Precise and reliable metering of highly viscous media for the petroleum, petrochemical and chemical markets

Titan Enterprises have announced the availability of their Oval Gear (OG) flowmeters designed specifically for the chemical and petrochemical industry. With their exceptional precision and reliability, Titan Enterprises' OG flowmeters are the ideal choice for measuring the flow of petroleum liquids and petrochemical additive injection fluids.

In the highly demanding field of liquid flow measurement and control in the chemical and petrochemical industry, positive displacement flow measurement devices, like Titan Enterprises' Oval Gear flowmeters, have emerged as the preferred solution for numerous applications. The OG flowmeters excel in harsh conditions, providing users with high-pressure capability, exceptional suitability for harsh environments, and long-term reliability with minimal maintenance. They are especially well-suited for handling viscous fluids.

In applications involving high-viscosity liquids such as fuels, thick oils, bitumen, resin, and tar, precision is crucial. oval gear meters, with teeth that drive the gear and seal the central path, harness the differential force generated by the shape of the ovals instead of relying solely on the gear teeth on the lobe. The size and shape of these oval gears vary, depending on the resolution and flow requirements of the process application.

One of the primary challenges in metering high-viscosity liquids lies in the pressure drop within the application. However, Titan Enterprises' OG flow measurement instruments overcome this limitation. The presence of larger surface area within the oval gears creates a significantly greater driving pressure across the gears. As a result, these flowmeters deliver a wider flow range capability and lower pressure drop when compared to other types of positive displacement meters. as illustrated in the accompanying graph.

Neil Hannay, Senior Development Engineer at Titan Enterprises, explained, “The higher the viscosity of a liquid, the more pressure will be required to ‘force’ the liquid into the flowmeter and around the oval gears. It’s important to bear this in mind when selecting the correct size of oval gear flowmeter for your application. For example, more pressure will be required to push through resin than diesel.”

Titans’ Oval Gear (OG) flowmeters are almost completely resistant to the effects of varying liquid viscosity, density and temperature, the measurement precision improves as liquid viscosity increases, from a nominal 1% to around 0.1% of flow rate at higher viscosities. Titan’s standard OG models offer exceptionally high accuracy up to 1000 cSt; for viscosities over 1000 cSt Titan’s specially profiled gears are provided to facilitate additional liquid flow.

Titan offers bespoke options and adaptive designs of its oval gear meters to cater to customers’ specific high-pressure requirements, aid chemical compatibility and ensure safe operation in potentially explosive atmospheres. Titan’s Oval Gear range includes ATEX-compliant IP65/NEMA 4 protection versions, and meters that provide intrinsically safe options for processes within harsh environmental conditions, such as corrosive or potentially explosive atmospheres, where flowmeters need to maintain accurate and reliable measurement in some of the most oppressive, industrial settings.

Titan’s Oval Gear meters can be pressure tested in-house for up to 950 bar for custom-designed models and calibrated against diesel. Process technicians In the chemical industry often use Titan’s Oval Gear flowmeters in conjunction with a batch controller to facilitate the automatic dispensing of pre-set volumes of chemicals.