Next Generation of Large Flowmeters

Traditionally, the water industry uses turbine type meters for large commercial revenue and district metering. This technology has remained largely unchanged for many years and whilst these meters have provided an invaluable service to the industry, they are not without problems, such as wear, leading to under-registration of flow, impacting on revenue and leakage estimates, particularly at low flows.

Battery powered electromagnetic and ultrasonic meters are now challenging the traditional meters by claiming new benefits and better performance. The mechanical meter manufacturers though are fighting back with new models that also claim improved performance levels and incorporate the benefits of electronics such as integrated communications.

So what is the water company looking to invest in upgrading or replacing its large revenue and district meter stock to make of these claims? These are important applications. Commercial revenue meters account for a significant proportion of water company income and differences in performance can be worth several thousands of pounds over the lifetime of the meter. Leakage remains a hot issue with much of the UK in a drought; reliable and accurate flow data is critical to leakage estimation and targeting repair activities. Informed meter selection is, therefore, essential to company performance.

WRc (UK) has recently started a collaborative project with four UK water companies to evaluate the “next generation” of large water flowmeters – both mechanical and electronic types. This project will test the claims being made for these new meters through an extended, rigorous and independent test programme.

The results will be invaluable to water utilities planning future investment in large meters. It will identify the levels of performance likely to be seen in service, how to get the best performance from these meters and the implications of moving from the present meters to the next generation.