Four Questions Before You Choose: Insertion Vs Full Bore Magflow Meters

Insertion and Full Bore magflow meters are both excellent options for measuring more demanding processes. While the Full Bore magflow meter is more commonly used, the Insertion magflow in many applications is a better alternative offering cost, commissioning and maintenance efficiencies.

There are four questions that answer whether an application is suitable for and Insertion rather than Full Bore magflow meter. If the answer to each of these questions is ‘yes,’ then an Insertion type magflow meter is likely a better choice.

1. Is the flow tube sized between 6mm to 400mm?
2. Is accuracy of ±2% suitable?
3. Will turndown of 1:50 suit your process?
4. Is your fluid conductivity greater than 20µs/cm?

Typical applications where the Insertion magflow meter is used are those where the extreme accuracy of Full Bore magflow meters is overkill and the 2% accuracy of the Insertion magflow will suffice. Such applications include:

- Well and river water pump monitoring (irrigation)
- Farming // irrigation water use monitoring
- Water use monitoring in process industry applications
- Flocculent dosing (makeup)
- Water balancing (Water Treatment Plants)
- Intake water monitoring (Water Treatment Plants)
- Discharge water monitoring

In such suitable applications Insertion magflow meters, for example Bürkert’s Type 8045, offer significant benefits with hardware savings alone reaching 75% on larger sized pipes. In service lifetime however commissioning and servicing benefits deliver greater savings.

- Always the same instrument and electronics
- Simple installation, no flanges
- Weld on fitting or tapping band through the pipe
- Low weight; no support or brackets required
- Simple removal for inspection and cleaning
- Highly reliable and robust with minimal maintenance needs
- May be used with all types of piping (stainless steel, cement lined, plastic)

Bürkert’s Type 8045 Insertion magflow meter is suitable for pipe diameter DN6 .. 400mm and flow velocities of 0.2 .. 10m/sec (volumes 0.02 .. 4500m3 per hour). A wide range of process media is catered to with the Type 8045 suitable for media -15⁰C .. 110⁰C and up to 16 bar pressure. Delivering IP65 protection class, the 8045 Insertion magflow meter offers security of a different type with lockable self-enclosure for field applications.

Further functional benefits include 4 .. 20mA, 2 x Relay and transistor (pulse) outputs, with data logging, batch control and totalising operations. Programming is made via 3 buttons on the fascia with readout via graphic display which is clearly visible through the self-enclosure.

Bürkert offers both Full Bore and Insertion magflow meters, and has trained engineers available to assist with product specification for specific applications. Regional Coach Chris Hoey pointed out that having both technologies put Bürkert in the position of being able to offer advice without bias.

“Bürkert is a process control and automation partner with a more complete range of valve, instrument and controller technologies. Offering both full bore and insertion type magflow meters allows us to select and recommend the most appropriate option based on each application.

“There are real benefits to the insertion magflow option, which people should be aware of before making specification decisions.”

With a global network spanning offices in more than 40 countries and operational outposts in an additional 80, Bürkert Fluid Control Systems is an established and mature global organisation with more than 60 years global experience and 30 in Australia and New Zealand.

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Bürkert technical support may be contacted on 1300 888 868 and sales.au@burkert.com in Australia, and 0800 Bürkert (287 537) and sales.nz@burkert.com in New Zealand.