Linear Orifice Flow Meter Initial

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Row Orifices

Intro

The first row of orifies in the linear flow meter is approximating a rectangular base. Sutro altered the linear proportional weir, which has a base width that approaches infinity as the height approaches zero, by adding the rectangular base and a design restriction that the ilnear relationship only occurs above 2/3 the height of the rectangular base. Through trial and error a orifice number on the initial row was found to optimally be 5. The question explored here is why does the orifice value of 5 work and and does it really work for all values. The five orifices were chosen as optimal because when five orifices are used on the inital level then the subsequent rows don't encounter rounding errors, rounding errors can cause problems such as one row to contain zero orifices and the next row to contain two orifices. It is desirable to never have a subsequent row orifice number be greater then the row procedding it.