Low Cost Air Flow Rate Measurement Tool.
Low cost flow measurement tool offers the key to compressed
air energy savings.
PVL has solved the problem of air flow rate measurement in pipes with
a simple-to-use, highly accurate, yet low cost tool. The highly portable
ClimaAir instrument will prove invaluable to compressed air users as
they strive to cut their energy costs in the wake of the Climate Change
Levy.
It is reckoned that generating compressed air accounts for some 10%
of industrial energy costs. And with the introduction of the Climate
Change Levy - essentially a tax on energy usage - the issue of energy
saving has been brought sharply into focus. Optimising compressed
air usage has therefore become a priority, and with ClimaAir, users
can obtain accurate flow rate measurements to help isolate compressed
air leaks and maximise efficiency of air use.
Flowmeters offer a reliable solution for monitoring - and so optimising -
compressed air usage, but only if the flowmeter is the correct specification
for the task. Getting the right product depends on being able to determine
the air flow rate through the pipe, and it is this that has proven such a
challenge to measure, with variables of velocity, pressure and temperature
to consider. Some solutions can cost over £10,000, are fixed in place,
and require an air pressure in excess of 4bar to operate. ClimaAir, on the
other hand, offers a portable, go-anywhere solution for a about a fifth of the
price, providing highly accurate flow measurements at pressures from
0 -7 bar. At the same time, as a highly portable product, ClimaAir is
ideally suited for use to detect and isolate leaks.
The ClimaAir system comprises a probe that is inserted into the centre
of the pipe through an in-situ ball valve coupled with a hand-held display
unit. The 'business end' of the ClimaAir probe is a precision laser cut turbine,
mounted on sapphire bearings to ensure accurate measurement of air
velocity. The stalk of the probe is graduated so that user's can position the
turbine accurately in the centre of the pipe. The probe also incorporates
temperature and pressure sensors.
In use, once the probe has been inserted into the pipe, the display unit
prompts the user to enter the shape of the pipe and its diameter. It then
measures and displays air velocity, temperature and pressure, and then
calculates and displays the air flow rate in m³/hr (cubic meter per hour)
The display unit provides sophisticated data logging capabilities, and
has inputs for two probes, and outputs for a printer and to a PC.
PC software is also provided to enable logged measurements to be
easily transferred to any host trend analysis package.
As well as the hand-held device, a multi-input desktop instrument is also
available offering additional data logging capabilities, and this can be
coupled with a comprehensive range of fixed-in-place flow probes to
provide continuous, round the clock monitoring in critical applications.
ClimaAir provides a highly effective, low cost solution to making the
accurate flow rate measurements that are essential saving energy in
relation to compressed air. PVL's Steve Moorey comments: "Making
sure the compressor itself is running efficiently is certainly important,
but when it comes to saving energy it's really only half the story. Perhaps
more important is ensuring you're making the most efficient use of the
compressed air that's being generated, But finding out exactly how much
compressed air is being used, and where it's being wasted, has
traditionally been very expensive and very difficult to determine. Now we
have a simple, low cost, but highly accurate tool to do just that.
For users who may only have a one-off monitoring need in order to specify
a correct flowmeter, PVL is also looking to introduce a highly cost-effective
on-site service to measure compressed air flow rates, which it would then
follow up with competitive prices on appropriate permanently installed
flowmeters.
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For more information, contact...
PVL Limited
Unit 9, Lexden Lodge Industrial Estate, CROWBOROUGH TN6 2NQ. UK.
Tel : +44(0) 1892 664499
Fax : +44(0) 1892 663690
Email : david.almond@pvl.co.uk
Website : www.pvl.co.uk
February 2002
