Flowmeter for large-scale pipes

This paper studied a new type of flowmeter, the bypass flowmeter. It is suitable for large-scale pipes. The principle of bypass flowmeter is studied by analyzing flowing in parallel pipes and carrying out experiments at a modified performance test system for centrifugal pumps. The study results showed that the flowrate ratio between the main pipe and the bypass pipe is determined by the geometric structures of pipes and the flowing states in the pipes. The flowrate ratio varies greatly when the Reynolds numbers are relatively lower both in the main pipe and the bypass pipe. The flowrate ratio keeps constant when the Reynolds number in the main pipe is larger than 120000. The head loss becomes smaller when the bypass pipe is connected to the main pipe. The percentage of head loss decrease is from 7.64% to 9.34%. The results indicate that bypass flowmeter is suitable for flowrate measuring in large scale pipes. It will not cause additional head loss to the flow.