Meter provers are flow meter calibration apparatuses used for analyzing readouts from a flow meter. By deploying these devices for flow meter calibration, required adjustments can be made. Readings obtained from a liquid or gas flow meter are authenticated and calibrated by deploying these advanced devices. Contemporary meter provers are automatic and take care of the whole process on their own as compared to manual provers of olden times.
So now that we know what is a meter prover and their use, let’s move on to understand how they work.
How do Meter Provers Work?
Meter provers are deployed to detect changes in the amounts of gas/liquid flowing through a pipe at different times. Each prover has highly advanced sensors to capture any deviation in fluid or gas flow. The whole process ensures that meter readings remain accurate at all times.
There are different prover types available in the market and you can choose the one that fits your needs the best. Let’s take a look at the different types of provers available in the market.
- Pipe provers
Pipe provers are also known as sphere provers and ball provers. Functioning on the principle of continuously replicated displacements of liquid in fixed amounts, these provers help compare volumes so that necessary measures can be taken to correct the variations. When the fluid moves inside the ball prover, the attached meter makes the calculations.
- Master meter provers
Master meter provers can be used for both direct and indirect calibration. Direct master meter proving systems have a line meter and a master meter. This proving type is performed on the career pipeline site.
Indirect master meter proving, on the other hand, is used requires detachment from the gas meter. The calibration takes place at the remote site. In this case, metering equipment requires the involvement of prover hookups.
- Bi-directional meter provers
Bi-directional meter provers comprise a 4-way valve setup. It can be referred to as a modified sphere prover that enables constant travel of the displacement ball. Reversal of fluid flow takes place with the sphere changing its direction. The functioning is pretty straightforward and when the liquid or gas enters the system, it pushes the spherical ball and makes it go through the proving loop.
Gas flow gets channelized and passes through a series of sensors in place apart from calibrated segments. The efficiency of gas flow is determined when the prover counter measures the impulses generated in the process.
- Unidirectional meter provers
Another variant of a sphere prover is a unidirectional meter prover. With a unidirectional meter prover in place, the displacement ball travels in just one direction and hence the name. The sphere goes through the set points along with the sensors attached and the displaced fluid is compared with pre-set values.
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