Venturi meter Principle

A venturimeter is a device used for measuring

the rate of a flow of a fluid flowing through a
pipe.
It consists of three parts.

A short converging part

Throat
Diverging part
It is based on the principle of Bernoulli’s equation. Inside of the venturimeter
pressure difference is created by reducing the cross-sectional area of the flow
passage. The pressure difference is measured by using a differential U-tube
manometer. This pressure difference helps in the determination of rate of
flow of fluid or discharge through the pipe line. As the inlet area of the venturi
is large than at the throat, the velocity at the throat increases resulting in
decrease of pressure. By this, a pressure difference is created between the
inlet and the throat of the ventur
In fluid dynamics, a fluid's velocity must increase as it
passes through a constriction in accord with
the principle of mass continuity, while its static
pressure must decrease in accord with the principle
of conservation of mechanical energy. Thus any gain
in kinetic energy a fluid may accrue due to its
increased velocity through a constriction is balanced
by a drop in pressure.
By measuring the change in pressure, the flow rate
can be determined, as in various flow
measurement devices such asventuri meters, venturi
nozzles and orifice plates.
Venturi tubes[edit]
The simplest apparatus, as shown in the photograph and
diagram, is a tubular setup known as a Venturi tube or
simply a venturi. Fluid flows through a length of pipe of
varying diameter. To avoid undue aerodynamic drag, a
Venturi tube typically has an entry cone of 30 degrees and
an exit cone of 5 degrees.[citation needed]
Venturi tubes are used in processes where permanent
pressure loss is not tolerable and where maximum
accuracy is needed in case of highly viscous liquids
Orifice plate[edit]
Venturi tubes are more expensive to construct than a
simple orifice plate which uses the same principle as a tubular
scheme, but the orifice plate causes significantly more
permanent energy loss
Examples[edit]
The Venturi effect may be observed or used in the following:
Cargo eductors on oil product and chemical ship tankers
Inspirators that mix air and flammable gas in grills, gas stoves, Bunsen
burners and airbrushes
Water aspirators that produce a partial vacuum using the kinetic energy from
the faucet water pressure
Steam siphons using the kinetic energy from the steam pressure to create a
partial vacuum
Atomizers that disperse perfume or spray paint (i.e. from a spray gun).
Carburetors that use the effect to suck gasoline into an engine's intake air
stream
Wine aerators, used to infuse air into wine as it is poured into a glass
The capillaries of the human circulatory system, where it indicates aortic
regurgitation
Aortic insufficiency is a chronic heart condition that occurs when the aortic
valve's initial large stroke volume is released and the Venturi effect draws the
walls together, which obstructs blood flow, which leads to a Pulsus Bisferiens.
Protein skimmers (filtration devices for saltwater aquaria)
In automated pool cleaners that use pressure-side water
flow to collect sediment and debris
The barrel of the modern-day clarinet, which uses a
reverse taper to speed the air down the tube, enabling
better tone, response and intonation
Compressed air operated industrial vacuum cleaners
Venturi scrubbers used to clean flue gas emissions
Injectors (also called ejectors) used to add chlorine gas
to water treatment chlorination systems
Steam injectors use the Venturi effect and the latent heat of evaporation to
deliver feed water to a steam locomotive boiler.
Sand blasters used to draw fine sand in and mix it with air
Emptying bilge water from a moving boat through a small waste gate in the
hull—the air pressure inside the moving boat is greater than the water sliding
by beneath
A scuba diving regulator to assist the flow of air once it starts flowing
In recoilless rifles to decrease the recoil of firing
Ventilators
The diffuser on an automobile
Large cities where wind is forced between buildings - the gap between the Twin
Towers of the original World Trade Center was an extreme example of the
pheonomenon, which made the ground level plaza notoriously windswept.[3] In
fact, some gusts were so high that pedestrian travel had to be aided by ropes.[4]
In windy mountain passes, resulting in erroneous pressure altimeter readings[5]
The leadpipe of a trombone, affecting the timbre
Foam proportioners used to induct fire fighting foam concentrate into fire
protection systems
Trompe air compressors to entrain air into a falling column of water
Orifice plate
Orifice plate in carrier with annular slot corner tappings
An orifice plate is a device used for measuring flow
rate, for reducing pressure or for restricting flow (in the
latter two cases it is often called a restriction plate).
Either a volumetric or mass flow rate may be
determined, depending on the calculation associated
with the orifice plate. It uses the same principle as
a Venturi nozzle, namely Bernoulli's principle which
states that there is a relationship between the pressure
of the fluid and the velocity of the fluid. When the
velocity increases, the pressure decreases and vice
versa.
Application[edit]
Orifice plates are most commonly used to measure flow rates in pipes, when the fluid
is single-phase (rather than being a mixture of gases and liquids, or of liquids and
solids) and well-mixed, the flow is continuous rather than pulsating, the fluid occupies
the entire pipe (precluding silt or trapped gas), the flow profile is even and well-
developed and the fluid and flow rate meet certain other conditions. Under these
circumstances and when the orifice plate is constructed and installed according to
appropriate standards, the flow rate can easily be determined using published
formulae based on substantial research and published in industry, national and
international standards.[2]
Plates are commonly made with sharp-edged circular orifices and installed
concentric with the pipe and with pressure tappings at one of three standard
pairs of distances upstream and downstream of the plate; these types are
covered by ISO 5167 and other major standards. There are many other
possibilities. The edges may be rounded or conical, the plate may have an
orifice the same size as the pipe except for a segment at top or bottom which is
obstructed, the orifice may be installed eccentric to the pipe, and the pressure
tappings may be at other positions. Variations on these possibilities are covered
in various standards and handbooks. Each combination gives rise to different
coefficients of discharge which can be predicted so long as various conditions
are met, conditions which differ from one type to another.[2]
Once the orifice plate is designed and installed, the flow rate can often be
indicated with an acceptably low uncertainty simply by taking the square root
of the differential pressure across the orifice's pressure tappings and applying
an appropriate constant. Even compressible flows of gases that vary in pressure
and temperature may be measured with acceptable uncertainty by merely
taking the square roots of the absolute pressure and/or temperature,
depending on the purpose of the measurement and the costs of ancillary
instrumentation.
Orifice plates are also used to reduce pressure or restrict flow, in which case
they are often called restriction plates
Pitot tube
Aircraft use pitot tubes to measure airspeed.
A pitot (/ˈpiːtoʊ/ PEE-toh) tube is a pressure measurement instrument used
to measure fluid flow velocity. The pitot tube was invented by
the French engineer Henri Pitot in the early 18th century[1] and was
modified to its modern form in the mid-19th century by French
scientist Henry Darcy.[2] It is widely used to determine the airspeed of
an aircraft, water speed of a boat, and to measure liquid, air and gas flow
velocities in industrial applications. The pitot tube is used to measure the
local flow velocity at a given point in the flow stream and not the average
flow velocity in the pipe or conduit.[3]
Theory of operation[edit]
The basic pitot tube consists of a tube pointing directly into
the fluid flow. As this tube contains fluid, a pressure can be
measured; the moving fluid is brought to rest (stagnates) as
there is no outlet to allow flow to continue. This pressure is
the stagnation pressure of the fluid, also known as the total
pressure or (particularly in aviation) the pitot pressure.
The measured stagnation pressure cannot itself be used to
determine the fluid flow velocity (airspeed in aviation).
However, Bernoulli's equation states:
Industry applications[edit]
In industry, the flow velocities being measured are often those flowing
in ducts and tubing where measurements by ananemometer would be
difficult to obtain. In these kinds of measurements, the most practical
instrument to use is the pitot tube. The pitot tube can be inserted
through a small hole in the duct with the pitot connected to a U-
tube water gauge or some other differential pressure gauge for
determining the flow velocity inside the ducted wind tunnel. One use of
this technique is to determine the volume of air that is being delivered
to a conditioned space.
The fluid flow rate in a duct can then be estimated from:
Volume flow rate (cubic feet per minute) = duct area (square feet) × flow
velocity (feet per minute)Volume flow rate (cubic meters per second)
= duct area (square meters) × flow velocity (meters per second)In
aviation, airspeed is typically measured in knots.
In weather stations with high wind speeds, the pitot tube is modified to
create a special type of anemometer called pitot tube static
anemometer.[8]