Abstract
A swinging drag body flowmeter was designed and tested under laboratory conditions. The meter was designed to measure flowrate in an irrigation water pipe. The meter consisted of a paddle, a rotating mechanism, and a potentiometer to measure paddle position. The rotating mechanism was mounted in a head unit that was strapped to a water pipe. The paddle extended from the rotating mechanism at the pipe wall, down through the center of the pipe. Drag and lift formulas were used to analyze flowmeter behavior and determine if these equations could be used to develop other flowmeters of this design. The lab data showed a strong correlation to the theoretical equations but there were significant errors between the two sets of data. The meter behaved in a repeatable and stable manner over two months of lab testing. It is believed that this design is particularly suited for irrigation pipe flow applications.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Franzini JB, Finnemore EJ (1997) Fluid mechanics. McGraw Hill, New York
Hayward ATJ (1979) Flowmeters. Macmillan, London
Morris MM, Wiggert JM (1972) Applied hydraulics in engineering. Roland Press Company, New York
Munson BR, Young DF, Okiishi TH (1998) Fundamentals of fluid mechanics, 3rd edn. Wiley, Hoboken
Replogle JA (1968) Target meters for velocity and discharge measurements in open channels. Trans Am Soc Agric Eng 11(6):854–856 862
Roberson JA, Cassidy JJ, Chaudhry MH (1998) Hydraulic engineering, 2nd edn. Wiley, Hoboken
Robinson AR (1963) Evaluation of the vane-type flow meter. Agric Eng 44(7):374, 375, 381
Sheldahl RE, Klimas PC (1981) Aerodynamic characteristics of seven symmetrical airfoil sections through 180° angle of attack for use in aerodynamic analysis of vertical axis wind turbines. Sandia National Laboratories, United States Department of Energy, Springfield
Svendsen M, Butlig F, Early A (1982) A vane flow measuring device for low gradient irrigation channels. Trans Am Soc Agric Eng 25(4):1002–1008
Swamee PK, Jain AK (1976) Explicit equations for pipe-flow problems. J Hydraul Div ASCE 102(5):657–664
US Bureau of Reclamation (1997) Water measurement manual, 3rd edn. US Government Printing Office, Denver
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stringam, B.L., Olsen, J. Design and analysis of a swinging drag body flowmeter for irrigation pipe. Irrig Drainage Syst 23, 173–180 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10795-009-9091-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10795-009-9091-9