Ultrasonic flow meter for small-bore flow metering

16 March 2010

Dorset-based Titan Enterprises is launching a highly-accurate and low-cost ultrasonic flowmeter at this year’s Medtech Exhibition at The NEC Birmingham (27-28 April). The Atrato flow meter uses patented technology that enables the direct-through meter to handle flows from laminar to turbulent.

With accurate and cost effective flow measurement becoming increasingly important to many industries, Titan Enterprises have developed the product with one of the foremost fluid engineering institutions, Cranfield University.

The Atrato is capable of monitoring flow over a range of 200:1 and has an accuracy better than +1.5%. Its simple design and USB computer interface, makes it easy to install and use.

The device uses the favoured ‘time of flight’ measurement system where a signal is passed along the pipe with the flow and back up the pipe against the flow, the difference in these signals produces the flow rate. Until now, this technology has been deemed expensive and sometimes inaccurate; however, Titan’s founder Trevor Forster believes the Atrato’s fully symmetrical, concentric signals coupled with the ability to achieve desired timing accuracies makes it a new market leader.

Titan’s Atrato is aimed at a wide customer base, in industrial engineering, plant operators, medical equipment supply, drink dispensing, and laboratory technicians.

According to Trevor, one of the unique aspects of the Atrato is the computer interface: "The USB connection permits the user to monitor the rate and total on their laptop in addition to operating parameters such as the pulse resolution units. At a later date, data logging and operation statistics will also be possible.”

Having championed the technology, Trevor said: “Fundamentally, my position is that the future of flow measurement is going to be ultrasonic or coreolis.They’re the only two long-term viable technologies because they’re not intrusive.”

Professor Mike Sanderson, Emeritus Professor of Fluid Instrumentation, Cranfield University agreed, said: “The Atrato’s unique clean bore construction makes it ideal for hygienic applications. The use of low frequency ultrasound and advanced signal processing to interrogate the flow ensures that the flowmeter provides high accuracy over a wide turndown range. In addition the technology developed for the Atrato has the flexibility to provide the basis of a family of flowmeters suitable for an even wider range of flows and applications.”

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