Numerous principles of operation and design variations together with the consideration of installation parameters, location and the economies of operation can make it a daunting task when choosing the right flow meter for a particular application.

If you don’t know the difference between vortex flow, Magflow or mass flow technologies then you’re probably not going to make the right choice when it comes to selecting a flow meter.
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iCenta is a UK flow meter specialist supplying some of the leading names in liquid, gas & vapour flow measurement with clients both large and small. To help you take the guesswork out of choosing a flow meter, please refer to the table below or just get in touch with our technical sales team.
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Liquids	Gear	Turbine	Magnetic	Coriolis	Thermal	Vortex	Paddlewheel	Ultrasonic	V/A | Rotameter
Clean	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dirty	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Special Design	Yes	Yes
Conductive	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Viscous	Yes, >10 (cst)	Yes (Special Calibration)	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes (Special Calibration)
Slurries	No	Limited	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes (Doppler)	No
Corrosive	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Reverse Flow	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Pulsating Flow	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Semi Filled Pipes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Open Channel	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No

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Gases	Gear	Turbine	Magnetic	Coriolis	Thermal	Vortex	Paddlewheel	Ultrasonic	V/A | Rotameter
Steam	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Clean	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Wet	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Contaminated	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Corrosive	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

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Tech Data	Gear	Turbine	Magnetic	Coriolis	Thermal	Vortex	Paddlewheel	Ultrasonic	V/A | Rotameter
Accuracy ±	0.1-0.5% of reading	0.25-1% of reading	0.5-1% of reading	0.05-0.15% of reading	1.5% full scale	1% of reading	1% (linearity)	typically 1-5% of reading	2-4% full scale
Repeatability ±	0.1% of reading	0.1% of reading	0.1% of reading	0.05-0.10% of reading	0.5% full scale	0.2% of reading			0.25% full scale
Max Pressure Bar	270 and up	350 and up	350 and up	85 and up	40 and up	50 and up	100 and up	unlimited	15 and up
Max Temp	125 and up	300 and up	150 and up	200 and up	100 and up	400	100 and up	100 and up	300 and up
Pressure Drop	Medium	Medium	Virtually None	Low	Low	Low	Virtually None	None	Medium
Turndown Ratio	25:1	10:1		100:1	50:1	<10:1			10:1
Average Cost	Medium	Medium	Medium	High	Medium	Medium	Low	Medium	Low

Need Advice about selecting the right type of flow meter?

iCenta is a instrumentation and control solution specialist with experience in control technologies for diverse applications, fluid types and process conditions. Call iCenta now for advice, sales & technical information on 0845 895 1020.

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