Custom subsea display for turbine flowmeters

Paul Boughton
UK custom flow meter manufacturer and distributor Litre Meter has developed a custom display for use with the Hoffer Flow Controls range of turbine flowmeters.

The display is designed for use in subsea installations. The display can operate at depths of up to 600 metres. This means that operators of ROVs can view the instrument while working on maintenance procedures subsea. It is easier for ROV operators to read the instrument in situ rather than wiring up the meter for surface viewing.

The instrument features a customised flow rate indicator fitted to a standard turbine flowmeter. The display is mounted on pillars inside a stainless steel cylinder with Perspex viewing plate.

Litre Meter CEO Charles Wemyss explained: "These turbine flow meters meters are designed to operate at high pressures in harsh conditions. However, Hoffer needed a suitable display to go with its meters that could also operate effectively in these conditions.

"As a Hoffer distributor, Litre Meter was approached to use its expertise in subsea meter customisation to develop the instrument.

"There are several reasons why companies opt for customised meters but the most important is the 'bottom line' - the amount that can be saved in costs.

"It is well worth talking to instrument manufacturers about available customisation options before seeking to 'make do' with a standard instrument that does not fully meet the needs of the application."

Hoffer manufactures high precision turbine flowmeter technology for the measurement of clean liquids and gases throughout the processing industries.

The inline 'axial' turbine flowmeter measures the average velocity of a fluid flowing through the body of the meter.

Mounted within the body of a turbine flowmeter is a vaned rotor centred on a shaft which rotates on bearings. The shaft is supported in the housing by tube bundles that also provide some flow conditioning for the fluid stream.

Hoffer meters have a wide size range that can accurately measure flows of 0.25-20 litres/min up to 3,000-57,000 litres/min. Excellent accuracy provides an overrange of 150 per cent of maximum flow (intermittently) and  ±0.25 per cent of the reading with a typical. ±0.1 per cent repeatability.

For more information, visit www.litremeter.com

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