Flow measurement
ROUND UP
T
he oval wheel meter principle was developed at Bopp & Reuther
and protected under patent in 1932. The first licence from the
bureau of standards was issued by the PTR in Berlin in 1933.
This precision measuring instrument, has proven itself whenever
liquids are measured, for example in the chemical industry, petro-
chemistry and the dosing and filling technology. It distinguished itself
through high measuring accuracy, reliability and longevity.
Oval wheel meters are direct volume meters. Their measuring
element consists of two toothed precision oval wheel meters, which
are driven by the liquid and roll around each other. This allows a
defined quantity of liquid to pass through the meter per revolution
of the oval wheel pair.
In June 2012 Bopp & Reuther Messtechnik GmbH exhibited a ‘world
first’ at theACHEMA in Frankfurt.They presented an oval wheel meter
that is able to generate power while metering due to the latest devel-
opment of an energy harvesting module.This self-generated power
is used to realise the necessary power for signal processing and data
transfer to the control system by a GSM-Module.
The revolutionary idea consists of the combination of the three key
elements as follows: Flow measuring, energy harvesting and GSM.
The oval wheel flowmeter acts as an energy source for the electron-
ic display and wireless data transfer via GSM (patented technology).
Therefore the power supply of the local indicator is entirely wireless
and no external source of power is required. GSM technology ensures
the remote data transmission.These factors result in significant reduc-
tions in the cost of installation.
This self-developed technology uses the hydrokinetic energy of
the liquid to generate electrical power. Similar to a modern RFID
technology, Bopp & Reuther Messtechnik GmbHmanaged to generate
electricity outside the measuring chamber using the rotational energy
of their patented oval wheel meter principle.
This trend-setting invention makes it possible to send measured
values of flow rate or volume using wireless GSM data transmission
to a data centre, without having to rely on external power supply. It
is now possible to obtain accurate flow rate/ volume measurement
information from places that are difficult to access without the need
for a cost intensive electricity infrastructure.
The new energy harvesting device was exhibited at the recent
process Expo Africa 2013 held at Nasrec in Johannesburg.
Mecosa
is
the sole agent for Bopp & Reuther for Southern Africa.
Enquiries: Email
M
any materials can only withstand the heat and other
process conditions for a limited period. Numerous
process conditions such as corrosive gases, turbulence or
abrasion reduce the lifespan of various components of a
thermometer: The simultaneous effect of corrosion and
abrasion is often the root cause of measurement failure.
For users this means that they frequently need to replace
thermocouples at critical measuring points.
Such measuring points increase the workload of the
maintenance departments and drive up costs. Longer
operating times reduce the total cost of ownership con-
siderably.
Temperatures of 1 000°C and higher are required for
glass, cement production and lime burning. The actual
temperatures are of central importance to control and
regulate the furnaces. If the required degree Celsius is not
reached and maintained at a stable level, this can impact
the quality of the end product. Measuring temperatures
above 800°C places particularly high demands on the
measuring technology used.
In recent years, materials research has provided many
new materials - both in the form of metal alloys and
ceramic substances. Many of these have been exam-
ined and tested by
Endress+Hauser
.This has resulted in
thermowells that withstand extreme process conditions
far longer than previously thought possible. The new
thermowell materials have been tested in applications
where lifespan usually range from one day to just a few
weeks.This is particularly the case in cement production
or incineration plants. Frequently, conditions here are
not only very harsh but also often change suddenly and
unpredictably.The new developments have resulted in a
considerable improvement in the thermowell lifespan.The
thermowells both provide mechanical protection for the
thermocouple and prevent the penetration of gases that
initially cause temperature drifts and then unit failure as
a result of corrosion.
Endress+Hauser incorporated the research results into
theTAF high-temperature line. Given the numerous possi-
bilities of combiningTAF11,TAF12,TAF16,TLSR11,TLSR12
andTLSR16 devices the ideal thermometer can be found
for every application. The best possible thermowell ma-
terial makes the process more reliable, accurate, man-
ageable and stable over the long term. The advantages
this affords are obvious: Maintenance costs are cut and
product quality, process safety and safety at work improve.
Enquiries:Trevor Fletcher.Tel. 011 262 8000 or email info@
za.endress.com.
Energy harvesting using oval wheel flow meters
Hot? So what
Henning Springer and Allister McMorran from Mecosa with Gabriele Banfi
(Bopp & Reuter Messtechnik GmbH) – and the new energy harvesting
device developed by Bopp & Reuther.
Electricity+Control
July ‘13
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