QuadraTherm Flowmeter Puts New Spin on Fiberglass [Case Study]

What a waste! That’s what I thought when I learned how much material is rejected and how much gas is consumed during the fiberglass insulation manufacturing process. The biggest losses occur during the melting, spinning and subsequent cooling of silica, a key ingredient in fiberglass. For those who work in this industry, it’s a never-ending battle to:

• Improve fiberglass quality


• Reduce the waste of raw materials


• Increase production capacity


• Keep costs down

One Thermal Flow Meter to Handle the Variables of Fiberglass Production

Recently, I worked with some process engineers from a fiberglass company who were looking for a new spin on these long-term problems. However, it wasn’t just a matter of handing them a digital flow meter from off the shelf. They were facing a number of challenges, including various pipe diameters and several grades of fiberglass, each needing a different gas flow, temperature and pressure. What they needed was an instrument that could enhance combustion efficiency while operating reliably under all these conditions.

Our new QuadraTherm™ 640i thermal mass flow meter – currently the most accurate on the market today – made the ideal choice.

With four sensors in one, it measures:

1. To a +/- 0.75% of reading accuracy over a flow range 0-60,000 sfpm (305 smps).


2. Multiple gases, including natural gas, air and compressed air. All three play an integral role an integral part of making fiberglass.


3. High or low flow in pipes of various lengths and diameters.

A Flowmeter that Adapts to Fiberglass and Other Applications

QuadraTherm’s Dial-a-Pipe and Dial-a-Gas features allow it to conform to the application and provide consistent mounting, installation and wiring. In addition, it comes with our patented DrySense sensor, which eliminates drift and the need for recalibration, and ValidCal, a program that can be used in the field to confirm, adjust or troubleshoot all meter inputs.

As you can imagine, this one flowmeter has the power to impact not only fiberglass manufacturing, but many other processes in a broad range of industries. If you’d like to learn more about how QuadraTherm can transform thermal mass flow measurement for you, contact us.

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