There are several different types of flow meters, with three main designs used in the Spray Foam Industry. Some manufacturers use “Oval” style flow meters, some use “Ultrasonic”, and Akurate Dynamics uses a “Spur” style flow meter.
Oval Flow Meters
An Oval Flow Meter functions by counting the rotation of two toothed ovals that spin as a fluid passes through its chamber. These flow meters are very reliable for large amounts of volume – they’re used on oil wells and large municipal water pipes to measure the flow of fluid through a large orifice. Because oval flow meters take fewer readings over a given period of time, the resolution is lower as compared to spur flow meters. However, oval flow meters are very reliable and last a long time.
Ultrasonic Flow Meters
Ultrasonic Flow Meters use an ultrasonic signal to measure the flow of fluid through a section of pipe from outside the system using low frequency sound waves. Ultrasonic flow meters are non-invasive and are easy to install. They are very useful with corrosive and abrasive liquids.
Spur Flow Meters
Spur Flow Meters are very similar to Oval Flow Meters. A Spur Flow Meter functions by counting rotations of spur-gears as fluid passes through its chamber. However, spur gears are more precise when measuring flow. Akurate uses these types of flow meters because of their ability to quickly capture more datapoints in a smaller timeframe. This greatly increases the resolution of data captured. The more concise, higher resolution data extracted through spur flow meters is not just informational; the higher resolution data is an integral part of the operation of our proportioners allowing for more precise control of flow and pressure.
Our next installment on flow meters will dive deeper into data collection and the importance of data resolution. Look for more information next Friday!
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