Example of a Pressure Drop Calculation in FLUIDAT
Pressure Drop Calculations
For most applications it is important for the end user to understand the pressure drop across the instrument. It is not only important to understand the pressure loss across a device but sometimes it can also be critical to know the required pressure for the instrument to function correctly, especially when using control valves.
In FLUIDAT it is possible to calculate the pressure drop for both our gas instruments and our mini-Coriolis Series. Calculating the pressure drop using FLUIDAT is easy, all you need to do is select the correct pressure drop calculation tool. You have the choice of selecting our MASS-STREAM instruments, EL-FLOW or IN-FLOW devices or Coriolis Instruments.
The calculation tool for the Coriolis Instruments is called ‘CoriCalc’ and for the other instruments are referred to as ‘Pressure Difference D-6300’ or ‘Pressure Difference LOW-dP-FLOW and EL-FLOW'. Once you have selected the correct tool and instrument type you can then select the fluid and flow rate and simply hit the calculate button. You can choose to readout the pressure drop in many different units from mbar to psi for example. For meters this is pretty straight forward, the pressure drop will be displayed across the sensor and fittings and yes, you can also choose the fitting size and type in many situations.
This calculation tool can also demonstrate the minimum required inlet pressure to flow the fluid you want at the required flow rate. Without the complication of the control valve calculating for meters is relatively straight forward. When making calculations involving both a meter and control valve (e.g. in a controller), it is important to make sure your calculation includes the correct selected orifice for your given controller, the easiest way to do this is using the inlet and outlet pressures to be used.
FLUIDAT is an extremely useful and powerful tool for those using Bronkhorst instruments. It allows an end user access to additional information which can be used to not only enhance the potential of our instruments but also allows our customers to gain an advantage over competitors and gain an understanding of mass flow. The above examples are just a snippet of some of the tools available.
- Please register at www.fluidat.com to take full advantage of this free online software.