi n the
fl owtube sever al ti mes a second. The fl ow si gnal to
the tr ansmi tter i s al so safe because i t i s i mmune to
str ay 50 and 60 Hz noi se i n the envi r onment.
Because the si nusoi dal for m of such noi se does not
i nter fer e wi th the l ow fr equency, pul se-shaped fl ow
si gnal , coi l dr i ve and si gnal wi r es may shar e the
same condui t and use standar d cabl es. The i ssues of
r efer ence vol tage, quadr atur e vol tage, phase
detecti on, and zer o contr ol s ar e not appl i cabl e to
pul sed dc systems.
I n summar y, the l ater devel opment of desi gns
featur i ng pul sed dc coi l exci tati on, i n contr ast to
those dri ven di rectl y by ac l i ne power, have the
fol l owi ng i nher ent advantages:
Automatic Zeroing. Zer oi ng i s accompl i shed
sever al ti mes a second, el i mi nati ng the need to
zer o the system under a no-fl ow condi ti on that
r equi r es pr ocess shutdown.
Low Power Consumption. The fi el d coi l s
ar e not conti nuousl y ener gi zed, r educi ng the
power r equi r ement of pul sed dc systems.
Simplified Installation. Fewer el ectri cal
connecti ons and condui t r uns ar e r equi r ed i n
compar i son to most ac systems. I n addi ti on,
speci al power -shi el ded cabl es ar e el i mi nated
because the dc si gnal i s i mmune to most of the
noi se sour ces that pl ague ac systems.
Nul l i ng the l oop vol tage, however , i s r equi r ed
r egar dl ess of the system desi gn.
Nulling Loop Voltage
A so-cal l ed el ectr ode l oop i n the pr esence of a
changi ng magneti c fi el d i n ei ther an ac-dr i ven or
pul sed dc system can i ntr oduce an undesi r abl e
vol tage on the fl ow si gnal . The l oop for med i n the
fl owtubes magneti c fi el d consi sts of the pr ocess
fl ui d, el ectr odes, and the el ectr ode wi r i ng. Because
the el ectr ode l oop i s not exactl y at r i ght angl es to the
fl ux l i nes of the fl owtubes magneti c fi el d, a fl ux
l i nkage occur s. The l i nkage i nduces a vol tage i n the
el ectr ode l oop that appear s as an offset er r or at the
meter output. Nul l i ng thi s vol tage i s a one-ti me
factor y pr ocedur e accompl i shed under a no-fl ow
condi ti on. Ther e ar e sever al appr oaches to nul l i ng.
One way i s to or i ent the el ectr ode l oop mechani cal l y
so that i ts effecti ve posi ti on i s par al l el to the l i nes of
fl ux sur r oundi ng the fl owtube. When cor r ectl y done,
the r esul ti ng net fl ux thr ough the l oop i s zer o.
INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS
I nstal l ati on i nvol ves the physi cal or i entati on of
the fl owtube and tr ansmi tter wi th r espect to the
type of pr ocess fl ui d, adjacent pi pi ng, accessi bi l i ty,
el ectr i cal connecti ons between the fl owtube and
tr ansmi tter , and good gr oundi ng pr acti ces.
I nstal l ati on shoul d al so be vi ewed fr om the
standpoi nt of avai l abl e desi gn opti ons and featur es
that may si mpl i fy wi r i ng pr ocedur es, pr ovi de r emote
tr ansmi tter mounti ng opti ons, and affect
ser vi ceabi l i ty.
Flow Profile
Most studi es i ndi cate that the fl ow or vel oci ty
pr ofi l e of a fl ui d passi ng thr ough the fl owtube of a
wel l desi gned system has a mi ni mal effect on
measur ement accur acy. The fl ow pr ofi l e i s typi cal l y
char acter i zed as ei ther uni for m or non-uni for m
l ami nar fl ow, or tur bul ent fl ow. The vel oci ty of
tur bul ent fl ow, as compar ed to l ami nar fl ow, var i es
er r ati cal l y i n magni tude and di r ecti on. To a
magneti c fl ow measur ement system thi s means
di ffer ent vol tage potenti al s ar e devel oped i n the ar ea
between the fl owtube el ectr odes. Because the fl ow
si gnal devel oped r epr esents the sum of al l vol tages
i n thi s ar ea, the total vol tage potenti al i s
r epr esentati ve of the actual aver age fl ow pr ofi l e or
vel oci ty. I t i s i n fact the vol tage potenti al aver agi ng
that makes magneti c fl owmeter s mor e tol er ant to
fl ow pr ofi l e effects than other types of measur ement
devi ces. I f good i nstal l ati on pr acti ces ar e fol l owed,
and the system desi gn featur es a good magneti c fl ux
di str i buti on wi thi n the fl owtube, any er r or caused by
a non-uni for m fl ow pr ofi l e i s negl i gi bl e.
Flowtube Orientation
The i nstal l ed posi ti on of the fl owtube, whether
hor i zontal or ver ti cal , does not affect measur ement
accur acy. Thi s i s techni cal l y tr ue pr ovi di ng the
fl owtube i s ful l at al l ti mes and the fl ui d i s free of
entr ai ned ai r or gas. Si nce the equati on appl i ed to
fl ow measur ement accounts for the pi pe di ameter ,
the equati on i s not val i d unl ess the pi pe i s ful l . The
pr obl em wi th ai r or gas i n the fl ui d i s not that i t i s
physi cal l y har mful , but that i t di spl aces fl ui d and
has the same effect on measur ement accur acy as a
tube that i s not compl etel y ful l . A r el ated pr obl em i s
fl owtube wal l bui l dup that affects accur acy by
effecti vel y changi ng the di ameter of the pi pe. I f
el ectr ode coati ng, often associ ated wi th pi pe wal l
Rosemount Inc.
7
bui l dup, i s a cur r ent or potenti al pr obl em, the
l ocati on or or i entati on of the fl owtube shoul d be
pl anned to faci l i tate cl eani ng. Such coati ngs may be
ei ther conducti ve or i nsul ati ng. Conducti ve coati ngs
cause i naccur ate outputs, whi l e i nsul ati ng coati ngs
can pr event el ectr ode contact wi th the pr ocess,
cr eati ng er r ati c and unpr edi ctabl e outputs.
Vertical or Horizontal Mounting
When consi der i ng the sui tabi l i ty of a ver ti cal or
hor i zontal fl owtube i nstal l ati on, the emphasi s i s on
how best to ensur e that the fl owtube can be kept ful l
as wel l as free of entrai ned ai r or gas. I n a verti cal
i nstal l ati on the fl ow of pr ocess fl ui d shoul d be
upwar d. The ver ti cal or i entati on i s par ti cul ar l y
r ecommended for sl ur r i es so that under no-fl ow
condi ti ons the sol i ds wi l l settl e out of the fl owtube.
I f a bake-out shoul d occur , as may happen by
fl owtube coi l heati ng when empty, ther e i s l ess
chance of baki ng-on an el ectr ode coati ng that may
not di ssol ve when the fl owtube i s agai n ful l .
Fl owtube baki ng i s not gener al l y associ ated wi th
pul sed dc coi l s because they pr oduce much l ess heat
than ac-dri ven coi l s.
I n a hor i zontal i nstal l ati on the fl ui d back pr essur e
must be contr ol l ed to keep the fl owtube ful l , or the
fl owtube may be l ocated i n a l ow secti on of pi pi ng
that wi l l be ful l even when fl ow stops. The el ectr ode
pl ane i s al so i mpor tant for hor i zontal i nstal l ati ons
when entr ai ned gas may be pr esent. Si nce gas wi l l
favor the top of the tube, the el ectrode pl ane shoul d
al so be hor i zontal . A ver ti cal pl ane woul d expose the
upper el ectr ode to any ai r or gas at the top of the
tube, affecti ng accur acy by tendi ng to i nsul ate the
el ectr ode fr om the pr ocess fl ui d.
Adjacent Piping and Control Valves
Pi pi ng and val ve r estr i cti ons that coul d i nfl uence
the fl ow vel oci ty pr ofi l e and affect measur ement
accur acy ar e mi ni mal . Ther e i s l i ttl e evi dence to
suppor t any si gni fi cant pr obl ems, but some gener al
r ecommendati ons have been noted. Gui del i nes
addr ess the fl ow pr ofi l e past the el ectr odes and the
need for a str ai ght fl ui d r un thr ough thi s ar ea.
For fl ow upstr eam of the el ectr ode pl ane the
mi ni mum str ai ght r un di stance r ecommendati on i s
fi ve pi pe di ameter s; for fl ow downstr eam i t i s two
pi pe di ameter s. I n smal l pi pe si zes the r equi r ement
may be sati sfi ed i nsi de the fl owtube i tsel f, because
the el ectr ode pl ane i s i n the center of the fl owtube.
Measur ement accur acy has been mai ntai ned wi th
two 90 degree el bows mounted near the fl owtube i nl et.
Other r ecommendati ons i ncl ude the type and
l ocati on of adjacent contr ol val ves and pumps.
Butter fl y val ves ar e not r ecommended cl ose to ei ther
end of the fl owtube. Pumps and al l other val ves i n
gener al shoul d be l ocated, when possi bl e,
downstr eam of the fl owtube.
Electrical Connections
El ectr i cal connecti ons i nvol ve both the power and
fl ow si gnal wi r es between the fl owtube and
tr ansmi tter . Al though most systems ar e desi gned to
be i mmune to str ay el ectr i cal noi se i n typi cal
i nstal l ati ons, i t i s a standar d pr acti ce to avoi d cl ose
pr oxi mi ty to mai n power l i nes or heavy duty
el ectr i cal equi pment; al l ar e fer ti l e sour ces of
unwanted noi se. A good pr acti ce i s to mai ntai n a
mi ni mum of at l east two feet fr om these tr oubl esome
ar eas, and mor e i f possi bl e. I f the tr ansmi tter i s
mounted on the fl owtube, the same gui del i nes appl y.
Remote Transmitters
Systems that al l ow the fl exi bi l i ty of a r emote
tr ansmi tter si te al so have cabl e pr otecti on, l ength,
and type to consi der . Steel condui t i s r ecommended
for al l wi r i ng. Some manufactur er s speci fy separ ate
condui t for power and si gnal wi r i ng, as wel l as
speci al cabl i ng. These added speci fi cati ons gener al l y
appl y to ac-dr i ven coi l desi gns that have a si nusoi dal
fl ow si gnal suscepti bl e to noi se and phase shi fti ng.
Pul sed dc magnet coi l s pr oduce a pul sed dc fl ow
si gnal to avoi d these pr obl ems, thus per mi tti ng coi l
dr i ve and si gnal wi r es i n the same condui t, and
r equi r i ng no speci al type of cabl e.
Cable Length
A maxi mum al l owabl e cabl e l ength between the
fl owtube and a r emote tr ansmi tter i s nor mal l y
speci fi ed. Al l cabl es have a cer tai n i mpedance that
i s pr esent i n ser i es wi th the i nput i mpedance to the
tr ansmi tter . Thi s becomes even mor e i mpor tant
when fl ui d conducti vi ty i s l ow, because i t i ntr oduces
an addi ti onal i mpedance i n the el ectr ode l oop. I n
pr acti ce thi s means that the gr eater the conducti v-
i ty, the gr eater the per mi ssi bl e cabl e l ength. The
cabl e l ength r ecommended ther efor e takes i nto
account the conducti vi ty of the pr ocess fl ui d and
attenuati on of the r el ati vel y weak fl ow si gnal . I t
i s typi cal l y speci fi ed between 50 and 1,000 feet.
Grounding
Accur ate fl ow measur ement, and someti mes the
safety of per sonnel , depends on pr oper system
gr oundi ng. The pr i mar y objecti ve i s to r educe str ay
cur r ent and vol tage that coul d other wi se i nter fer e
wi th the actual fl ow si gnal . Whether the pr ocess
pi pi ng i s conducti ve or not, the objecti ve i s the same.
Symptoms of i nadequate gr oundi ng may appear as a
zer o offset or fl ow si gnal dr i ft. When the system i s
pr oper l y gr ounded wi th sui tabl e str aps or r i ngs,
the pr ocess fl ui d i s hel d at a constant potenti al
thr oughout the fl owtube, and the fl owtube i s
mai ntai ned at the same potenti al as the fl ui d. Par t
of thi s task i nvol ves l ocati ng a good ear th gr ound
that i s nor mal l y connected to the fl owtube housi ng.
Locati ng a good ear th gr ound i s gener al l y not a
8
Magnetic Flowmeter Fundamentals
pr obl em, but i ts sui tabi l i ty shoul d never be
assumed. I t al so i s i mpor tant to mi ni mi ze the
di ffer ences i n gr ound potenti al between the fl owtube
and tr ansmi tter when pl anni ng a r emote
tr ansmi tter i nstal l ati on.
MAGNETIC FLOWMETER APPLICATIONS
I f a pr ocess fl ui d under consi der ati on meets the
conducti vi ty r equi r ement, i t i s a l i kel y candi date for
the appl i cati on of a magneti c fl owmeter . The fl ui d
may be cl ean, di r ty, or a sl ur r y. I t may be a val uabl e
fl ui d wher e hi gh accur acy i s essenti al . And thi s
accur acy can be mai ntai ned r egar dl ess of pr essur e,
temper atur e, densi ty, vi scosi ty, or fl ow di r ecti on.
Even var i ati ons i n conducti vi ty do not affect accu-
r acy as l ong as the mi ni mum conducti vi ty thr eshol d
i s mai ntai ned. The val ue of obstr ucti onl ess fl ow
measur ement r emai ns a constant advantage and
may be a pr i mar y consi der ati on i n any appl i cati on.
Systems featur i ng i nter changeabl e fl owtubes and
tr ansmi tter s, and a r emote tr ansmi tter l ocati on,
offer the addi ti onal advantages of excel l ent mai n-
tai nabi l i ty and r eadout conveni ence.
As wi th any type of fl ow measur ement i nstr ument,
constr ucti on mater i al s must be compati bl e wi th the
pr ocess fl ui d and oper ati ng temper atur e. Wear
r esi stance i s i mpor tant for di r ty or abr asi ve fl ui ds,
as i s the mater i al s r eacti ve pr oper ti es for cor r osi ve
or exoti c fl ui ds. Most manufactur er s pr ovi de sever al
fl owtube l i ner s and el ectr ode mater i al s to sati sfy a
vari ety of needs.
Fluid Conductivity
The uni t of measur e for conducti vi ty i s mi cr osi e-
mens per centi meter . Mi ni mum conducti vi ty
r equi r ements may di ffer , but 5.0 mi cr osi emens per
centi meter i s near the mi ni mum conducti vi ty l i mi t.
Bel ow the mi ni mum conducti vi ty l i mi t, el ectr ode
r esi stance can pr oduce an er r or i n the fl ow si gnal .
El ectr i cal l y, the r esi stance appear s i n ser i es wi th
the tr ansmi tter i nput i mpedance, and as fl ui d con-
ducti vi ty decr eases, the i nter nal ci r cui t r esi stance
i ncr eases. When the r esi stance i ncr eases to a cer tai n
poi nt, the vol tage dr op acr oss i t i s suffi ci ent to pr o-
duce an er r or at the tr ansmi tter i nput. Some typi cal
conducti vi ty val ues ar e al cohol at 0.2, hydr ogen per -
oxi de at 2.0, and water at 200.0. Var i ances i n con-
ducti vi ty above the mi ni mum thr eshol d have l i ttl e or
no effect on measur ement accur acy.
Flowtube Liners
Al l fl owtube l i ner s ar e nonmagneti c and good i nsu-
l ator s, a char acter i sti c necessar y to pr event di stor -
ti on of the magneti c fi el d. Li ners rel y on the strength
of the basi c fl owtube constr ucti on mater i al , typi cal l y
ANSI 300 ser i es stai nl ess steel because i t al so i s
nonmagneti c. However , the str ength of the tube can-
not pr otect l i ner s fr om separ ati on fr om the wal l of
the tube or col l apse i n the pr esence of vacuum condi -
ti ons. I t i s ther efor e i mpor tant to avoi d pr ocess con-
di ti ons that coul d pr oduce even tempor ar y vacuum
condi ti ons. I f these condi ti ons cannot be el i mi nated,
the manufactur er shoul d be consul ted for an eval ua-
ti on of the l i mi ts that must be obser ved.
Flowtube Electrodes
Al though fl owtube el ectr odes ar e mounted fl ush
wi th the i nsi de of the fl owmeter , they ar e subject to
wear , cor r osi on, and coati ng. To pi ck up the fl ow
si gnal they must be el ectr i cal l y conducti ve and
i nsul ated fr om the fl owtube.
Electrode Coating
El ectr ode coati ng, caused by deposi ts fr om some
pr ocess fl ui ds, must be avoi ded to mai ntai n fl ow
measur ement accur acy. Coati ng substances may be
adhesi ve r esi ns, fats, soaps, mi ner al s, sal ts, and
even or gani c deposi ts. Coati ng usual l y r esul ts i n
ei ther an i ncr ease or decr ease i n el ectr ode r esi s-
tance, causi ng an er r or i n the fl ow si gnal . When the
conducti vi ty of the coati ng i s gr eater than the fl ui d,
the r esul t i s a fl ow si gnal r epr esenti ng l ess than
actual fl ow. When the opposi te i s tr ue, the fl ow
si gnal wi l l i ni ti al l y i ncr ease, r epr esenti ng a gr eater
than actual fl ow, and then become unpr edi ctabl e.
Someti mes a sl i ght coati ng i s acceptabl e i f i t has
the same conducti vi ty as the pr ocess fl ui d, but thi s
i s sel dom the case. I n sever e cases a total l y non-con-
ducti ve coati ng can r ender the fl owtube unusabl e.
Sever al appr oaches ar e avai l abl e to combat coati ng.
Cor r ect fl owtube si zi ng for opti mum fl ow vel oci ty,
and al ter i ng the fl ow pr ofi l e can mi ni mi ze el ectr ode
coati ng. Obvi ousl y, i f the vel oci ty of a fl ui d
contai ni ng suspended mater i al s i s suffi ci entl y hi gh,
ther e i s l ess chance for the mater i al s to settl e on
the i nsi de sur face of the fl owtube and el ectr odes.
Keepi ng the vel oci ty as hi gh as possi bl e thus keeps
potenti al coati ng mater i al s movi ng wi th the fl ow,
and al so pr ovi des scr ubbi ng acti on for pr evi ousl y
for med deposi ts. The benefi t of cl eani ng acti on must
be bal anced by the possi bi l i ty of i ncr eased l i ner
wear , especi al l y when the fl ui d contai ns abr asi ve
par ti cl es. Another appr oach i s to al ter the fl ow
pr ofi l e or i ncr ease tur bul ence wi th pi pe el bows or
other fl ow condi ti oni ng devi ces. I n thi s case too,
abr asi ve par ti cl es can accel er ate l i ner wear .
Pipe Sizing
Sel ecti ng the cor r ect fl owtube si ze for a gi ven
appl i cati on i s as i mpor tant as sel ecti ng the most
appr opr i ate el ectr ode mater i al and fl owtube l i ner .
Recommendati ons may var y, dependi ng on the
manufactur er , but si zi ng for maxi mum fl ui d
vel oci ti es may r ange fr om 1 to 30 feet per second.
Rosemount Inc.
9
Vel oci ti es r efer enced i n thi s di scussi on ar e gui des
based on gener al consensus. Manufactur er s
r ecommendati ons, r ather than mater i al pr oper ti es,
shoul d be fol l owed. Al though magneti c fl owmeter s
can usual l y mai ntai n speci fi cati on accur acy dur i ng
pr ocess fl ow sur ges, conti nuous oper ati on above the
r ecommended maxi mum may accel er ate wear , or
damage the fl owtube i f a sever e hydr aul i c shock
occurs.
Si zi ng for fl ui ds wi thout sol i ds i n suspensi on i s
nor mal l y str ai ghtfor war d, but even so-cal l ed cl ean
fl ui ds may r equi r e speci al consi der ati ons. Take the
exampl e of cor r osi ve fl ui ds. The r esi stant pr oper ty of
the el ectr ode mater i al may depend on a passi ve fi l m
bui l d-up on the el ectr odes i n the pr esence of the
fl ui d. Hi gh fl ui d vel oci ti es i n thi s appl i cati on coul d
accel er ate cor r osi on by pr eventi ng thi s fi l m bui l d-up.
For thi s r eason the r ecommended fl ui d vel oci ty for
cor r osi ve fl ui ds i s bel ow ten feet per second. Sl ur r i es
pr esent other concer ns.
The obstr ucti onl ess fl ow char acter i sti c of magneti c
fl owmeter s i s par ti cul ar l y attr acti ve to other wi se
di ffi cul t-to-measur e sl ur r i es. Sl ur r i es, however ,
r equi r e car eful si zi ng based on the sol i ds i n
suspensi on and thei r abr asi ve qual i ty. The pr obl ems
associ ated wi th el ectr ode coati ng have been
pr evi ousl y di scussedessenti al l y a tr ade-off
between a fl ow fast enough to pr event coati ng and
bui l d-up, but sl ow enough to mi ni mi ze wear . A fl ow
rate of seven feet per second or greater i s general l y
r ecommended for non-abr asi ve sl ur r i es. Abr asi ve
sl ur r i es al so r equi r e suffi ci ent fl ow vel oci ty to
pr event coati ng, but a maxi mum shoul d be set.
A typi cal r ecommendati on i s between 7 and 14 feet
per second.
Summary
Magneti c fl owmeter systems ar e one of the most
accur ate and ver sati l e types of fl ow meter i ng
systems. They ar e commonl y used i n water and
waste, pul p and paper , mi ni ng, chemi cal , and food
i ndustr y appl i cati ons because they can accomodate
har sh cor r osi ve fl ui ds and fl ui ds contai ni ng par ti cl es
that r ender other systems i neffecti ve.
A magneti c fl owmeter system i s compr i sed of two
el ements: the fl owtube and the tr ansmi tter .
I nstal l ati on and effecti ve use of a magneti c
fl owtmeter system r equr i es consi der ati on of many
factor s, i ncl udi ngwi r i ng and cabl e l ength,
gr oudni ng, adjacent pr ocess pi pi ng and val ves,
hor i zontal and ver ti cal fl ow, and so for th. Sel ecti on
of an appr opr i ate magneti c fl owmeter system
requi res consi derati on of the process fl ui d and i ts
conducti vi ty, fl owtube l i ner s, fl owtube el ectr odes,
and pi pe si zi ng to maxi mi ze effecti veness. A
manufactur er s gui del i nes ar e ususal l y the best
gui de i nt eh sel ecti on pr ocess.
Cover Photo: 8712-001AB
Rosemount Inc.
Measurement Di vi si on
8200 Market Boulevard
Chanhassen, MN 55317 USA
Tel (612) 949-7000
Telex 4310012
Fax (612) 949-7001