Council for Innovative Research International Journal of Computers & Technology www.cirworld.com Volume 4 No. 1, Jan - Feb, 2013 1 | Page www.ijctonline.com AN APPROACH OF FLOW MEASUREMENT IN SOLAR WATER HEATER USING TURBINE FLOW METER N.R.Kolhare Professor GEC Aurangabad P.R.Thorat Assistant Professor SPWEC ABSTRACT The cost effectiveness in solar system is very essential to boost its use in domestic applications. A Techno-economical system is designed using microcontroller based turbine flow meter to measure flow of water in solar water heater. There is no need of bulky remote electronics system. Here a turbine is inserted in the pipeline which rotates around its axis the speed of this rotation is directly proportional to the rate of flown. To measure the flow electronically through non- contact method one arm of the turbine can be made of a magnet and a Hall Effect device attached on the outer side of the pipe. The Hall Effect switch would pick up the passage of the magnetic arm and generates a pulse. By counting the number of pulses per second or minute depending on the speed of the turbine and the desired resolution (i.e. multiplication factor) the flow can be calculated. 1. INTRODUCTION Energy is the lifeblood of our society. Solar can be effectively utilized in two ways-either by converting it into heat (Solar thermal) or electricity (Solar photovoltaic cell). With great concerns being voice about the decreasing fossil fuel reserves and increasing environmental pollution resulting from the burning of large quantities of fossil fuel, the use of renewable sources of energy that are never ending and relatively cleaner has gained a lot of importance. Since the eighties a lot of thought has gone into how we can extend the life of our fossil fuel reserves and as a consequence cut down on pollution. A lot of work has been done on using renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, tidal etc. Basic Solar Water Heating System A Solar water system consists of following major components: • Solar Collector(s) • Insulated Hot water Tank with Sacrificial Anode • Indicating and Control Instruments Figure1: Basic Solar Water Heating System Figure2: Controlled Solar Water Heating System In controlled solar water heater system with the help of feedback from flow meter helps to control mixture temperature in main tank. Hence role of flow meter is most important in such systems. Here cost aspect is most important to make system low cost, as only flow meter is very costly compare to sensor and motor part 2. Selection of Flow Meter With most liquid flow measurements instrument, the flow rate is determined inferentially by measuring the liquids, velocity or the change in kinetic energy. Velocity depends on the pressure differential that is forcing the liquid through price or conduit. Because the pipe's cross-sectional area is known and remains constant, the average velocity is an indication of the flow rate. The basis relationship for determining the liquid's flow rate in such cases is: Q = V x A Where, Q = Liquid flow through the pipe V = Average velocity of the flow A = Cross-sectional area of the pipe Other factors that affect liquid flow rate include the liquid's viscosity and density, and the friction of the liquid in contact with the pipe. Direct measurements of liquid flows can be made with positive- displacement flow meters. These units divide the liquid into specific increments and move it on. The total flow is an accumulation of the measured increments, which can be counted by mechanical or electronic techniques Principle Types Differential Pressure Orifice Plate, Venturi Tube, Flow Tube, Flow Nozzle, Pitot Tube, Elbow Tap, Variable-Area (Rota Meter) Positive Displacement Reciprocating Piston, Oval Gear, Nutating Disc, Rotary Vane