flowrater

Flowrater is a device or software system designed to measure and record the rate at which a fluid or gas moves through a defined cross-section. It can be installed inline in a pipeline or used as a portable instrument and may provide real-time readouts, data logging, and interfaces with supervisory control and data acquisition systems or programmable logic controllers. The term is used across industries to describe both hardware meters and software tools that quantify flow rate, often in units such as liters per second or kilograms per second, and can report either volumetric or mass flow.

Measurement principles employed by flowrats include differential pressure methods (using a constriction such as an orifice or venturi), turbine or impeller meters, ultrasonic transit-time or Doppler meters, electromagnetic meters, and Coriolis meters. Each method has trade-offs in accuracy, viscosity tolerance, and installation sensitivity. Many flowrater devices combine sensor measurements with a signal processor to compensate for temperature, pressure, and rheology and to provide calibration data.

Common features include real-time display, data logging, alarms for out-of-range flow, and communication via analog, digital, or network protocols. Portable units offer battery power and non-invasive measurement techniques; inline units emphasize reliability and process control.

Applications cover water and wastewater utilities, chemical and petrochemical processing, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, and HVAC systems. Installation considerations include adequate straight-run lengths, pipe material compatibility, dirt and particulates, cleaning, and sanitary requirements. Flowrater is part of the broader category of flow meters and flow measurement instrumentation.