The paddlewheel flow meter utilizes an absolutely different method of determining the amount of movement of fluids as compared with a pressure differential meter which has a paddlewheel placed directly where the movement of fluid takes place and it is able to rotate freely as the fluid passes by and the faster the movement of fluids past the sensor, the faster the paddlewheel will rotate.

On every web or paddles contained in the paddlewheel is a magnet mounted to produce a sinusoidal waveform when it passes the detector that is positioned in the head of the sensor. To convert the sine wave signal to a variable voltage signal use of frequency-to-voltage converter is necessary and to enable the paddlewheel meter to measure accurately it needs to be mounted in a straight run of piping where flow is laminar. The paddlewheel is an inexpensive sensor that can be used in applications that don't need to have great accuracy.

The Velocity Meter category

The paddlewheel flow meter is of the category labeled as Velocity Meters and these use the changes in velocity which happens when the movement of fluid changes to quantify the amount of flow. Essentially, the paddlewheel meter has a paddle wheel that is upright to the movement path and not parallel as is the case with traditional turbine-flow meters. To limit contact between the paddles and the flowing media a rotor axis is positioned. There are a number of different paddlewheel flow meters and they include gas meters, water meters, liquid meters and a turbine meter.

In addition, there are various specifications available for the paddlewheel flow meter and they need to meet certain requirements to make sure that there is a perfect fit as well as form and function. Some parameters need to be taken into consideration such as the diameter of the pipe, operating pressure range, as well as liquid temperature range, prior to using a liquid meter.

There is wide usage of the paddlewheel flow meter in industries as well as commercial applications and these may be used for all electrical, mechanical as well as instrumentation processes in order to measure the movement rate of liquids or gases. In addition, the paddlewheel flow meter needs to be compliant with clean-in-space (CIP) as well as sterilize-in-place (SIP) regulations. Also, there are many common factors that need consideration prior to using paddlewheel flow meters and these include type of fluid, viscosity of fluid chemical compatibility as well as the size of the pipe.