Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Definition
Liquefied petroleum gas is a colorless volatile liquid obtained by pressurizing and cooling natural gas or petroleum in a refinery. It is flammable and explosive. The main components of liquefied petroleum gas obtained from a refinery are one or two of propane, propylene, butane, and butene, and it is also mixed with a small amount of pentane, pentene, and trace sulfide impurities.
Due to its high calorific value, no smoke, no carbon slag, and easy operation, liquefied petroleum gas as a fuel has been widely used in people’s lives. In addition, liquefied petroleum gas is also used for cutting metals, baking agricultural products, and roasting in industrial kilns. Petroleum gas is a basic chemical raw material and a new type of fuel. It can be used to produce synthetic rubber, synthetic fibers, synthetic plastics, etc. It can also be used to produce medicines, dyes and other products.
Applications of Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has a wide range of applications in many fields due to its unique physical and chemical properties.
- Civilian fuel
- Commercial fuel
- Industrial fuel
- Transportation fuel
- Basic chemical raw materials
- Fine chemical products
- Agricultural application
- Refrigeration field
The wide application of liquefied petroleum gas not only meets the energy needs of people’s lives and production, but also promotes the development of related industries. With the advancement of technology and the improvement of environmental protection requirements, the application field of LPG will continue to expand, and its position in the energy structure will become more important.
Flow Skid Mounted System
Working principle
- The flow meter skid-mounted system is mainly composed of flow meter and controller, filter, control box, pressure gauge, and pipe flange.
- Connect the filter, flow meter, controller, and pressure gauge through pipes and flanges. Form a whole and install it in a control box. Form a skid-mounted device, which is connected to the external gas pipeline through the inlet and outlet flanges.
- The display of the flow meter integrator is through the opening on the box door. Install a display to facilitate the observation of the operation of the flow meter.
- The display of the IC card controller is installed on the panel of the box. It is convenient to change the battery, insert the card, and observe the operation of the controller.
- The filter is located upstream of the flow meter and the controller to protect it.
- The pressure gauge is convenient to install on the pipelines before and after the flow meter. It is convenient to observe the gas pressure before and after the meter.
- The control box protects the flow meter and other equipment. It ensures convenient transportation and installation.
Liquefied petroleum gas is used in various industries. Then the measurement of liquefied petroleum gas is very important. The following are the measuring instruments for liquefied petroleum gas.
Types of Liquid LPG Flow Meter
Oval Gear Flow Meter:
Oval gear flow meter is a volumetric flow meter. It is a type of flow meter with higher accuracy. It uses a mechanical measuring element to continuously divide the fluid into single known volume parts.
Oval gear flow meter can be made of different materials (cast iron, cast steel, 304 stainless steel, 316 stainless steel, PTFE). It is suitable for flow measurement in chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, power, metallurgy and food industries. Oval gear flow meter is often selected for LPG skid-mounted flow system.
Coriolis Flow Meter:
It works on the principle of the Coriolis effect, i.e. the mass flow is measured by analyzing the change in fluid momentum caused by the rotation of the flow meter pipe. It is used to measure CNG (compressed natural gas) and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).
It is designed for gas distribution systems (up to 70 kg/m or 155 lb/m). The flow meter is available with a variety of connections (flange, thread, sanitary clamp). There are also corresponding adapters available.
Coriolis mass flow meters are used for trade settlement of CNG and LPG due to their highest accuracy. Fair trade is guaranteed.
Types of Gas LPG Flow Meter
Thermal Dispersion Flow Meter:
It uses the principle of heat transfer to accurately measure the flow of dry gaseous liquefied petroleum gas. Since the heat transfer rate is proportional to the mass flow rate, the measurement results are accurate. There is a close relationship between the flow of fluids and the movement of heat, as well as the heat exchange between the flowing fluid and the solid, and can be used to measure the flow rate and flow rate of the fluid.
The advantage of thermal diffusion flow meters is that they can measure the flow of liquefied petroleum gas in large pipelines with minimal pressure drop. They are also highly accurate, compact and have very low maintenance costs.
Turbine Flow Meter
Turbine flow meters use the turbine principle to measure the flow of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This type of flow meter consists of a rotor with blades that rotate when LPG flows through. The speed of the rotor is proportional to the flow rate, allowing accurate measurement.
The advantage of gas turbine flow meters is the wide range of measuring ranges, which means that they can effectively measure a variety of flow rates.
Turbine flow meters are new intelligent meters that integrate turbine flow sensors and display calculations developed using advanced ultra-low power single-chip microcomputer technology. Therefore, the data can be displayed in real time when measuring LPG. It is convenient for judgment.
Vortex Flow Meters
The vortex flow meter is a volume flow meter based on the Karman vortex principle to measure the volume flow of gas, steam or liquid, the volume flow under standard conditions, or the mass flow of gas, steam or liquid. It measures LPG gas and can be configured with temperature and pressure compensation.
Vortex flow meters may not be suitable for applications that require accurate measurement of low flows. Because they will be affected by low flow conditions. Impurities or debris present in liquefied petroleum gas will also affect the accuracy of the vortex flow meter.
The structure of the vortex flow meter is simple and strong, and there are no moving parts inside. This ensures high reliability and is very suitable for long-term operation. The installation process of this flow meter is simple and quick, and maintenance is also quite easy.
Order Guide of LPG Flow Meter
The following aspects need to be considered when choosing an LPG flow meter:
Flow meter type: Common LPG flow meter types include thermal gas mass flow meter, turbine flow meter, vortex flow meter and differential pressure flow meter. Each type has its specific advantages and applicable scenarios:
Thermal gas mass flow meter: Suitable for large pipe diameter and low flow rate occasions, with high accuracy and no need for temperature and pressure compensation.
Turbine flow meter: Suitable for the measurement of clean and dry gas, which requires temperature and pressure compensation.
Vortex flow meter: Suitable for mass flow measurement of various gases, which can be directly measured without temperature and pressure compensation.
Differential pressure flow meter: Suitable for measuring the flow of fluids such as liquids, gases and steam.
Performance parameters:
Accuracy: Select the appropriate accuracy according to the application requirements, such as high accuracy in flow control systems. In a single measurement total, the accuracy requirement can be appropriately lowered.
Repeatability: In process control applications, repeatability is an important indicator. It is mainly affected by the principle and manufacturing quality of the instrument itself.
Linearity, flow range and range: Select the appropriate flow range and range according to actual needs.
Pressure loss and response time: Understand and control pressure loss to ensure that the response speed meets application requirements.
Installation location: Avoid vibration and strong magnetic fields, ensure that the flow meter is coaxial with the pipeline, and avoid shear stress. When the pipeline is long or close to the vibration source, supports should be installed upstream and downstream of the flow meter to eliminate the influence of pipeline vibration.
Use environment: For flow meters installed outdoors. There should be a cover to avoid exposure to the sun and rain erosion, which will affect the service life of the instrument.
Brand and after-sales: Choose a well-known brand to ensure the reliability of product quality and after-sales service. Understand policies such as installation guidance, maintenance support, and calibration services, and evaluate long-term operating costs.
Our Sino-Inst LPG flowmeter is dedicated to measuring liquids. We have more than 20 years of measurement experience. If you need it, you can contact us. We will provide you with the most suitable measurement solution. We will give you professional technical support. We are your best measurement partner.
