New Mini CORI-FLOW is Smallest Coriolis Instrumentation Yet

Bronkhorst High-Tech (UK), has introduced its new highly compact and accurate Mini CORI-FLOW series, believed to be the smallest Coriolis effect instruments on the market. Offering a range of purpose-made meters and controllers, as well as dedicated liquid dosing systems, Mini
CORI-FLOW has been specifically developed to precisely measure very low flow rates, down to a few grams an hour, although larger models will handle up to 30kg/hr and beyond. The unique design of the Coriolis sensor delivers unsurpassed performance, irrespective of changing operating conditions with regard to pressure, temperature, density, conductivity and viscosity.
Suitable for both liquid and gas flow applications and capable of bi-directional measurement, Mini CORI-FLOW instruments are equipped with robust IP65 weatherproof housings and available with ATEX approval for use in hazardous areas; while the controllers feature adaptable PID controls for regulating integral or separately-mounted electronic control valves. Typical applications include research laboratories, pilot plants and fuel cell processing, analytical installations and anywhere requiring directmass flowmeasurement, independent of fluid properties. Prices are highly competitive.
The Coriolis effect, first identified by a French scientist of that name, is the tendency for any moving body to drift sideways from its course, due to the earth’s rotation. A major practical application of this effect is mass flowmeasurement and, in the Mini CORI-FLOWseries, the fluid flows through a vibrating tube, causing a variable phase shift, which is detected by sensors and fed to an integral PC board, with the resulting output exactly proportional to the mass flow rate. Whilst other flow measuring principles require correction for changes in fluid temperature, pressure, viscosity and density, Coriolis devices are independent of these properties and will exactly measure fluid throughput, no matter whether it is in a gaseous or liquid state.
Notable for their high accuracy and fast measuring signal, traditional Coriolis mass flow meters tend to be large, requiring robust mountings and sizeable concrete plinths, and are typically applied to medium-to-high flow rates, with measurement of low rates usually complicated and costly. Now, building upon the success of its existing CORI-FLOW design, which is a quarter the size of standard units, Bronkhorst’s new Mini CORI-FLOWis around 16x smaller than normal, with a basic footprint of just 80mm x 32mm and an overall height of 144mm. Moreover, both meters and controllers have been developed to cover the needs of the low flow market, at a fraction of usual costs, with different models providing overlapping maximum flow rates up to 30kg/hr.
The new Mini CORI-FLOW series features state-of-the-art digital technology, offering standard fieldbus interface options and additional functions such as totalisation and alarms. The PC boards on the range’s mass flow controllers (MFCs) additionally allow fast and smooth control of electrically-driven valves, either integrated onto the device or separately mounted for special tasks. The flow controllers have the same footprint as traditional thermal MFCs and feature the same options for analog and fieldbus communications, enabling quick and easy instrument exchange.
For applications where a control valve is not appropriate, such as when a liquid cannot be pressurised, a Mini CORI-FLOW liquid dosing system can be supplied in various flow capacities. This comprises a virtually pulse-free gear pump, close coupled to the Coriolis flow meter, complete with check valve, filter and interconnecting pipework, in a simple, compact assembly. Again, the pump is regulated by the onboard PID controller, via a voltage output signal.
Bronkhorst UK has identified a number of interesting applications for this unique Coriolis technology and can assist in the development of customised solutions. These include the measurement and control of additives being dosed into a main product stream; the supercritical measurement of difficult-to-monitor fluids like carbon dioxide and ethylene, where they are midway between a liquid and a gas; the delivery of precursor fluids, either as gases or liquids, in deposition processes; and as a batch process counter, where each batch can be programmed into the integrated counter limit value, then the valve closed until reset.