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Vortex flowmeters, also know as vortex shedding flowmeters or oscillatory flowmeters, measure the vibrations of the downstream vortexes caused by the barrier placed in a moving stream. The vibrating frequency of vortex shedding can then be related to the velocity of flow.

The Karmen street has two significant influences on the principle of operation of vortex flowmeters:

1. The frequency of vortex shedding is definite and is related to the Reynolds number (flow velocity, viscosity of fluid, and the diameter of the cylinder).
2. The frequency of vortex shedding is the same as the vibrating frequency of the cylinder induced by the flow.

If the density and viscosity of the fluid are known and the diameter of the cylinder is given, the frequency measured at the cylinder can be used to represent the flow velocity.

Dimensional anaylsis shows that the frequency of vortex shedding f_v is governed by the Strouhal number of the vortex pattern

where D_c is the diameter of the cylinder or width of the barrier and V is the flow velocity.

The Strouhal number is a dependent variable of the Reynolds number:

However, experimental investigations show that the Strouhal number is about constant across a wide range of the Reynolds number (10² ~ 10⁷). This yields

The Strouhal number is about 0.18 for a cylinder at a Reynolds number range 300 ~ 10⁷.

Notice that the flow velocity profile, the shape of the bluff (barrier), and the ratio of the cross section area of the bluff to the pipe will all affect the Strouhal number. One would need to incorporate a correction factor when applying the above formula.

Assume that the bluff is a rod across the diameter of the pipe, the width of the bluff is w that is equivalent to D_c in the above formula, and the diameter of the pipe is D. The flow velocity at the bluff is

For incompressible pipe flow, at any given moment, the flow rate is constant throughout the pipe, that is, . Thus, the ratio of upstream flow velocity V to the bluff region flow velocity V_bluff is

where A is the cross section area of the pipe, and A_min is the cross section area of the pipe with the obstructing bluff.

From the above equation, the flow velocity V can be written as

and the volume flow rate Q is

In industrial applications, a K factor is usually introduced to compensate for the non-uniform profile of the pipe flow. The volume flow rate then becomes

The Strouhal number S can be determined experimentally. Some common Strouhal numbers are listed below for reference purposes. The bluff is either a cylinder or a square column.

The above formulas assume a steady-state upstream flow. Disturbances on the upstream side may affect the vortex shedding frequency and result in measurement errors.

Common specifications for commercially available vortex flowmeters are listed below:

	Fluid Phase:	Score Phase Condition  Gas   Clean     Dirty   Liquid   Clean   Steam   Saturated     Superheated   Liquid   Corrosive      Dirty  : Recommended : Limited applicability
	Line Size:	Inline model: 10 ~ 1200 mm (0.4 ~ 48 inch) Insertion model: 75 mm (3 in) and up
	Turndown Ratio:	10: 1