Collection:Surface Acoustic Wave Flow Meters For Hygienic Media

A hygienic flow meter measures food-grade and other hygienic process liquids in lines that have to stay clean. These are Bürkert 8098 FLOWave meters, which use surface acoustic waves: pulses travel along the tube wall and through the liquid, the flow shifts their timing, and the meter turns that into a flow rate. The measuring tube is a smooth, full-bore stainless steel pipe with nothing inside it, so there is no obstruction, no dead space, and no pressure drop, and it drains fully and is cleaned in place. That clean-bore design is the reason to choose it for hygienic processes.

Selecting a hygienic meter

The tube is stainless steel throughout. Which meter to order depends on how it joins the pipework and how it connects to the plant network:

• Connection: clamp fittings for hygienic pipework that is stripped down for cleaning, aseptic clamp for sterile lines, or flange for larger bolted pipe.
• Digital communication: the meter connects over büS, and versions add PROFINET, Modbus TCP, or EtherCAT to match the plant's control network.

Some versions have food-grade approval for direct contact with food. Beyond volume flow, a density option, specified at order, lets the meter work out mass flow, so the meter can report both.

What it suits

The 8098 is for homogeneous liquids that are free of solids and of air or gas bubbles, because bubbles disrupt the acoustic signal. It is not for gas or steam. Built-in viscosity compensation keeps it accurate on thicker liquids. Gas or solids passing through do no harm, and the liquids that follow are measured correctly.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the full-bore tube matter for hygiene?

Nothing is in the flow path, so there is no edge or cavity where product can collect or bacteria can grow, and the tube drains completely. It is cleaned in place with the rest of the line, without removing the meter. A meter with a probe or moving part in the bore cannot do that.

Can it measure mass flow?

It measures volume flow as standard. Mass flow is a factory option: the density-measurement feature is specified when the meter is ordered, and the meter then works mass flow out from volume flow and density together. It cannot be added in the field. The meter also reports temperature and, with the density option, density.

Is it suitable for liquids with particles or bubbles?

It is meant for homogeneous liquids free of solids and air. Particles or trapped gas disturb the measurement. They do not damage the meter, but the reading is reliable only on a clean, bubble-free liquid.