About the Calibration of Rotameter

IVANOV Valentin Ganchev

Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria, vgi@[Link]

Abstract
This work on basis of literary studies and analysis of the author are examined the principle of action and
characteristics of rotameter. Also is shown the procedure for calibrating the rotameter under certain conditions.
There have been made some experimental studies on the determination of the calibration curve of the
flowmeter.

Keywords
rotameter, flow meter, calibration

1. Introduction
The amount of a substance (liquid or gas), passing per unit time through a cross-section is called a
flow rate. We measure quantity of substance in [2] volume flow Q [m3/s] or mass flow Qm [kg/s].
Devices for measuring the flow (flow rate) are called flow meters. Quantity counters are devices that
measure the amount of the substance (fluid) passed through a cross-section per unit time. According
to the principle of operation, the flow meters are [1]: variable pressure drop, variable level, with
constant pressure drop, velocity, power, electromagnetic, thermal, and others.

2. Design and Working Principle of Rotameter

The Rotameters are one of the most common flow meters. They belong to the group of devices
working with a constant pressure drop.
Figure 1 shows a principle scheme of a rotameter. Its main elements are a vertically positioned
conical transparent tube (1) and float (2). The input of the unit is supplied with fluid (liquid or gas) at
a pressure Po.

Fig. 1. Principle scheme of rotameter

In the absence of flow, when the throttle valve (3) is closed, the float is located in the lower end
position, completely closing the tube, and its upper surface should show zero mark on the scale (4).
When opening the throttle conditions are created for fluid flow, the flow forces overcoming the weight
of the float and move vertically upwards. It opens passage section with an annular space defined by
the difference of the diameters of the float and the tube for the particular position of the float. In the
actual design the pipe and the scale are interchangeable depending on the scale of the device and the
type of measured fluid. Because of the sloping grooves on the flange of the float, the flow giving the
latter rotary motion and it centered on the axis of the tube, thereby avoiding friction between solids

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and improves the sensitivity of the device. Plastic sleeves (5) and (5') limiting the movement of the
float in the end positions and protect the tube from a hard impact at hopping pressure. The vertical
position of the pipe is achieved by means of the spirit level (6) and adjustable feet (7).
The construction drawing of the laboratory Rotameter LD, designed to measure the flow of fluids
(liquids and gases), is shown in Figure 2.
In accordance with the principle of operation of the rotameters, a major part of the structure is a
vertically extending conical transparent tube (3) with a small cone extending upwards in which a float
(15) is placed which, in the absence of flow through the rotameter, under its gravity lies on the plastic
sleeve (14) near the lower end of the tube and almost completely closes its light section. When the
fluid passes through the pipe in the bottom-up direction, the float is forced to lift, opening a smaller or
larger ring gap, depending on the momentary consumption. With a set (constant) flow, the float
occupies an equilibrium position along the height of the pipe as determined by its forces. Thus, the
height h on which the float is located, measured on a scale on the tube, gives an idea of the flow rate.

Fig. 2. Construction drawing of laboratory Rotameter LD

The rotameter body consists of two parts - upper (4) and lower (5) heads with central holes and
external thread connected to each other by the plate (1). The lower head is attached to the base (2) by
screw and a nut (11). To the base are mounted three legs – one non-adjustable (19) and two adjustable
(18) by means of which the conical pipe in operation is set vertically to the indications of the circular
fluid level (17). The set of the rotameter contains a number of conical tubes of different diametrical
dimensions each of which corresponds of a certain measuring range (see Table 1). When installed, the
appropriate float is placed inside the selected pipe, in the widened and end portions – plastic sleeves
(14), and the nuts (12) and the sealing groups (13), all oriented in the manner shown in the figure, are
hopped on the pipe. The tubes are of a length such that they enter a small gap between the heads (4)
and (5). With the nuts (12), the sealing groups (13) are tightened to the base, which leads to
deformation of the rubber O-rings (6) and (20) and to the sealing of the node. The measured flow is
fed to the nozzle (10) (rotor inlet). On its way, the flow meets the conical valve (9), which allows (by
rotating the handle (16)) to control the flow. Upon encountering the float (15), the flow raises it and
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causes it to rotate due to the unsymmetrical cutout of the surrounding surface of its flange. The
purpose of the rotary motion is to entrain a thin layer of fluid that centers the float along the pipe axis
and prevents direct contact and friction between them, thereby improving the sensitivity of the device.
The purpose of the sleeves (14) is to avoid damaging the pipe and flooding the float in the event of
sudden drops in the flow. The upper head (4), by means of the pipe (7), is connected to the nozzle (8)
(rotameter outlet). For connection to the inlet and outlet of the rotameter, glands and a flexible hose
with inner diameters d are used. When measured, the position of the float (size h) is determined by the
float's forehead (surface k) and the conditional scale on the pipe. If necessary, other scales (21) from
the set are calibrated for specific fluids and placed on the pipes by means of spring plates. The axial
position of these scales is determined according to the benchmarks applied on them and the pipes.

3. Experimental Stand
The technical resources are:
1. Laboratory Rotameter LD:
- measured substances: liquids and gases;
- accuracy class: 2.5 (compared to the upper limit of the range);
- operating temperature: –30 °С  +120 °С;
- scale length: 200 mm;
- cone pipe no G15, designed for water flow rate of 5 to 60 l/h
- connectivity: flexible piping (hoses).
2. Sight
- target volume: V = 1.190 l (from the upper surface of the spindle of the crane to the mark on
the throat).
3. Stopwatch
- division value: 0.01 s.
4. Thermometer
- range: 0 to 30 °C;
- division value: 1 °С.
The calibration procedure is as follows:
Specifies constant values of flow rate by maintaining constant hydrostatic pressure at the entrance
of rotameter:
, (1)
where  is density of the fluid, g – gravitational acceleration, and Н – height of the column of fluid.
Flow rate Q is determine by expression:

(2)
,
where V is the volume of sight (a measure of volume), and t is the time for filling the volume V. It is
measured with a stopwatch.
Scheme of the experimental stand is shown in Figure 3. The names of elements and their purpose
are as follows: LD - undergoing for calibration laboratory rotameter; 1 - tube with a scale (S) for
calibration; 2 - valve for the flow rate through the rotameter; 3 - container of calibration fluid (tap
water); 4 - barrier for smoothing the waves in the container (3); 5 - overflow for maintaining a
constant level of water in the container (3); 6 - sight (a measure of the volume with a volume V6); 7 -
tap of sight; 8 - a mark on the neck of sight defining the volume V6; 9 - a flexible connecting tube (hose)
with an internal diameter d, approximately equal to the diameter of the jet with a height l in sight; 10 -
thermometer; 11 - container for measuring the temperature T of the water; H - height difference, the
height of the water column (the difference between the water levels at the inlet of a rotameter, and the
free surface in the container (3).
Density of the water is  = 1 kg/dm3; value of the gravitational acceleration is g = 9.80665 m/s2;
displacement Н = 1,800 mm; volume of the sight V6 = 1,190 l; internal diameter of the tube (9) is
d = 5 mm; height of the column of liquid in sight volume l = 264 mm.

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Fig. 3 Scheme of experimental stand

4. Experimental Results
Data from the experiment are recorded in Table 1, and then made the following calculations
(experiments were carried out ten times and then the numerical results were averaged):
- determines the V of the water column in the sight by the expression:

(3)
[dm3]
- determine the reduced with V volume by the expression:
[dm3] (4)
- for each of the calibration points is calculated flow rate Qi by the following formula:

(5)
[dm3/h]
- calculation of the differences Q, in dm3/h, for flow rates between neighbors calibration points;
- determines the average values of the division, in dm3/h, for the intervals between the calibration
points by the expression: Average value = Q/10.
Table 1 shows the experimental data about the graphical representation of the calibration of the
Rotometer LD (Figure 4).

Table 1. Experimental data of the calibration of the Rotameter LD

no. Mark t [s] Q [dm3/h] Q [dm3/h] Average value, [dm3/h]
1 10 685.28 6.22 4.64 0.46
2 20 392.4 10.86 5.11 0.51
3 30 266.84 15.97 5.11 0.51
4 40 202.1 21.08 5.21 0.52
5 50 162.03 26.29 5.37 0.54
6 60 134.56 31.66 5.75 0.58
7 70 113.87 37.41 5.77 0.58
8 80 98.65 43.19 5.96 0.60
9 90 86.68 49.15 7.00 0.70
10 100 75.88 56.14 7.00 0.70

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60

50

40

Q, l/h
30

20

10

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Mark
Fig. 4. Graphical representation of the calibration curve

5. Conclusion
The purpose of this work is to shown one of the methods for calibration of the rotameters.
There are some results from these experiments. Calibration curve for the rotameter is linear model.
It also shows that the replicated points show very little deviation.

References
1. Тroyanov, B.P. (1990): Уреди за измерване на физико-механични величини (Devices for measurement of
physical quantities). Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria (in Bulgarian)
2. International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM3). Available at: [Link]/en/publications/guides/[Link].
Accessed: 2017-06-12
3. Figliola, R.S., Beasley, D.E. (2015): Theory and Design for Mechanical Measurements. John Wiley& Sons, ISBN
978-1-118-88127-9, New York, USA
4. Biryukov, B.V., Danilov, M.A., Kivilis, S.S. (1976): Испытательные расходомерные установки (Testing flow
meters). Publischer: Энергия (“Energy”), Russia (in Russian)
5. Baldin, A.A., Boshniak, L.L., Solovski, V.M. (1983): Ротаметры (Rotameters). Publischer: Машиностроение
(“Mechanical engineering”), Russia (in Russian)

Received in October 2017

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