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Most Common Flow Meter Problems & How to Solve Them


Sep 01, 2023
Maryadine Washington, Mar-Com Manager
Written By:
Maryadine Washington, Mar-Com Manager

Engineers, process managers, and technicians rely on flow meters to deliver the precise, real-time data they need to handle, transfer, and store fluids safely and efficiently in applications from oil and gas production to precision manufacturing — and even healthcare. Modern flow sensors from leading industry suppliers deliver high levels of accuracy, reliability, and durability […]

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DrySense Sensor Technology Is the Key to Thermal Flow Meter Accuracy


Feb 26, 2021
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

Why Are Dry Sensors Critical for Flowmeter Lifetime Sensor Warranty, Accuracy, and In-Situ Validation? When it comes to flow meters, what matters to plant managers and engineers alike is if their meter is measuring flow accurately and reliably. They want to know they can depend on the data their meter is providing. However, the answer […]

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Avoid Common Flow Meter Installation Mistakes to Optimize Flow Meter Performance


Oct 21, 2020
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

In our last blog, we discussed how plant and operation managers are searching for ways to manage the flow energy in their facility to cut costs and increase their process efficiency. After the purchase decision is made, correct installation and calibration are the next steps to maintaining the equipment over the lifetime of the product […]

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Core Technology Series: Capillary Tube Thermal Mass Flow Meters and Controllers


Apr 18, 2019
Matthew Olin, President
Written By:
Matthew Olin, President

Understanding Capillary Tube Thermal Mass Flow Meters & Controllers:   Flow meters and controllers are used every day in general purpose industrial and laboratory applications and in the semiconductor industry.  Have you ever wondered how capillary tube flow meters work?  or How to specify the perfect flow meter for your application? I am excited to present this ongoing core technology […]

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Sierra’s Top Flow Blogs of 2017


Jan 05, 2018
Matthew Olin, President
Written By:
Matthew Olin, President

Another year has come and gone, and it certainly was a big one for Sierra and our customers! Let’s look back at the news and top content that we shared with you in 2017. Most Popular Blog Posts from 2017 We love sharing our news and providing useful flow meter information with you through our Let’s Talk […]

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Overcoming Natural Gas Sampling Challenges in Oil & Gas Applications


Mar 03, 2017
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager
Written By:
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager

It is a fact that in order to comply with various government rules and regulations, oil and gas companies have to continually take natural gas samples to prove the gas composition and amount of gas flowing in their oil fields. The challenge comes in trying to actually take an adequate gas sample representative of the […]

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Direct Mass Flow or Volumetric: The Thermal Flow Meter Technology Advantage!


Nov 18, 2016
Maryadine Washington, Mar-Com Manager
Written By:
Maryadine Washington, Mar-Com Manager

In today’s world where everyone is watching the bottom line, you need high performance, cost-effective instrumentation—and capillary thermal mass flow meters and controllers have been proven to meet this criteria in a wide range of process applications. Thermal mass flow technology is an industry standard for mass flow control of gases because it measures flow directly, […]

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Primary Standard Gas Flow Calibration—The Only Guarantee of Accuracy


Sep 19, 2016
Jim Oswald, Technical Support Manager
Written By:
Jim Oswald, Technical Support Manager

At Sierra, we have a saying: “An instrument’s accuracy is only as good as its calibration.” The accuracy of your mass flow controller (MFC) is essential in assuring the efficiency, performance, and quality of your flow meter. In many cases, if your instrumentation is not calibrated, then a decline in performance is possible due to sensor drift from the factory […]

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Gas Mass Flow Control: Why Thermal Mass Flow Technology is Recommended for Best Accuracy


Aug 26, 2016
John, Chief Engineer
Written By:
John, Chief Engineer

It’s no secret. Price, but perhaps more importantly, performance, drive every new product acquisition you make. How important is measurement accuracy and control to your lab experiment or industrial process? It’s critical. If your flow readings are off or the flow is not controlled with precise accuracy your research is compromised, product quality suffers, and […]

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4 Ways to Make Flow Calibration Easy for You


Oct 16, 2015
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager
Written By:
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager

Our flow experts here at Sierra are committed to ensuring your flow meter is accurately calibrated and returned quickly so downtime is kept to a minimum. Sierra’s latest flow meter service and calibration brochure, “Precision Delivered”, details that level of commitment, showcasing four key components of our approach to flow calibration service. Assuring your flow […]

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Field-Adjust For Gas Composition Changes, Retain Accuracy, Save Time and Money


Jun 05, 2015
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

When gas composition changes, typical thermal meters must be sent back to the factory to be re-calibrated in order to maintain required accuracy levels.  All of this is a costly, time-consuming endeavor. Imagine the time and money you can save by not having to send your meter back to the factory for calibration every time […]

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If gas composition changes, field-adjust to maintain flow meter accuracy?


Apr 13, 2015
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

Changes in gas composition cut into productivity in the field, exactly when you need accuracy in flow meter measurement the most. But what if you could retain that precision, even when those changes occur? Now you can do just that with qMix Software.  If your gas composition changes over time, you can now quickly field-adjust the QuadraTherm […]

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Methods & Pitfalls of In-Situ Calibration Validation of Thermal Flowmeters


Oct 07, 2014
Matthew Olin, President
Written By:
Matthew Olin, President

Driven by the need to meet quality standards like ISO 9001, reliability engineers for mid-to-large-sized facilities and campuses know the time consuming reality of assuring their flow meters are properly maintained and “in cal”. A unique and highly marketed benefit of Thermal Mass Flow Meter technology is “in-situ” or “in place” flow meter calibration.  This certainly sounds like […]

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Ultra-High Pressure 5000 psig (345 barg) Gas Mass Flow Control…No Easy Task!


Sep 22, 2014
Max Waterstone, Engineer
Written By:
Max Waterstone, Engineer

Overall, Sierra wants better accuracy and control of high pressure gas mass flows across industry in general, leading to better efficiency, and vastly reducing gas losses to save time and money for our customers.  But, how is it possible to accurately measure and control gas mass flow rates at pressures up to 5000 psig (345 barg)? This is […]

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The Truth About In-Situ Calibration Validation of Thermal Flowmeters


Sep 10, 2014
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

In-situ calibration validation is one of the great benefits of thermal mass flow technology. This video reviews in-situ calibration validation and details how thermal sensor stability is the only way a calibration validation is actually valid! Get the truth about in-situ calibration so you can make informed decisions. Watch the video now! For a more detailed […]

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4 Keys to Great Portable Ultrasonic Flow Metering


Aug 18, 2014
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

The liquid measurement market is an extremely large market with many varied measurement requirements. To get the best bang for your buck, a portable ultrasonic flow meter is a practical solution. With a portable ultrasonic flow meter, you can use one liquid flow meter in several locations throughout your flow process. There are many portable […]

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How to Manage Your Flow Calibration Risk


Aug 08, 2014
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager
Written By:
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager

Precision measurement instrumentation, like mass flow meters, are only as good as their calibration. No one knows this better than the facilities managers and process engineers who have to keep up with the yearly calibration of sometimes thousands of instruments. Because managing instrument calibration is such a time-consuming, but necessary reality of facilities management, industry […]

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Best Practices for Mass Flow Controller Manufacturing


May 29, 2014
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager
Written By:
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager

In Part 1 of our mass flow controller best practices series, Best Practices for Mass Flow Controller Selection and Installation,  Sierra’s Chief Engineer John Smitherman compiled a comprehensive list of best practices for the selection, installation and operation of mass flow meters and controllers. With so many flow measurement products and technologies on the market, […]

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Understanding Flowmeter Recalibration Traceability…


May 19, 2014
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager
Written By:
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager

Customers often ask if they need to have their flow meter instrumentation calibrated annually. Along with calibration-related questions, traceability is another area that garners its fair share of inquiries. In this week’s post, I’ll share the answers to these commons questions you may have been wondering about. Do I need to have my mass flow […]

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How to Save Time & Money by Calibrating Flow Meters Onsite


May 01, 2014
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

If you have hundreds of mass flow controllers and meters or just a few in your lab, facility, or manufacturing process, how do you keep up with the demands of annual recalibration? Most flow meters and controllers need to be recalibrated yearly to meet stringent ISO quality standards. This requires technicians to remove the mass flow meters from the […]

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Best Practices for Mass Flow Controller Selection & Installation


Apr 07, 2014
John, Chief Engineer
Written By:
John, Chief Engineer

As scientists, facilities managers and manufacturing engineers, specifying equipment is a part of our daily work life. What product do I need? What’s the best price for the value? How do I install the product once I get it? The more information about best practice principles, the easier the job is of specifying and buying […]

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NEW Video Animation: How Do Thermal Mass Flowmeters Work?


Mar 24, 2014
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager
Written By:
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager

As if your were actor Dennis Quaid in the popular 1987 movie Innerspace, journey inside the pipe to learn the operational principle of thermal mass flow technology and see, from a molecules perspective, why thermal flow meters have become extremely popular due to high accuracy, no moving parts, negligible pressure drop, sensitive direct mass flow measurement with high […]

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Chemical Engineering Magazine Article By Sierra’s Founder


Feb 10, 2014
Maryadine Washington, Mar-Com Manager
Written By:
Maryadine Washington, Mar-Com Manager

Sierra’s Founder, Dr. John G. Olin, looks at the Principles of Operation, Installation, Calibration and Best Applications for Thermal Mass Flow Meters… Read the full article in Chemical Engineering Magazine.

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Insertion Flow Meter Straight Run Requirements


Dec 02, 2013
Jim Oswald, Technical Support Manager
Written By:
Jim Oswald, Technical Support Manager

You have specified the correct industrial Thermal insertion mass flow meter and received your brand new meter. Now what? Where do you install the meter for optimal performance? This is where technical expertise comes in, along with a mixture of science and tribal knowledge.  In fact, Sierra has talked for years about a flowmeter being only as good as how it was […]

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Voice of the Customer: Flow Meter Solution for Air Pollutant Measurement


Nov 15, 2013
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager
Written By:
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager

We’re always looking for solutions here at Sierra-ones that always give customers precise, accurate data. It’s what drove Dr. John G. Olin to found Sierra in 1973, with a goal of providing the marketplace with accurate flow meter measurement. It’s what drives our engineering team to continue to advance flow meter design. It’s also what […]

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For Improved Accuracy in Industrial Applications: Clean & Test Your Mass Air Flow Sensor


Jul 10, 2013
Freynold Usi, Software Engineer
Written By:
Freynold Usi, Software Engineer

In today’s dirty heavy industrial applications, engineers and operators are often faced with an inherent challenge which affects mass flow accuracy: How do I know if the sensor of my mass flow meter is clean? and How do I clean the sensor without shutting down the system? Because accurate mass flow readings are often critical for running an efficient […]

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Article Highlights Advancements in Flow Meter Accuracy


Mar 26, 2013
Maryadine Washington, Mar-Com Manager
Written By:
Maryadine Washington, Mar-Com Manager

Thanks Flow Control magazine for the great coverage and helping to spread the word to our customers about new technology to improve flow measurement accuracy, which always improves plant efficiency and saves customers money in the long run. John G. Olin, PhD, founder of Sierra Instruments and inventor of a number of flow industry firsts, […]

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New QuadraTherm Flow Meter: iTherm Expanding Gas Library


Nov 27, 2012
Matthew Olin, President
Written By:
Matthew Olin, President

The iTherm gas library stores proprietary gas packets, which are  analogous to the DNA of a specific gas. It stores all the parameters needed to instantly calculate the thermodynamic and transport properties of every gas or gas mixture versus temperature and pressure. Currently, the library has mapped 18 gases and mixtures, and it continues to grow […]

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New QuadaTherm Flow Sensor: with iTherm, It Learns!


Nov 20, 2012
Matthew Olin, President
Written By:
Matthew Olin, President

With iTherm, It Learns… QuadraTherm’s four-sensor technology provides the critical inputs for iTherm’s living, learning algorithm set and gas library to accurately manage changes in gas and pipe selection, gas temperature, gas pressure, and outside temperature. Our revolutionary thermal mass flow meter with iTherm solves the First Law of Thermodynamics (for Thermal Dispersion Technology) in a fraction […]

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New QuadraTherm Thermal Flow Sensor Makes It Possible!


Nov 13, 2012
Matthew Olin, President
Written By:
Matthew Olin, President

Patented QuadraTherm’s Four-Sensor Design A major thermal sensor breakthrough for Sierra occurred with QuadraTherm, as two new temperature sensors (T2 and T4—see figure below) were added to the existing two-sensor design (T3 temperature & T1 DrySense velocity) used in previous flowmeter models. The two additional sensors perform real-time correction for the heat lost to the outside environment due […]

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New QuadraTherm 640i / 780i: Accuracy Never Before Possible!


Nov 08, 2012
Matthew Olin, President
Written By:
Matthew Olin, President

Innovative QuadraTherm Four-Sensor Design Traditional thermal sensors have two sensors—one temperature sensor and one velocity sensor, each in a separate probe sheath. QuadraTherm (the term “Quad” meaning “four”) introduces four sensors—three precision platinum temperature sensors and one patented DrySense mass velocity sensor. Performance improvements never before possible are gained as the QuadraTherm Technology isolates forced […]

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New QuadraTherm 640i / 780i: Introducing The World’s Most Accurate Thermal Mass Flow Meters


Nov 06, 2012
Matthew Olin, President
Written By:
Matthew Olin, President

From Sierra’s beginning over forty years ago, we have been driven by the vision of supplying industrial customers with the world’s most accurate thermal mass flow meter. And, we knew it was a “sensor” game. The development of an industrialized metal-sheathed sensor in the early 80s was Sierra’s first big step, but we didn’t stop there.   Many successful innovations […]

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Under Pressure, Part 6: Size Matters with Flowmeters and Pressure Regulators


Oct 04, 2012
Morgan Zealear, Engineer
Written By:
Morgan Zealear, Engineer

In this final post on pressure regulation and flow meters, I’d like to present a case study. A customer was convinced that our unit intermittently lost control for given flow rates. It turns out that as they increased flow rate, the outlet pressure of the regulator (inlet to the mass flow controller) was drooping below […]

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Under Pressure, Part 5: Flowmeters on the Ragged Edge of Pressure Drop


Oct 02, 2012
Morgan Zealear, Engineer
Written By:
Morgan Zealear, Engineer

Think about it. It’s pretty much impossible to make a controlled pressure drop without burning up some energy as heat. Therefore, the outlet pressure and flow rate cannot be linearly proportional at 1:1, but rather, must have some positive loss of X:1, where X is greater than 1. So, for a given regulator setpoint, the outlet pressure […]

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Under Pressure, Part 4: More on Pressure Regulator Droop and Flowmeters


Sep 27, 2012
Morgan Zealear, Engineer
Written By:
Morgan Zealear, Engineer

If my previous post on droop, the least apparent pressure regulation issue, wasn’t enough of the low down for you, let me share some more about this common issue that arises with flowmeters. Droop is the difference between the outlet pressure at low inlet pressures and at high inlet pressures along the ‘operating range’ of the […]

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Under Pressure, Part 3: How to Avoid ‘Droop’ (Hysteresis) with Flowmeters


Sep 25, 2012
Morgan Zealear, Engineer
Written By:
Morgan Zealear, Engineer

If you’ve been reading my series on pressure regulation, you know my goal is to help you achieve the best possible gas mass flow control with your flowmeter. Previously, I’ve discussed undersizing and seat-drop lock. Now I want to move onto something that can really get you down – “droop.” Regulators may exhibit hysteresis, also known as droop. Droop is […]

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Under Pressure, Part 2: Don’t Run a Flowmeter Regulator into the Mud!


Sep 20, 2012
Morgan Zealear, Engineer
Written By:
Morgan Zealear, Engineer

Proper line regulation, be it supply pressure regulation, or back pressure regulation, is fundamentally key to a properly tuned flow system process. All instruments operate most accurately under steady-state conditions, so awareness of regulator behavior and proper tuning will save you time and money on avoiding waste during transient conditions. In my continuing tutorial on mass flow […]

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SmartTrak® 140 Ultra-Low ΔP Mass Flow Controllers


Jul 12, 2012
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

Get Incredible 4.5 psid (310 mBard) at Flows up to 500 slpm. When you need precision gas mass flow control of expensive process gases, where minimal pressure drop is a key consideration for cost savings and efficiency, the SmartTrak® 140 flow meter controls up to 500 slpm with an ultra-low ΔP of 4.5 psid (310 […]

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Part 2: Capillary Thermal Flow Meters vs. Differential Pressure Devices


Jan 26, 2012
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

In my last post (Part 1: Capillary Thermal Flow Meters vs. Differential Pressure Devices), I talked about volumetric flow and how it must be temperature and pressure corrected to obtain mass flow. Wouldn’t the world be a simpler place if we could simply measure mass flow directly? In fact, we do! Capillary thermal is likely the most […]

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Part 1: Capillary Thermal Flow Meters vs. Differential Pressure Devices


Jan 24, 2012
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

The most common technology in use today for measuring flow is differential pressure “dP or ΔP” (orifice plates, pitot tubes, venturis and the like).  Indeed, that was the only flow measurement method I was taught in engineering school.  Well, things have come a long way in the 28 years since I picked up my degree. […]

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Precision Gas Flow Control is Key to R&D Instrumentation


Nov 11, 2011
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager
Written By:
Erica Giannini, Marketing Manager

If you’re a scientific researcher, few things are as important as your ability to accurately control experimental research variables. Data – more specifically, precise data – is king! When you need gas flow rate measurement and control instrumentation, the ability to derive statistically sound and repeatable data is the key driver. Over the past several […]

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Industrial Thermal Mass Flow, The Heat is On…


Nov 03, 2011
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

One of the more interesting stories I have been told about Sierra is the genesis of the company’s flagship product, our model 640S Steel -Mass ® Immersible Thermal Mass Flow Meter.  In the mid 60’s, our founder, Dr. John Olin, was working on his PhD at Stanford.  One aspect of his research involved studying the fluid […]

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Gas Mixing & Blending: A Focus on Dilution


Oct 21, 2011
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe
Written By:
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe

Dilution is a special application in the world of gas mixing.  Basically, you are diluting a concentration of gas in an already existing gas mixture. Let’s say you have a gas mixture of 10% Ar/90% N2 and you really need 5 Ar/95% N2 for your application. The solution is to add more N2 to the the mix, […]

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Gas Mixing & Blending: ‘Kwik Kalucations’ with K-Factors


Oct 18, 2011
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe
Written By:
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe

‘Kwik Kalucations’ with K-factors make gas mixing with a single gas mass flow meter simple. If you’re looking to improve flexibility and save money when it comes to gas mixing and blending applications, consider applying a “K-Factor.” A dimensionless numerical relation of a specific gas vs. air or nitrogen, a gas K-factor never changes. If K-factors will work in […]

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Accuracy in Gas Mixing & Blending


Sep 13, 2011
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe
Written By:
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe

In my last post, I discussed the important question of Mass or Volume flow measurement.   Today, I will discuss accuracy and the need to size your mass flow controller properly to assure the highest quality gas mixing and blending. Mass flow controllers are devices that have an accuracy of % of full scale (%FS).  That means […]

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Understand Your Flow Profile for Real-World Flow Meter Accuracy


Aug 31, 2011
John, Chief Engineer
Written By:
John, Chief Engineer

As explained in my last post on flow conditioning, distorted flow profile is a common problem in “real world” flowmeter applications. In some cases, customers can live with a distorted flow profile because they are using flow meters for a relative measurement of flow, rather than an absolute measurement of flow. In cases where the customer is looking […]

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Gas Mixing & Blending: Mass or Volume?


Jul 29, 2011
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe
Written By:
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe

Mass or Volume: Important question! In my first blog post on gas mixing and blending, we saw that combustion is an important gas mix application. Combustion or burning is a chemical process, a reaction between molecules. To quantify the gas used we should count these gas molecules and not the space between these gas molecules. […]

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Air May Be Free, But Compressed Air Isn’t! (Part 2 of 2)


Jul 17, 2011
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

In my last post early last month (June 9th), Mr. Carlisle of  Air Compressor Supply was looking for compressed air flow meters to measure compressed air.  As I explained to him,  our Steel-Trak®   Model 640S is ideal for compressed air applications.  The 640S immersible thermal mass flow meter delivers the 1.0% accuracy and highly repeatable direct mass […]

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Air May Be Free, But Compressed Air Isn’t! (Part 1 of 2)


Jun 09, 2011
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director
Written By:
Scott Rouse, Product Line Director

Like you, I have become painfully aware of the increasing costs of energy in our daily plant operations. Recently, I was contacted by a company in Oklahoma with an interesting application. Air Compressor Supply Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma, does compressed air auditing.  I asked the technician, Carl Carlisle, what exactly that meant. His explanation was […]

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Understanding Flow Profile in the Real World


May 05, 2011
John, Chief Engineer
Written By:
John, Chief Engineer

From my experience in the field, I have seen widespread misunderstanding of the physical phenomenon of “flow profile.”  Since our industrial flow meters actually measure flow at one point, an understanding of flow profile is critical.  The average user imagines that the flow in a pipe is uniform.  This is a flawed thought, and never […]

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Gas Mixing & Blending: Why Do It?


Apr 27, 2011
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe
Written By:
Paul de Waal, Managing Dir., Sierra Europe

Gas Mixing & Blending: Who, what and why? I am passionate about helping my customers obtain perfect gas mixing and blending!  I have been helping customers do this for over 25-years.  In this six part blog,  I want to discuss many of my experiences and aspects of gas mixing related to thermal mass flow controller technology. I want this blog to be […]

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