PRIMARY FLOW ELEMENTS

Flow measurement in closed pipes consists in determining the quantity of mass or volume that flows through the pipe per time unit. The elements used to measure flow are called flowmeters or Primary Flow Elements.

Primary Flow Elements represent a reduction of the fluid’s flowing section, which implies the increase of its velocity and therewith of its kinetic energy. According to the law of conservation of energy, this means that its pressure tends to drop in equivalent proportions, leading to a static pressure difference between the sections upstream and downstream the differential pressure device.

The main advantages of differential pressure devices are:

- Simple construction with no removable parts.
- Functioning principle is easy to understand
- Possible use with most fluids
- Lots of publications on their different uses