Steam system operators may find themselves paying a steep price if product passes through a meter but doesn’t get measured. Commonly known as low flow cutoff, these losses typically happen because of a flow meter’s turndown ratio, which determines how wide a flow spectrum is able to be measured. If low flow cutoff is a risk in a steam system, operators should be aware of these risks, which include the possibility for missed revenue, erratic flows, and system overdesign.

Let’s take missed revenue, for instance. When an engineer is writing steam meter specifications, the focus is often on the potential maximum flow, even if a system is unable to produce such numbers. The engineer may choose to avoid a flow that’s too low, even if the option is wiser. The lack of metering at the lower end of production may result in a missed opportunity and therefore missed revenue.

Vortex meters have a shredder bar mounted across the diameter of a pipe which allows for low measurement flow. These meters are commonly used in measuring steam and they are also effective for higher flows.
To read more, please visit https://www.mccrometer.com/technical-articles/three-hidden-traps-of-low-flow-cutoff.

The Avanti Company was founded in 1977 by Paul and Justine Devlin and is headquartered in Avon Park, FL. We provide water meters, metering systems, AMI support, on-site flow meter testing, sewer flow monitoring, inspection and assessment services for the water, wastewater, agricultural, petroleum and industrial marketplaces. Avanti represents products from McCrometer, Itron, Hach Flow, Honeywell/Elster, 64 seconds, Infosense, Nicor, Aclara, Badger Meter, and others. Please visit our website at www.avanticompany.com, email us at info@avanticompany.com or call us at 863-453-5336 for assistance with all of your flow meter and metering system needs.