Decade spent metering flow
March 1st 2008

Litre Meter VFF rotary piston flow meters are designed to work under the harshest conditions and, when the company recently took in two meters for recalibration, it found that there had been little wear after a decade of continuous use.

Stretch wrap film manufacturer Total Polyfilm sent back two of the 17 Litre Meter VFF mass flow meters it uses in its manufacturing process because they had been operating for 10 years and were overdue for service. Until then the meters had been in continual use 24/7 for 51 weeks of the year.

As part of the manufacturing process the flow meters have to withstand high temperatures. The main ingredient in the film is polyisobutene (PIB). The chemical is very viscous at low temperatures. Even at temperatures of 80 or 90°C it still has a high viscosity and its flow through the meter places a lot of demand on the rotor. The flow meters control the amount of PIB that goes into the product mix.

Steve Smith, applications engineer at Litre Meter, says "When we placed the meters from Total Polyfilm on our calibration rig it was discovered that the meters were still in full operating condition, requiring minimal repairs or alterations.

With only one moving part, there is very little to go wrong with them and they are now going back into service."