Steam is one of the important secondary energy sources for manufacturing enterprises. When enterprises discuss energy saving and consumption reduction, steam is usually the first thing they consider. From the perspective of corporate benefits, cutting steam loss means lowering production costs. In this regard, steam metering should be prioritized. Only with accurate metering can we quantify the amount of energy saved.

For a long time, orifice differential pressure flowmeters have been widely adopted for steam measurement in large and medium-sized pipelines above DN200, especially for high-pressure superheated steam, where orifice differential pressure flowmeters are almost universally used. For small and medium pipelines generally below DN100, vortex flowmeters are heavily used alongside orifice differential pressure meters. For smaller pipelines under DN50, vortex flowmeters are the primary option. Later, various other flowmeter types emerged, including nozzle throttling devices, Annubar flowmeters and elbow flowmeters.

According to incomplete statistics, steam metering performance is similar across petrochemical, metallurgical, thermal power and other industries. The measurement deviation between suppliers and consumers in some facilities can reach 45%, and deviations exceeding 20% are commonplace. The root causes are analyzed as follows:

1. Early conventional vortex flowmeters could only withstand temperatures of over 200℃; later high-temperature versions reached up to 350℃. However, they tend to age and become unstable in steam systems above 320℃. Besides, they require a Reynolds number twice as high as that of orifice differential pressure flowmeters. Their major drawback is poor vibration resistance, which easily leads to chaotic data and missed measurements.
2. Orifice flowmeters feature a narrow turndown ratio, typically 3:1 to 10:1. When operating below 30% of full-scale flow, accuracy deteriorates significantly and measurement error rises. Moreover, the orifice measuring system consists of many components; impulse piping is prone to blockage, leakage, freezing and vaporization, resulting in heavy on-site installation work and high upfront costs as well as intensive maintenance workload. As a throttling device, the orifice plate causes substantial pressure loss, leading to high long-term energy consumption and operating costs. During prolonged operation, the geometric shape of the orifice plate changes: sharp edges wear blunt and the discharge coefficient decreases. Worse still, condensate water easily accumulates inside steam pipelines. Water hammer generated during start-up and shutdown may deform the orifice plate, even turning it into a flared opening. All these factors make it difficult for orifice differential pressure steam flowmeters to maintain their original designed measurement accuracy.
3. Annubar, elbow and similar flowmeters output low differential pressure signals, bringing challenges to signal detection. Stable data and reliable accuracy are hard to guarantee.
4. Nozzle throttling devices have the advantage of lower pressure loss compared with standard orifice plates. Nevertheless, they are difficult to machine and manufacture, requiring sophisticated inspection techniques, and periodic verification after long-term operation remains a concern.

It is evident that vortex flowmeters would be the optimal choice for steam metering. Yet two insurmountable limitations of traditional vortex meters — inability for long-term measurement above 300℃ and weak anti-vibration capability — force users to deploy multiple metering devices. Some customers even install 3 to 4 different flowmeters on a single pipeline, further complicating steam metering.

So is there a vortex flowmeter that is both high-temperature resistant and anti-vibration?

The answer is yes!

The 3rd-generation Isolatable Replaceable Vortex Flowmeter developed by Huarui Instrument changes customers’ stereotype that vortex meters are unstable, vibration-sensitive, unable to withstand high temperatures and of poor quality.

Premium Vortex Meters — Made by Huarui!

This product solves long-standing drawbacks of ordinary vortex meters available on the market: vulnerability to vibration (chaotic data), missed measurements at low flow velocity, inability to measure above 350℃, and incapability of on-site probe replacement.

Its key features are listed below: ● Safe and reliable. No sealing elements or compression screws. The sensor can be replaced online without flow interruption, eliminating massive losses caused by shutdown maintenance and realizing double insurance. ● Temperature range: 350℃ ~ 550℃ ● Pressure rating: 2.5MPa ~ 45MPa ~ 64MPa ● Under working condition of 0.1MPa: Minimum flow velocity: Gas 1.98m/s ~1.2m/s; Liquid 0.21m/s ~0.18m/s ● Wide turndown ratio: 10:1 ~20:1 ~35:1 ~40:1 ● Complete series specifications: Single signal output per unit Dual signal output per unit Four-channel signal output per unit

Multiple safeguards ensure safe control & detection and continuous non-stop operation.