Influence of Various Accessories Upstream Large Water Meters

Abstract

AbstractThe focus of this study is on large flow meters, for which there is limited information due to their large size, making testing and research challenging. This research was conducted to quantify the effects of various accessories located upstream of these meters. Even a small percentage of variation in error can correspond to a significant volume of water. Accurate meters are crucial in many applications that involve large volumes of water as precise flow measurements are necessary for smooth and efficient processes while avoiding costly errors and downtime. Inaccurate large water meters can have far-reaching implications, such as overbilling or underbilling and production inefficiencies, which result in wasted resources and energy. Furthermore, inaccurate flow measurements can lead to environmental consequences as industries must comply with strict regulations regarding wastewater discharge limits. Uncertainty about the economic impact of an accessory installed upstream of a medium-sized water meter leads many water utilities to oversize the meter chambers to mitigate potential negative errors. In this study, six types of elements were tested upstream of ten brand-new water meters from six different manufacturers, constructed using four different metering technologies: single-jet, Woltmann, electromagnetic, and ultrasonic. Each meter unit was tested at five flow rates, ranging from the minimum to overload. The tests were conducted with accessories set in different orientations and distances upstream of the water meters under study. The research shows that the accessories used can cause significant deviations in measuring errors compared to the regular errors found under undisturbed working conditions.