Flow Sensors

Selecting the Right Sensor Technology for Your Fluid Type

Choosing a flow sensor starts with the physical properties of your process media. Different technologies handle different fluids, and selecting the wrong mechanism leads to premature failure or inaccurate readings.

Our catalog features several primary sensor types engineered for specific industrial fluids:

• Hall Effect Flow Sensors: Ideal for clean water and light aqueous solutions. These use a rotating turbine with a magnet, sending digital pulses to a controller.
• Turbine Flow Meters: Excellent for low-viscosity fluids like diesel, gasoline, and light oils. They offer high precision and often feature digital displays for direct field monitoring.
• Electromagnetic Sensors: Best for conductive liquids in plumbing and industrial fluid processing. They lack moving parts, reducing pressure drop and wear.
• Mass Flowmeters: Designed specifically for clean gases like compressed air and oxygen, offering direct mass measurement without temperature compensation.

Matching Material Composition to Operating Pressures

Sensor bodies must withstand both chemical exposure and system pressure. Our catalog spans several industrial materials to match your plumbing requirements.

Brass and stainless steel provide high mechanical strength. Brass models handle standard water systems, while stainless steel is suited for corrosive fluids or sanitary processes.

For lightweight or specialized applications, polymer bodies work well for gases like oxygen or compressed air. Aluminum alloy is the standard for fuel lines handling diesel or oil. Always verify the maximum pressure rating of the unit; for example, our brass and polymer Hall-effect modules handle operating pressures up to 1.75 MPa or 2.0 MPa.

Sizing Electrical Inputs and Signal Outputs

Integrating your flow switch or sensor into an existing PLC, controller, or automation system requires matching electrical specifications.

Passive, electricity-free sensors are available for simple mechanical liquid control. For digital monitoring, you must select the correct operating voltage. Typical industrial controllers run on DC 5-18V or DC 5-15V loops.

Ensure your control board or microcontroller can read the output type, whether it is a raw frequency pulse from a Hall-effect module, a resistance change, or a standardized digital bus protocol.