Vortex Flowmeter Technology Used for Accurate Energy Usage Billing

A major military Public Works Center (PWC) that provides hot water and steam to heat a number of military facilities and buildings in the area needed a way to accurately monitor energy usage so they could correctly bill each facility for their usage.

CHALLENGE

The PWC needed to be convinced of the value of monitoring true energy usage and managing energy versus simply measuring flow rates, in order to accurately bill based on true energy usage. High accuracy was a critical requirement for this application.

SOLUTION

The   Pro-V™ Model M22-Energy Meters multivariable flowmeters were the ideal solution because of their rugged design (no moving parts; virtually maintenance-free), high accuracy, and ability to perform real-time calculations of energy consumption for the facility. The flowmeter monitors one side of the process, either sent or return, and uses an input from a second separate temperature sensor on the opposite leg of the process to calculate the change in energy. Selectable energy units include BTU, MBTU (Thousand BTU), MMBT (Million BTU), MWHr (Mega watt-hour), KWHr (Kilo watt-hour), HPHr (Horsepower-hours), MCal (Mega calories), and MJ (Mega joules). The local or remote electronics display the two measured temperatures, delta T, mass total and energy total. Integrating multivariable output capability with a single pipe penetration simplified the systems complexity and helped reduced initial equipment, installation and maintenance costs. The PWC received a cost effective, highly accurate, rugged, virtually maintenance-free energy monitoring solution.

BENEFITS

• Direct energy measurement

• High level of accuracy

• Cost-effective solution

• Long-term maintenance-free operation