As technological innovations progress, many wastewater plants are becoming increasingly crowded with infrastructure. That’s why VORTAB flow conditioners make sense for operators who need to add a liquid flowmeter in already crowded equipment areas where there is insufficient upstream straight pipe. The units are designed to ensure a smooth flow profile for accurate measurement by flowmeters, which often must be installed in close proximity to pumps, valves or elbows due to limited plant real estate.

“Most flowmeters typically require a six- to 10-pipe-diameter straight run for an accurate reading, and these flow conditioners can mimic that straight run in a much smaller distance,” says Don Lundberg, VORTAB’s principal engineer. “In today’s plants, operators need to fine-tune their processes. This helps give them exact measurements.”

Most liquid flowmeters, including differential pressure, magnetic, ultrasonic and turbines, have sensing technologies that can be significantly affected by asymmetrical flow conditions in the pipe. These conditions degrade measurement accuracy and repeatability. Unfortunately, many plants are rich with bulky equipment and other real estate limitations, which make it difficult to achieve the straight-run distance necessary for accurate liquid flow measurement. Plant upgrades and retrofits can also require adding more flowmeters in locations that are difficult to accommodate without flow conditioning devices because they lack straight pipe run requirements. VORTAB flow conditioners reduce the required upstream straight pipe requirements to only a very few diameters for effective compact meter installation and accurate flow measurement.

“They actually improve efficiencies by not having to install flowmeters on every line,” says Lundberg. “They can be installed after a bend, where a tech can actually use a removable, portable meter to check the flow.”

The design results in a low-pressure drop, providing significant energy savings and maximizing attainable plant product throughput. Non-recoverable pressure loss can reduce maximum flow capability in process lines, creating process inefficiencies and requiring greater energy expenditures to move process liquids and gases.

“When you create a consistent flow stream, it helps all the machinery connected to that stream operate at a higher efficiency and last longer,” says Lundberg. “That saves a municipality money and saves downtime.”

There are four different flow conditioner models to accommodate a variety of process requirements. The Insertion Sleeve can be installed directly into existing pipe or specially designed to meet unique piping configurations. The Meter Run offers a complete, simple pipe section replacement for new and existing piping systems. It is a seven-pipe-diameter spool piece composed of three pipe diameters of flow conditioning internals and a built-in downstream settling chamber. The Short Run offers a simple flow conditioning pipe section replacement for new and existing piping systems. It is a three-pipe-diameter flow conditioning spool piece with just flow conditioning internals. The Elbow, a 90-degree long-radius elbow, has the ability to isolate irregular velocity profiles and swirl normally encountered in a single elbow, but also has the ability to isolate any irregular velocity profiles.

“We believe that we have a model of conditioner that will meet any irregular flow need,” says Lundberg. 800/854-9959; www.vortab.com