Lake Monitors FreeFlow Meter - Manual (Page 4)

4) Operating Temperature: In standard meters, several components
have a maximum temperature rating of 170ºF (76ºC).
5) Operating Pressure: Meters should not be used over 10% of the
operating pressure rating.
6) Pipe Sealer: Care should be taken when choosing a pipe sealing
method. The use of pipe sealing pastes is often discouraged when
sealing plastic fittings.
Basic Installation Instructions
The meters are mounted in-line and provide an electrical output that
is proportional to flow rate. The meters can be mounted in a vertical
or horizontal position as long as the fluid is flowing in the direction of
the arrow on the enclosure. No straight pipe is required before or
after the meter. In fact, 90° elbows can be inst alled on both ends
without any noticeable flow variation. When installing a meter, “Thread
Seal Tape” is the preferred means to seal the pipe threads. If t ape is
used, be sure to leave 1/8” (3 mm) of pipe thread exposed on end of
pipe. Position filter in front of meter and in a location that allows easy
access for routine maintenance. Refer to “Warnings and
Precautionary Areas” for additional information.
Installation Dos & Don’ts:
To obtain satisfactory operation from the flow meter, the following
points should be considered:
DO:
- place throttling valves at the outlet of the meter
- use pipe tape on the connections
- install solenoid valves at meter outlet (as far downstream as
possible)
- mount in any orientation: vertical, horizontal or upside down
DO NOT:
- place meter in non-aligned piping
- use paste thread sealer
- over-flow the meter by more than 150% of maximum reading
- operate at pressures and temperatures greater than specified
- provide insufficient power for the excitation of the meter
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Operation
Operating Principle
The FreeFlow Series is a line of unique flow meters which combine the
simplicity of a segmented wedge differential producer with a precise
wetted micro pressure sensor. The meters are self contained and all of
the wetted components are isolated from the electronics. Running
through the enclosure is the segmented wedge metering element. The
metering element is devised in a manner which provides minimal
restriction to the flow and enables a design with no moving p arts. As
flow increases, the pressure differential across the metering element
increases, providing for a predictable response of calibrated output.
Scaling the Electronics
All FreeFlow meters come from the factory 100% calibrated and ready
for use. The receiving device will generally need to be scaled to reflect
the correct FSRV (full scale range value) of the calibration. Performing
this task requires that the peak output of device is correlated to the
range of FSRV of calibration ordered. Refer to the manufacturer specific
documentation for the receiving device in question.
Effect of Varying Fluid Properties
Standard meters are calibrated for WATER with a specific gravity of 1.0.
The segmented wedge meter is affected by changes in density as are
most other meters based upon this principle. The indicated flow reading
will read high for heavier fluids and low for lighter fluids. An alternate
calibration can be applied to the meter for additional cost s.
Contamination & Filtration
Recommended Filtration
The manufacturer recommends system filtration of at least 200 micron
filter or screen. Some systems may require a magnetic filter .
IMPORTANT: Meter damage caused by excessive contamination is not
covered under warranty.
Stabilized Contamination
The goal of filtration is to create ef fective protection from system
contamination. Proper filtration stabilizes contamination to allow fluid
components to function properly. A fluid system is considered stabilized
when, “contamination in” equals “contamination out”. Proper filtration
must reduce initial contamination to a stabilized level within an