Litre Meter Launches New Instrumentation Display
UK flowmeter specialist Litre Meter (www.litremeter.com) has launched a new state-of-the-art lightweight flow indication displaywhich,uniquely, is 2-wire, suitable for hazardous areas, HART compatible and has a 316 stainless steel enclosure. It is expected to find widespread application in the oil and gas industries, particularly for chemical injection systems.
At just twothirds the diameter of its previous iteration the new FlowPod is one of the smallest flow displays on the market. It is an evolution of the existing large display to provide additional functionality which has been requested by users.
This includes the facility to display flow rate, total flow and analog rate. The backlit display, which features high contrast ratio large flow rate indication and totalizer indication, enables the display to be read at distance in poor light conditions. The background colours are programmable to change with the flow alarm status, making fault conditions easy to see.
Display features include five-digit rate display giving the real time flow rate, the option to display flowrates and totals in many different units and flow range usage. It has a removable memory card for programming and offers 4-20 mA, HART and pulse outputs as standard.
Calibration modes can be easily switched without having to remove the FlowPod from the installation or having to perform difficult on-site calibration curve changes. Data logging capabilities enable recalibration to be tailored to the actual working flow rate of the meter.
All FlowPods are calibrated at the factory. For field recalibration most customers will be able to use a HART programmer or remove the memory card and use a laptop. Where this isn’t possible the integrated magnetic switches allow for simple programming and menu selectionand mean that it can be programmed without having to power down. It can be supplied either direct-mounted to the flowmeter or remote-mounted using suitable armoured signal cable or conduit. The display can be adjusted to any angle.
The FlowPod is housed in a slim 85mm diameter explosion proof stainless steel enclosure, and is ATEX, IECEx and CSA (USA & Can) approved.
Litre Meter has long recognised the need for bespoke solutions for specific flow application requirements. Fluids differ in viscosities, their chemical and physical properties. Flow rates and materials also vary. In order to deliver solutions, it has been necessary to design and customise flowmeters for each application – until now.
In order to respond quickly to requests for flowmeter solutions Litre Meter now keeps in stock design drawings for 115,000 different VFF flowmeter configurations. The sheer range of choice has effectively designed out the need for customisation. Using pre-existing drawings means that meters can be built and delivered more quickly with increased efficiencies for the customer.
Lead times are greatly reduced and customers can bring their projects to fruition and get them commissioned and online quickly to minimise delay and maximise production, and therefore profits.
Litre Meter has created a dedicated program which enables Litre Meter distributors and application engineers to select and configure flowmeter solutions using all the options available to them.
“Customisation has become more complex than ever as technologies have been developed to provide more sophisticated communications, a wider range of connections and accurate measurements at higher pressures and over wider flow ranges – down to very low flow rates,” said Litre Meter CEO Charles Wemyss.
As a low flow specialist working with suppliers to major companies such as BP, Chevron, Anadarko, Shell UK and Tyco, Litre Meter has supplied meters for chemical injection in the oil and gas industry for projects around the world for over 25 years. This experience in chemical injection applications onshore and offshore has confirmed the instrument’s capability to reliably measure fluids to help maintain flow assurance under extreme conditions of both temperature and pressure.