With the pandemic subsiding over & the world returning to a new normal, we have been forced and that too at a rather fast pace to adapt to digital transformations. We generalize all these techs as common I.T. We often overlook the essentials that we use on a daily basis but the new normal has redefined these often-overlooked essentials a new identity in terms of both usage & measurements. With this & the topic being “Water Meter & Communication”, this blog aims to define what smart water monitoring is & how IoT is employed to measure the flow & usage for commercial & domestic uses.
Flowmeter, sometimes also called a Flow Sensor is an instrument used as smart water monitoring to measure the flow rate of liquid or gas by their volume flow.
Any mass needs force to move & for fluids & gases particularly in a confined pipe the density of the liquid or gas aids flow rate measurement. Note that in some cases, the flow measurement can vary for gases that require heat and might require a temperature sensor for accuracy.
Based on your smart water monitoring requirement you can opt for a flow meter for gas & fluid or liquid only. Differential pressures, velocity, mass or volume, and open channel are some of the commonly installed flow meters.
The Differential flow meter records primary & secondary measurements & reports their difference. These commonly include the Orifice plates, where the flow is measured upstream to downstream, or Venturi meter that is measured by a differential pressure drop in the sensor, or Rotameters that use a rotating float that measures based on the fluid's gravity.
Velocity flow meters include Turbine Flowmeters that measure flow by its kinetic & potential energy, pitot flow meters & electromagnetic flow meters that detect flow based on volumetric & electromagnetic induction.
A mass flow meter measures the proportion of volumetric & flow rate that acts when an object is in motion with a defined reference point.
Open Channel Flow Meters check the used liquid's flow heights and the means by which it is exposed to the atmosphere.
Digital Flow Meters, like any flow measurement device, have a digital display. It can convert analog into digital signals. The output of the flowmeter is analog 4- 20 mA, RS232, RS485. The Digital flowmeter has inbuilt storage It can store the events which are volume of the flow, temperature, errors, etc on an hourly, weekly, and monthly basis, Some examples of digital flowmeters are Ultrasonic flowmeters, Electromagnetic flowmeters. There are a few more flow meters to measure the volume of slurries & closed pipes which measure in liters & cubic units.
Flow meters which can be seen in plain sight are the simplest flow meters known & allow you to view the liquid as it moves through a closed pipe.
A properly installed & maintained flow meter has become a smart water monitoring necessity for residential commercial & industrial applications.
Coming to the wireless and wired capabilities, M-Bus, also known as meter bus, helps in wired/wireless communication between the sensors & the actuators. With this powerful M-Bus technology, you can instantly access important information such as meter readings and actual consumption values. M-Bus is available on a wide variety of gas, heat, electricity, and cold/hot water meters within a network.
Data communication modules
IWM-MB3 Wired M-BUS module for water meters model GMDM-I, and CPR-M3-I
IWM MB4 Wired M-BUS module for Woltmann type water meters model WDE-K50
IWM-TX3 Wireless M-BUS module for water meters model GMDM-I, and CPR-M3-I
IWM TX4 Wireless M-BUS module for Woltmann type water meters model WDE-K50
PR6 M M-Bus module for V100 Elster water meters
PR7 M-Bus module for H4000 Elster water meters
OMS and non-magnetic pulse output
IWM-PL3 pulse emitter module for water meters mod. GMDM-I and CPR-M3-I
IWM-PL4 pulse emitter module for Woltmann type water meters model WDE-K50
PR6 Falcon pulse module for water meters V100
PR7 Falcon pulse module for water meters H4000
T-Probe Assy for V100 water meters
Here are a few things to look out for when installing your new line.
Be aware of the surroundings where your flow meter will be installed & properly diagnosed.
Avoid installation in places where there are vibrations & magnetic fields.
Unknown direction of water flow
Periodic checks for vapors’ & droplets in gas & fluid lines
A by-pass line particularly during maintenance & repair is crucial.
As said earlier, flow meters are of great interest to many utilities who are looking to base their smart water monitoring strategy on a reliable yet understandable infrastructure – either because of their business needs or as a part of the Smart City approach. Contact us at sales@bethelgt.com. If you are looking for a specific type of flow meter or facing issues with your current machinery, reach our team WHATSAPP to get the best fit solution.
Taking into account flexibility, coverage, power consumption, accuracy, and long-term cost, smart water meters & flow meters provide the best of choices available in the market as of now.
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