All-in-one portable clamp-on ultrasonic transit-time flow meter

Saelig Company, Inc. now offers the Coltraco Portasonic Plus, which can non-invasively measure the flow rates of most clean liquids in pipes without the problematic contamination and mechanical challenges of penetrating the pipe wall. It reliably measures flow velocities between 0.01m/s-25m/s for liquids with gas/solid content less than 10% of volume. The equipment arrives with movable clamp-on transducers for rapid-setup measurements. The unit utilises two sensors, one as an ultrasonic transmitter and the other as a receiver. The Portasonic software captures the time it takes for the ultrasonic pulse to pass from the transmitter to the receiver. This transit time is dependent on the flow rate. Utilising external clamp-on sensors means that the device can be non-invasively applied to virtually any pipe as a continuous monitoring solution, but it can be readily transferred to a different location if monitoring requirements change. Depending on needs, this gives the device dual functionality as a permanent and portable monitoring solution.

Two sizes of IP66-rated sensors are available to cope with the diameter of the pipe being measured, covering a temperature range of -20C to +150C, and fully waterproofed variants are optionally available. The device can measure wall thickness, volumetric flow rate, mass flow rate, and energy (heat quantity) flow rate all in one instrument. All measured values can be totalised to give the total flow rate measured during a particular measurement session and stored internally in 4MB storage on the device or directly logged to a PC via a microUSB connection. The internal battery allows up to 12 hours of use or unlimited use with micro-USB mains power.

The device includes a built-in signal oscilloscope display to allow sensor positioning and diagnostics, which helps achieve maximum measurement accuracy while supplying visibility of potential installation issues for troubleshooting purposes. Datalogging fluid flow rates is a means of providing a verifiable record of system functionality and safety.

Applications include almost any fluid flow monitoring, including commercial building HVAC metering, fuel and waste water monitoring, etc.