Spurious counts in gas volume flow measurements by means of turbine meters

Acoustical oscillations can induce a rotation of a turbine flow meter in the absence of main flow, which leads to spurious counts. A simplified model is presented which explains the occurrence of spurious counts in the limit of very thin turbine blades and high Strouhal numbers. The predicted threshold for the occurrence of spurious counts is compared to experimentally obtained data at various gas pressures in the range from 1 to 8 bar. The simplified model provides a reasonable prediction of the occurrence of spurious counts and can be used as an useful engineering tool in the prediction of the occurrence of spurious counts.