Vortex Flow Meters

• Fieldbus technology introduced to realize predictive and preventive maintenance.
• ISAE to improve the reliability of diagnosis and parameter setting, utilizing data collected by PRM.

• Yokogawa's integrated solution contributed to reliable and efficient operation.
• All the instrument information is fully integrated with the instrument management system.

Measuring energy consumption is an important factor in the quest to improve energy efficiency. Efficient and accurate metering is paramount to determining excess use, along with an accurate picture of where the steam is being used. The more accurate and reliable measurements that are made, the more informed decisions can be taken that affect costs and product quality. Traditionally the most common method of steam metering is the orifice plate and differential pressure transmitter technique. General areas of concern with this type of measurement are the orifice plate's susceptibility to wear introducing immediate inaccuracies, the relatively high permanent pressure losses introduced into the system by the orifice place and the small measuring range, typically 3:1.

Yokogawa's digitalYEWFLO Reduced Bore Type Vortex Flow meter features a cast stainless steel body and a concentric reducer and expander that enable stable flow rate measurements in low-flow conditions. This expands the range of measurements that can be performed, from the higher flow rates down to the lower end of the flow span, which is normally difficult for Vortex Flow meters, and ensures stable and accurate flow rate output.

Progress in digital signal processing and network technologies has enabled advanced functions which cannot be achieved by traditional field devices with 4-20 mA signal, to be implemented on field devices. Standardization of international fieldbus specifications, notably the FOUNDATION™ Fieldbus, has enabled users to build optimum field networks comprised of freely chosen field devices from various device vendors.

Vortex flow meters utilize a fluid phenomenon in which frequencies of Karman vortex streets released from a shedder bar inserted in a flow are proportional to flow velocities.

Vortex flow meters have been appreciated by users as volume flow meters, which can, in principle, be applied to any flow measurement of liquid, gas, or steam. Volume flow measurement is enough for substances with small variations in density such as liquid. 

The operating principle of the vortex flow meters YEWFLO series, which first became commercially available in 1979, is based on the phenomenon in which the frequency of a Kàrmàn vortex train that occurs from a vortex shedder placed in a fluid flow, is proportional to the speed of that flow.