Quiz Corner: How to adjust a pulsed magnetic flowmeter with 4-20 mA analog output

Sept. 11, 2015

Which of the following adjustments are applicable to a pulsed magnetic flowmeter with a 4-20 mA analog output? A. Zero and full scale flow B. …

Which of the following adjustments are applicable to a pulsed magnetic flowmeter with a 4-20 mA analog output?

A. Zero and full scale flow

B. Zero and full scale flow; 4 mA and 20 mA

C. Zero flow; 4 mA and 20 mA

D. Full scale flow; 4 mA and 20 mA

Commentary


The analog output zero and span (4 mA and 20 mA) circuitry needs to be adjusted or trimmed to ensure accuracy so Answer A is not correct.

Pulsed magnetic flowmeters measure the induced voltage on the electrodes when the coil is turned on and then when it is turned off. The flowmeter measures flow signal plus noise when the coil is on. Noise is measured when the coil is off. The flow signal can be calculated by subtracting the two (flow signal plus noise minus noise). Therefore the noise cancels itself out at zero flow so there is no zero adjustment per se. Answer B and Answer C are not correct.

The span does need to be adjusted or trimmed so Answer D is correct.

On a side note, when pulsed magnetic flowmeters were first introduced, two engineers spent an entire morning (unsuccessfully) searching for the zero adjustment.

READ ALSO: Quiz Corner — How Temperature Affects PD Pressure Drop & Meter Sizing

Additional Complicating Factors

Other flowmeter technologies that can exhibit a well-defined zero that cannot be adjusted include differential pressure, turbine and vortex shedding flow technologies.

David W. Spitzer

David W. Spitzer is a regular contributor to Flow Control magazine and a principal in Spitzer and Boyes, LLC offering engineering, seminars, strategic, marketing consulting, distribution consulting, and expert witness services for manufacturing and automation companies. Spitzer and Boyes is also the publisher of the Industrial Automation INSIDER. David has more than 40 years of experience and has written over 10 books and 300 articles about flow measurement, instrumentation and process control. He can be reached at 845 623-1830 or via www.spitzerandboyes.com. Click on the "Products" tab to find his Consumer Guides to various flow and level measurement technologies.

About the Author

David W. Spitzer

David W Spitzer’s new book Global Warming (aka Climate Change): An Understandable Data-Driven Explanation and Pathway to Mitigation (Amazon.com) adds to his over 500 technical articles and 10 books on flow measurement, instrumentation, process control and variable speed drives. David offers consulting services and keynote speeches, writes/edits white papers, presents seminars, and provides expert witness services at Spitzer and Boyes LLC (spitzerandboyes.com or +1.845.623.1830).

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