Understanding meters

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Because network modeling is based solely on observation.

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There are several observation components of a network to consider

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bulk flow meters and customer meters. Both measure water usage,

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bulk flow meters measure large amounts of flow with

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as little disruption or head loss as possible.

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This includes measuring flow out of a treatment works within

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the water network or even flow for large industrial customers.

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There are two main types of bulk flow meters.

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Mechanical bulk flow meters are the most common with any water network.

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Usually using a turbine or jet mechanism.

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They require no power to operate and

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deliver fairly accurate monitoring with less accuracy.

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Outside of its design range such as reverse flow, lower flow or high flow.

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Electromagnetic bulk flow meters are commonly used

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for high flow or high reliability applications

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as they have no moving parts and do not impede the flow of water.

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They operate by creating a magnetic field across the cross section of the

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meter and then measuring the voltage of a conductor exposed to the water.

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Electromagnetic meters are more expensive to purchase,

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install and maintain as they require constant power,

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but they are extremely accurate.

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Even when measuring reverse flow

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bulk flow meters are essential for determining the demand in a water network,

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particularly the distribution of flow through the day.

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In WS pro bulk flow meters are represented as meter link objects.

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Customer meters also known as domestic meters differ significantly

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from bulk flow meters in both construction and use

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rarely monitored for daily usage.

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Almost all domestic meters use a positive displacement or PD

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design which requires water to mechanically displace an internal mechanism.

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This makes them very accurate, particularly at lower flow rates

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for network modeling,

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using consumption data or usage per property increases

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accuracy instead of relying on equal distribution.

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However,

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customer supply pipes and the meter itself

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are not represented in most network models.