Compressed Air Flow Measurement

Why measure compressed air?

Compressed air is instrumental in many manufacturing facilities, but at the cost of high expenses. Not only is compressed air expensive all on its own, but air can easily leak from machinery and pipes without anyone knowing. Even with regular maintenance and regular checks, small, unnoticeable leaks can occur at any time in air distribution lines. An industrial plant can often expect compressing air to account for up to a third of the facility's total energy usage, overproduction and leakage notwithstanding. Hence, compressed air flow meters such as insertion style thermal dispersion flow meter or in-line thermal flow meter are invaluable in manufacturing plants. They can help measure the true compressed air usage within a facility, improving air leakage management and tangibly reducing both cost and energy consumption. Simultaneously, compressed air flow sensors can improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce the manpower and time needed to find and monitor leakages. 

Silver Automation Instruments Thermal Mass Flow Meter

Silver Automation Instruments has developed a digital thermal mass flow meter compatible with standard air compressor lines. It is easy to install, with no moving parts or additional instruments transmitters needed for pressure or temperature measurement, and comes with an isolation assembly valve for quick and easy mounting. The Silver Thermal Flow Meter has a negligible pressure drop and a rangeability of 100:1, made to be highly sensitive and quick-responding while maintaining high repeatable accuracy. This allows the Silver flow meter to check for undesirable compressed air leakage in unused lines both during peak hours with heavy flow and standby hours, where leaks may be the only cause of airflow. The Silver thermal mass flow meter, by optimizing high sensitivity at the lower end with exceptional upper-level performance, can assess with high accuracy the true compressed air consumption, to help save energy costs. 

Silver Automation Instruments thermal flow meters are ideal for use in complex energy management systems. Meters follow RS-485 transmission standards and are MODBUS RTU protocol compliant. Silver thermal dispersion mass flow meter have an output flow rate of 4-20mA, generate consumption in pulsed outputs, feature a non-resettable totalizer as required in environmental reporting, and offers continuous diagnostics, temperature readings, and flow rate, all output on bright, graphical displays for easy reading. Silver Automation Instruments also offers a remote style air flow meter to be used in adverse conditions, including locations with extreme radiant heat, and machinery out of the way or hard to reach.