In today’s economic climate, energy usage has become a major concern, particularly in terms of energy efficiency. The increase in energy consumption has made it extremely important for industries and end users to measure energy usage as precisely as possible to avoid energy waste. There is a good reason to use flow meters in several applications to ensure accuracy in energy measurement.
In this article, we will discuss this issue in connection with chilled and heated water applications.
In this application, for measuring energy consumption, a temperature and flow-measuring device are installed in chilled or heated water circuits. When linked to a BTU (British Thermal Unit) meter, the data allows end users to determine how energy is used, where and how it is used, and take appropriate steps toward improvement. But how is all this done? Let us understand a little more about a BTU meter.
What is a BTU meter?
A BTU meter comprises a versatile compact energy totalizer unit that receives inputs from a flow meter for chilled water, an inlet temperature sensor, and an outlet temperature sensor. From these inputs, it calculates the energy consumed in maintaining the temperature at the given level. It can give the output in a variety of user-selectable engineering units, such as KW, KWH, BTU HR, or BTU
BTU meters, also known as energy meters, are typically used to bill users for energy usage. They can also be used to measure the effectiveness of energy-saving measures or the loss of efficiency within the system, which has an impact on revenue.
Types of BTU Meters:
There are three main types of BTU meters, as per application:
- BTU meter for chiller application
The BTU meter for the chiller is made up of an accurately calibrated Electromagnetic Flow Meter, a pair of temperature sensors, and a flow transmitter, as well as an integral energy computing unit to calculate net heat consumption. The chiller’s job is to cool the water in the air conditioning system. When chilled water circulates through the AHU and returns, its temperature rises as it absorbs heat from the AHU. The chiller chills the water again and returns it to the AHU. The BTU meter calculates the total energy consumption by measuring the heat energy extracted by the chiller.
- BTU meter for heat transfer application
The thermal energy carried by various fluids used as heat transfer mediums is measured by a Manas Heat Transfer Meter (Model HET-100L). A Thermic fluid heater is a type of industrial heating equipment that produces high temperatures at low pressures. In most cases, thermic fluid is circulated throughout the system to transfer heat to the desired processes. The combustion process primarily heats the thermic fluid. The thermic fluid then transports and transfers this heat to the process to achieve the required process temperature. This thermic fluid returns to the thermic fluid heater after giving away the heat, and the cycle continues. The Manas Heat Transfer Meter also measures the thermic fluid flow rate and can be used to calculate the heat transferred by the thermic fluid to the process.
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Ultrasonic BTU Meter Ultrasonic BTU meter
Ultrasonic BTU meters can provide a solution for calculating BTU or measuring BTU consumption. It comes with communication support such as BACnet or MODBUS with a LAN port. An ultrasonic BTU meter combines an ultrasonic flow meter and temperature sensors to measure energy consumption in any liquid heating or cooling system.
Applications of Manas BTU Meter
- Chilled water systems for commercial, industrial, and office buildings. These meters are used to bill users for air conditioning energy usage.
- Cooling effectiveness measurement in water-based systems
- It is useful for identifying leakages in hot or cold-water systems
- Energy measurement in open heating and cooling systems
- Useful in heat recovery systems.
- Centralized air conditioning systems
- Commercial enterprises: Air conditioning systems
- Manufacturing businesses: HVAC applications
- Office buildings: HVAC applications
Manas Microsystems is India’s leading manufacturer and supplier of BTU Meters. We can provide a BTU meter for the chiller application, a BTU meter for heat transfer application and an Ultrasonic BTU meter