Improving operational efficiency of power plants through on-site calibration of flow sensors. (September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Müller, Ulrich; Dues, Michael; Hübert, Waldemar; Rautenberg, Christoph
• Is Part Of: Energy procedia. Volume 149(2018)
• Page Start: 189
• Page End: 196
• Publication Date: 2018-09
• Subjects: flow measurement -- innovative calibration technology -- on-site calibration of flow sensors -- flow sensor precision; Power resources -- Congresses; Power resources -- Periodicals; Power resources; Conference proceedings; Periodicals; 333.7905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2018.08.183
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1876-6102

Abstract

Abstract: Growing industrial and legal need for precise heat and flow measurements in district heating facilities pushed the development and application of a technology for laser based on-site calibrations of large flow sensors. This calibration method works with direct flow velocity measurements along the pipe diameter through a custom made ball valve which is mountable during plant operations. To accredit this calibration method an extensive uncertainty budget was created. The largest contribution to the uncertainty budget, the flow distribution in the relevant cross section of the pipe, was researched and quantified in an extensive project. The result of this project is a profile class model, where the resulting uncertainty of the measurement can be derived directly from the measurement itself. The on-site calibration method is already deployed and executed in over 120 cases with a great variety in resulting flow sensor accuracies in within their operational conditions.