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Using sound waves to measure the flow of liquid within the pipe, ultrasonic flowmeters work by transmitting and receiving pulses of ultrasound waves between two transducers alternately. This allows the flowmeter to accurately and reliably determine the flow rate. And because measurement is carried out safely from outside the pipe, there is absolutely no risk of contamination or leakage.

In the pharmaceutical industry, nitrogen is normally stored in liquid form and then vaporised, enabling the gas to be used for both the production of drugs and their development. During this process, sometimes evaporators can be too small and do not have enough time to defrost after icing up during the procedure, which can lead to increased energy consumption and even a system leak. This in turn can cause nitrogen to escape and interrupt supply.

Resizing the evaporators.

Needing to identify consumption peaks and avoid this scenario, a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer in Austria called on the services of FLEXIM to install non-invasive flow measurement, as the nitrogen supply could only be interrupted within certain time frames due to the production environment. With downtime not an option, clamp-on ultrasonic measuring technology was the obvious solution. And because hygiene in pharmaceutical production is also of great concern, the non-invasive measuring technique was ideal, as it completely avoids any risk of contamination as there is no contact with the media in the pipe, and no intervention in the pipe system at all.

With accurate measurements at hand, resizing of the evaporator would be possible in order to ensure the security of nitrogen supply for production of essential medicines.

Highly accurate measurement data.

Using a non-invasive ultrasonic clamp-on gas flowmeter, FLEXIM delivered a simple stationary solution, easy to install at new measuring points without needing to open the pipe, and therefore not disrupting supply. Thanks to highly accurate, reproducible measurement data, the detection of consumption peaks is guaranteed, with even rapid changes in flow conditions output immediately and precisely with temperature and pressure compensation.

And because of the high turndown ratio, it’s not only peaks that are detected, but small consumptions can be measured too, offering yet another valuable line of defence against leaks.

For more detailed information on the benefits of non-invasive ultrasonic flow measurement in the pharmaceutical industry, contact Simon Millington – www.flexim.co.uk | sales@flexim.co.uk | +44 (0)1606 781 420

External URL: https://www.flexim.co.uk