Product category:
Building Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
News Release from: Dulas | Subject: Flowstream flow meter
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 05 January 2007
Hydro monitoring in remote places
Dulas has developed the Flowstream flow meter - a pocket-sized device which allows hydro surveyors to measure flow rates quickly and accurately
Dulas Limited, based in mid-Wales, specialises in renewable energy systems throughout the UK and in many developing countries They regularly undertake research and development projects aimed at the needs of the developing world
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 21 Dec 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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These have included heat storage cooking equipment, solar powered water desalination and medical refrigeration facilities for remote sites with no accessible power systems.
Many of their projects involve small hydro-electric systems in areas with little or no hydrological records.
Consequently, stream flow data has to be obtained from site visits to assess the resource and correctly design the system.
To meet this need, the company has developed the Flowstream flow meter.
This pocket-sized device allows hydro surveyors to measure flow rates quickly and accurately, from a flow of 1 litre per second up to a maximum of 4,000 litres per second in both streams and irregular channels.
It uses a computerised gauging technique which can deliver accurate results in uneven and turbulent channels where spot velocity measurements cannot be used.
the operator measures and records the background conductivity of a particular watercourse, and then dissolves a set amount of salt, typically 500 grammes, upstream of the Flowstream's probe.
The instrument then monitors and calculates the water flow rate, displaying the information in litres per second.
Each test takes 15 minutes, and can be carried out by an operator without prior training, with a typical repeatability better than 95%.
The instrument is battery operated, and will operate for about 40 hours before replacements are needed.
The Flowmeter can also be used in other applications where accurate and straightforward water flow rate measurements are needed, such as irrigation schemes or in an industrial context, to measure discharge flows from factories or water treatment works.
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