Glycol, as a kind of important chemical raw material, solvent and antifreeze, is widely used in some industries such as petrochemicals, automobiles, and textiles. Accurately measuring the flow rate of glycol is of great importance for process control, cost accounting, and custody transfer and product quality assurance. This article will analyze in depth the glycol flow measurement application characteristics of Coriolis flowmeter , oval gear flowmeter , variable area flow meter and liquid turbine flowmeter (TUF flowmeter) in measuring glycol flow rate, providing selection references for engineering and end users.
Widely used glycol needs flow measurement
The conductivity of glycol is relatively poor, with a conductivity of about 1.07 × 10 ⁻⁶ S/cm, which limits the application of electromagnetic flow meters in this medium.
Can magnetic flow meter measure glycol flow?
Pure glycol medium is not suitable for electromagnetic flow meters due to its low conductivity, but if it is a solvent of glycol +water, especially when the proportion of water is particularly large, electromagnetic flow meters can measure it. If the medium of glycol+water is measured using an electromagnetic flowmeter, there are many advantages, such as the absence of movable sensor components, bidirectional measurement, and low cost flow sensor.
Magnetic flow meter can measure solvent of glycol +water
Application analysis of liquid turbine flowmeter
The liquid turbine flowmeter measures based on the principle that the rotational frequency of the turbine blades under fluid glycol propulsion is proportional to the flow rate. of glycol, liquid turbine flow meters are a economical solution for glycol flow measurement.
Can turbine flow meter handle glycol viscosity?
Even though the viscosity of ethylene glycol is a little high, which could reach to 16.1cP, but TUF flow meter can max handle around 45 cp clean liquid, so turbine flow meter from silverinstruments.com can handle that tough job.
TUF Flow range for different sensor size and pressure loss
The measurement accuracy of liquid turbine flow meters is usually ± 0.5% to ± 1.0%.
This type flowmeter has the advantages of fast response speed and large range ratio (around 10:1), and is suitable for ethylene glycol transportation systems with large flow rate changes.
Digital glycol flow meter: it has pulse, 4-20mA output, option with MODBUS RTU ,HART communication, with flow transmitter to show glycol flow rate and total flow.
Digital turbine flow meter with digital display to show glycol flow rate and total flow
In the ethylene glycol transmission pipeline, the installation of liquid turbine flow meters requires special attention to the requirements of the front and rear straight pipe sections. It is usually necessary to ensure the length of the straight pipe section from the front 10D to the back 5D to ensure the stability of the flow field. Meanwhile, due to the lubrication performance of ethylene glycol, the service life of turbine bearings is relatively long.
Enough straight pipelines before and after turbine flow meter
What is the best accuracy glycol flow meter?
Coriolis flow meter is the best accuracy glycol flow meter.
Best accuracy glycol flow meter-Coriolis type
The Coriolis flowmeter is based on the principle of Coriolis force and determines the mass flow rate by measuring the phase difference generated by the vibrating tube during fluid glycol flow. In the measurement of glycol flow, Coriolis flowmeter exhibits significant advantages.
The measurement accuracy of this type of mass flowmeter is extremely high, usually reaching a reading accuracy of ± 0.1% ~0.2%, and is not affected by changes in fluid density, viscosity, temperature, and pressure. For media such as e glycol, Coriolis flowmeters can provide stable and reliable mass flow measurement results. At the same time, the flowmeter can also measure total mass flow ,glycol density and temperature simultaneously, providing multiple parameters measurement for process control.
Multiple parameters can be measured by Coriolis
The straight tube and bent tube structures of Coriolis flowmeter have their own characteristics in the application of ethylene glycol. The pressure loss of the straight tube flowmeter is small, but it is sensitive to vibration; the bent tube flowmeter has high measurement accuracy, but the pressure loss is relatively large. In the ethylene glycol conveying system, due to the high viscosity of the medium, it is recommended to choose a larger diameter bent tube Coriolis flowmeter to balance measurement accuracy and pressure loss.
Disadvantages of using Coriolis meter for glycol
The initial cost is the highest, currently Coriolis flow meter is the most expensive flow meter among all flow meters.
The size and weight are relatively large.
Sensitive to vibration during pipeline installation (requiring good support).but it does not need straight pipeline before and after flow meter.
No straight pipeline needed when install Coriolis type glycol flow meter
Oval gear flow meter for glycol flow measurement
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Technical characteristics of oval gear flowmeter
Oval gear flow meter is a cost-effective choice widely used in process control, batch loading, and other applications.
Oval gear flowmeter is a kind of Positive displacement flowmeter, which calculates flow rate by measuring the number of times a fixed volume of fluid glycol passes through, and belongs to a type of mechanical flowmeter. Oval gear flowmeter and Helical gear flow meters are commonly used types of PD flowmeters in ethylene glycol measurement.
Oval gear flow meter calculate the glycol by measuring the times of gear
The oval gear flowmeter has the characteristics of simple structure and high measurement accuracy, and performs reliable and accurate in glycol flow measurement. Due to the excellent lubrication performance of glycol, it can effectively reduce the wear between gears and extend the service life of flow meters. The measurement accuracy of this type of flowmeter can usually reach ± 0.2%, which is suitable for measuring small and medium flow rates of liquid glycol.
The oval gear flowmeter uses two interlocking oval gear as measuring elements, which have good reproducibility in ethylene glycol measurement. Due to the viscosity characteristics of ethylene glycol, the oval gear flowmeter can achieve good sealing effect and reduce leakage errors.
However, it should be noted that volumetric flow meters require high fluid cleanliness, and impurities in ethylene glycol may affect measurement accuracy and impurities can even cause PD flow meter stuck and broken.
The main advantage of a oval gear flowmeter is that its measurement is not affected by changes in fluid properties, and it has good adaptability to media with large viscosity changes such as ethylene glycol. At the same time, this type of flowmeter can measure extremely low flow rates, such as 10 ml/min flow range with a minimum measured flow rate of several milliliters per minute, meeting the needs of low flow situations.
Low requirements for straight pipe sections when install oval gear flow meter for glycol
Oval gear flow meter can work without external power supply (mechanical counter).
Mechanical flow meter for glycol flow measurement
Metal tube flow meter for glycol measurement
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Principle:
A vertically mounted, tapered metal tube contains a free-moving float. Ethylene glycol flows upward through the tube, lifting the float until the annular gap between float and tube wall creates equilibrium. Flow rate is indicated by the float’s height (direct reading) or converted to electrical signals.
Pros of using metal tube rotameter
No power required for local visual indication
Handles viscosity changes (e.g., glycol’s 16.5–57 cP range)
Low pressure drop and minimal installation constraints
Robust construction (all-metal, resistant to glycol’s properties)
Cost-effective for non-critical applications
Cons:
Moderate accuracy (±1–5% FS), unsuitable for custody transfer
Limited turndown (typically 10:1)
Moving parts (float) susceptible to sticking with contaminated glycol
Output options (e.g., 4–20mA) add cost vs. basic visual models
Best For:
Non-critical monitoring of ethylene glycol in HVAC, industrial cooling loops, or chemical dosing where extreme precision isn’t required. Avoid for trade or high-precision control.
Performance comparison of three types of flow meters
From the perspective of measurement accuracy, Coriolis flowmeter has the highest accuracy, followed by oval gear flowmeter, and liquid turbine flowmeter is relatively lower. In the measurement of glycol, the Coriolis flowmeter can provide a measurement accuracy of ± 0.1%, which is not affected by changes in the physical properties of the medium; The accuracy of the oval gear flowmeter is about ± 0.5%, suitable for stable working conditions; The accuracy of the liquid turbine flowmeter is ± 0.5% to ± 1.0%, and viscosity correction needs to be considered.
Considering accuracy, Coriolis is the best
From the perspective of pressure loss, oval gear flow meters have the highest pressure loss, followed by Coriolis flow meters, and liquid turbine flow meters are relatively smaller. In the glycol transportation system, pressure loss is an important consideration factor.
From the perspective of maintenance costs, liquid turbine flowmeters have the lowest maintenance costs, followed by oval gear flowmeters have relatively higher maintenance costs due to mechanical wear and tear. Coriolis flow meter does not have any moving parts inside the sensor , it needs less maintenance cost.
Turbine meter cost is low, but has moving parts inside.
Selection suggestions and application prospects
It is recommended to use different types of flow meters for different application scenarios. For high-precision measurement requirements in glycol trade handover occasions (custody transfer), it is recommended to use Coriolis flow meters;
When considering custody transfer flow meter, Coriolis is the best
For production processes with high requirements for process control, oval gear flow meters are an ideal choice;
Oval gear flow meter is good for glycol process control and batch control
For general monitoring and control applications, liquid turbine flow meters have good cost-effectiveness.
For glycol general monitoring and control, turbine flow meter is enough
With the development of Industry 4.0 and intelligent manufacturing, glycol flow measurement technology is also constantly advancing. The application of new materials has improved the corrosion resistance of flow meters, and the introduction of digital technology has enhanced the level of intelligent measurement.
In the future, multi parameter measurement, remote diagnosis, and predictive maintenance will become the development direction of ethylene glycol flow measurement technology.
Taking into account measurement accuracy, economy, and reliability, engineering and technical personnel should select the appropriate type of flowmeter based on specific application requirements, and fully consider the medium characteristics of ethylene glycol during installation and use to ensure the long-term stable operation of the measurement system.
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