Cetiat (Centre technique des industries aérauliques et thermiques) is extending its expertise in the field of liquid flowmetering with the development of a new dynamic calibration method, representative of the real conditions experienced by water flowmeters and meters, under Cofrac accreditation. A world first.
A new, more representative dynamic calibration method for flowmeters and water meters
As part of the European MetroWaMet project, Cetiat, the national reference in liquid flowmetering, guarantees the best level of uncertainty in France for the calibration of flowmeters and water meters, and has developed a new dynamic bench for calibrating flowmeters and water meters under real-life conditions.
The practical use of flowmeters and water meters by end-users (users of domestic water metering systems, manufacturers in the pharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical and agri-food sectors) increasingly differs from the ideal conditions under which calibrations are carried out in the laboratory. For example, most flowmeters are calibrated for static flows, i.e. when the flow is stable and regulated at a constant value, whereas they are used to measure flows that vary more or less rapidly. In this case, the non-negligible response time of the flowmeter induces a measurement bias not estimated by current static calibration methods, but potentially impacting on dosing, drawing and mixing of reagents, for which flow measurement is critical.
Aware of these challenges, Cetiat has developed and validated a new calibration method under dynamic conditions (flow fluctuations) representative of the real-life conditions experienced by water flowmeters and meters. The latter can be calibrated up to 12m3 /h for applications requiring the delivery of controlled flows and volumes of liquids over short periods, such as the manufacture of drugs and food products, physico-chemical treatment processes, and so on.
Cetiat's new dynamic calibration bench has been validated and ISO17025 accredited by Cofrac since August 2021 for calibrating instruments with fluctuating flow rates. The first services began this summer. This innovation, both in terms of methodology and the creation of the new dedicated bench, is a world first. It opens up new prospects for Cetiat to meet the need for innovation in flowmetering, and to offer sensor calibration services in conditions close to real-life.
"This innovation enables us to study the effect of flow rate fluctuations on the dynamic metrological performance of calibrated flowmeters and meters. which contributes to improving the performance of instruments and processes being developed or optimized by our customers and nationals. We are already working on adapting the historical (static) test bench to enable dynamic calibrations up to 50 m.3 /h "explains Florestan Ogheard, design manager and technical referent for Cetiat's liquid flowmetering laboratory.
The MetroWaMet project is supported by Euramet's Empir European metrology research and innovation program as part of the European Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
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www.cetiat.fr