Current position > Contact Us
Quick Answer: A Coriolis mass flow meter reports kg/h directly. It does not need density compensation when fluid density changes. Silver Instruments CMF series meters give you true mass profiling for liquids, gases, and slurries on process and custody transfer lines.
Many flow meters do not measure mass at all. A turbine meter counts volume pulses. An oval gear meter captures volume batches. An electromagnetic flow meter reads velocity and converts it to volume flow. If your process needs mass, you have to multiply the volume reading by density.
That math works only when density is stable. In real plants, density moves with temperature, concentration, batch recipe, or pressure. Gas density changes with pressure and temperature. Liquid density can change when a solvent warms up or when a brine stream changes salt content.
Take a solvent line where density moves from 0.79 kg/L to 0.87 kg/L. A volume meter still reports the same litre count. The real mass has shifted by about 10 percent. The instrument did not fail. The method failed.
This is common in chemical dosing, food batching, desalination brine, and oil blending. Some sites add a density meter and a flow computer. That setup adds cost, needs calibration, and still has time lag between the density sample and the flow pulse.
Here is the thing. Most engineers skip the density compensator once they test a Coriolis meter. The Coriolis tube vibrates and measures mass flow directly. The fluid density does not matter for the mass output. You get kg/h, totalised kg, and even live density as a secondary output.
A Coriolis meter uses one or two tubes. A drive coil makes the tubes oscillate. Flow through the vibrating tube creates a phase shift between the inlet and outlet sensor coils. That phase shift is proportional to mass flow rate. The signal is processed inside the transmitter and output as kg/h or lb/min.
This principle works for gas, liquid, slurry, and high viscosity fluids. Silver Instruments offers the CMF series in sizes from DN15 to DN150. A DN15 meter covers 0 to 1200 kg/h for most liquids. A DN25 meter covers up to 6000 kg/h. A DN50 meter handles up to 30000 kg/h depending on fluid and pressure drop.
Standard electronics include 4-20 mA HART, pulse output, and RS485 Modbus. Process connections can be tri-clamp, flange, or threaded. Wetted parts are usually 316L stainless steel. Temperature measurement uses a PT100 sensor embedded in the tube. Many models meet ATEX Zone 1 or Zone 2 requirements for hazardous areas.
Last year a paint manufacturer in Vietnam asked us about a solvent batching line. The solvent density moved from 0.79 kg/L to 0.87 kg/L between morning and afternoon batches. Their turbine meter showed the same 2000 L volume. Real mass was off by 9 percent. A DN25 CMF Coriolis meter from Silver Instruments replaced the turbine meter. The site now batches by kg and no longer corrects density by hand.
A desalination plant in the Middle East had a different problem. Brine reject flow changed density from 1.02 kg/L to 1.10 kg/L when feed salinity shifted. Brine conductivity moved from 48000 µS/cm to 62000 µS/cm during the same event. The electromagnetic flow meter gave volume flow, but the DCS needed mass balance. A CMF meter on the brine line reported kg/h directly over 4-20 mA HART. The operator removed the density input from the control loop.
In Thailand, a food plant batching glucose syrup at 120 cP saw temperature-related density drift. The oval gear meter counted volume, but the recipe was in kg. The CMF meter handled 120 cP without extra pressure drop and gave true mass readings every batch.
Sizing starts with three numbers. Flow range in kg/h, pressure in bar, and temperature in °C. Pipe size in DN matters for connection and pressure drop. Fluid type matters for wetted parts and viscosity limits. A CMF meter tolerates viscosity up to 1000 cP in many sizes and can measure density up to 2000 kg/m³.
For a 2 inch line moving 8000 kg/h of palm oil, we would check a DN50 meter. For a 1 inch chemical dosing line at 300 kg/h, a DN15 or DN20 meter fits better. For gas flow, tell us the operating pressure and temperature. Gas mass flow is small at low pressure, so the tube size must match the actual kg/h.
Output options include 4-20 mA HART for mass flow, pulse for totalised mass, and RS485 Modbus for digital data. Some users need ATEX Zone 1 for a solvent day tank area. Others need Zone 2 for a gas skid. Silver Instruments can supply the right certificate package.
Does a Coriolis meter need density compensation?
No. The meter measures mass flow directly. Density changes do not change the kg/h output. Density is available as a secondary output if you need it.
What is the smallest size Silver Instruments offers?
We offer DN15 and DN20 models for low flow. A DN15 CMF meter works well for chemical dosing from 0 to 1200 kg/h on liquids.
Can the CMF series handle viscous food fluids?
Yes. The CMF series handles viscosity up to 1000 cP in many sizes. We have supplied meters for glucose syrup, chocolate, and palm oil in Southeast Asia.
What outputs are available for PLC or DCS integration?
Standard outputs include 4-20 mA HART, pulse, and RS485 Modbus. You can use mass flow, totalised mass, or density over these signals.
Which industries use this meter in Southeast Asia and the Middle East?
We see use in chemical dosing, desalination, food and beverage, oil blending, and marine fuel lines. The common need is batching or reporting mass without added density meters.
Send us your pressure in bar, temperature in °C, pipe size in DN, flow range in kg/h, and fluid name. Tell us if you need ATEX Zone 1, 316L wetted parts, or special flanges. Contact Silver Instruments at Tel: +86-25-68650347, Whatsapp: +86-25-52155837, WeChat: +86 15365082610.
