Performance Evaluation of a Digital Orifice Meter against Analog Barton Meter

This paper consider the performance evaluation of a digital orifice meter in comparison with the Barton meter. It briefly investigates the obvious failures or shortfalls of why an Analog Barton meter is not suitable for flow measurement. It is characterized with problems such as; drift, capsule rupture, mechanical linkage failure, chart driver failure of pen tip and pen holder failure. Thereby postulates the reasons digital orifice meter is preferable. The key parameter needed in the computation of the flow rate of an Orifice system is Differential pressure DP. Four different experiments were performed and the outcomes of these experiments further re-emphasize why Barton recorder are not used in metering systems where accuracy and precision are of utmost priority. Secondly real-time flow rate cannot be obtained or determined since the DP has to be manually read and computed to determine the flow rate which is to a large extent subjected to human error. Therefore, a digital orifice meter is therefore required to completely eliminate and address failures exhibited by a Barton meter or recorder.