McCrometer meets new ISO 5167-5 standard for cone meters

The ISO has recently published the ISO 5167-15:2016 ‘Measurement of fluid flow by means of pressure differential devices inserted in circular cross-section conduits running full - Part 5: Cone meters’. The new standard specifies the geometry and method of use — for installation and operation — of cone meters when they are inserted in a pipe to determine the flow rate of a fluid.

“We’re proud to have assisted in developing this new ISO standard for cone meters, which is something that our customers have been requesting for years,” said Nick Voss, general manager of McCrometer’s Oil, Gas & Industrial Process business unit.

McCrometer’s V-Cone flow meter conforms to the standard and, as Voss explained, already conforms to the American Petroleum Institute’s API 22.2 Testing Protocol for Differential Pressure Flow Devices. It also is certifiable to local or regional standards including: Measurement Canada, INMETRO, GOST and others.

“With multiple suppliers making various claims, our customers have long wanted the International Standards Organization to provide them with assurance about cone meter accuracy claims and installation requirements,” Voss said.

“With ISO, there is now a second respected global standard for cone meters, which explains their principle of operation, the differing performance accuracy of calibrated versus uncalibrated meters and their minimal straight pipe run installation requirements,” he said.

The new ISO 5167-5 standard confirms that uncalibrated cone meters perform at no better than ±5% accuracy. Laboratory calibrated cone meters, such as the V-Cone meter, are accurate to ±0.5%, which is a significant performance difference.

Finally, ISO 5167-5 verifies cone meters can be installed with a straight pipe run of only 0–3 diameters upstream and 0–1 diameters downstream. This feature is useful in crowded locations or where space and weight are a concern, such as offshore platforms and vessels.