Accuracy of Solid-State Residential Water Meters under Intermittent Flow Conditions
Accurate water consumption measurement of customers is a crucial component of water utility sustainability. During the last decade, sophisticated measuring technologies without moving components, known as solid-state water meters or static meters, have emerged. Solid-state water meters promise an im...
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MDPI AG
2020-09-01
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doaj-422b3d11f7b7465c8be6595eee66bddf2020-11-25T03:07:15ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202020-09-01205339533910.3390/s20185339Accuracy of Solid-State Residential Water Meters under Intermittent Flow ConditionsFrancisco J. Arregui0Laura Pastor-Jabaloyes1Angel V. Mercedes2Francesc J. Gavara3ITA-Grupo de Ingeniería y Tecnología del Agua, Dpto. de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 València, SpainITA-Grupo de Ingeniería y Tecnología del Agua, Dpto. de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 València, SpainITA-Grupo de Ingeniería y Tecnología del Agua, Dpto. de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 València, SpainHead of metering department. FACSA, Calle Mayor 82-84, 12001 Castelló de la Plana, SpainAccurate water consumption measurement of customers is a crucial component of water utility sustainability. During the last decade, sophisticated measuring technologies without moving components, known as solid-state water meters or static meters, have emerged. Solid-state water meters promise an improved accuracy with more processing and transmission capabilities in comparison with traditional mechanical meters. A compromise needs to be reached between energy consumption and battery life as all these new features are extremely demanding on electric energy. The usual approach adopted by the manufacturer is to reduce the frequency with which static meters take measurements of the circulating flow. This reduction in signal sampling frequency can have a significant effect on the accuracy of the instruments when measuring water consumption events of 30 s or less, these events being common in residential customers. The research presented analyses of the metrological performance of 28 commercially available solid-state water meters from six different manufacturers in the presence of intermittent flows of various durations. The results show that the magnitude and dispersion of the error under intermittent flows is significantly larger in comparison to steady state flow conditions. The ultrasonic meters examined were more influenced by the intermittency than the electromagnetic meters.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/18/5339solid-state water metersstatic meterselectromagnetic water metersultrasonic water meterswater meter accuracyintermittent flow |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Francisco J. Arregui Laura Pastor-Jabaloyes Angel V. Mercedes Francesc J. Gavara |
spellingShingle |
Francisco J. Arregui Laura Pastor-Jabaloyes Angel V. Mercedes Francesc J. Gavara Accuracy of Solid-State Residential Water Meters under Intermittent Flow Conditions Sensors solid-state water meters static meters electromagnetic water meters ultrasonic water meters water meter accuracy intermittent flow |
author_facet |
Francisco J. Arregui Laura Pastor-Jabaloyes Angel V. Mercedes Francesc J. Gavara |
author_sort |
Francisco J. Arregui |
title |
Accuracy of Solid-State Residential Water Meters under Intermittent Flow Conditions |
title_short |
Accuracy of Solid-State Residential Water Meters under Intermittent Flow Conditions |
title_full |
Accuracy of Solid-State Residential Water Meters under Intermittent Flow Conditions |
title_fullStr |
Accuracy of Solid-State Residential Water Meters under Intermittent Flow Conditions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Accuracy of Solid-State Residential Water Meters under Intermittent Flow Conditions |
title_sort |
accuracy of solid-state residential water meters under intermittent flow conditions |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Sensors |
issn |
1424-8220 |
publishDate |
2020-09-01 |
description |
Accurate water consumption measurement of customers is a crucial component of water utility sustainability. During the last decade, sophisticated measuring technologies without moving components, known as solid-state water meters or static meters, have emerged. Solid-state water meters promise an improved accuracy with more processing and transmission capabilities in comparison with traditional mechanical meters. A compromise needs to be reached between energy consumption and battery life as all these new features are extremely demanding on electric energy. The usual approach adopted by the manufacturer is to reduce the frequency with which static meters take measurements of the circulating flow. This reduction in signal sampling frequency can have a significant effect on the accuracy of the instruments when measuring water consumption events of 30 s or less, these events being common in residential customers. The research presented analyses of the metrological performance of 28 commercially available solid-state water meters from six different manufacturers in the presence of intermittent flows of various durations. The results show that the magnitude and dispersion of the error under intermittent flows is significantly larger in comparison to steady state flow conditions. The ultrasonic meters examined were more influenced by the intermittency than the electromagnetic meters. |
topic |
solid-state water meters static meters electromagnetic water meters ultrasonic water meters water meter accuracy intermittent flow |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/18/5339 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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