Titan Enterprises Develops Custom Calibration Rigs to Push New Frontiers in Ultrasonic Ultra-Low Flow Measurement

Titan Enterprises has issued a technical paper outlining the research and resolution of calibration issues that were encountered during the pioneering development of ultrasonic flowmeters for ultra-low flow measurement.

A leader in flowmeter innovation, Titan created bespoke calibration rigs to aid in the development and testing of its second-generation clamp-on ultrasonic and ultra-low flow flowmeters. 

The rigs were created in-house following the company's determination that no commercially available system existed that could fulfill the unique requirements of its latest R&D projects.

Titan's existing production flow calibration rigs consist of three NIST certified piston provers with distilled water applied over the flow range of 2 ml/min to 200 l/min and ±0.05 % uncertainty.

With their permanent installation in production calibration and the new test conditions that ultra-low flow research demands, another calibration tool was called for.

An innovative ultra-low flow calibration rig was a critical element in establishing two major breakthroughs in Titan's ultrasonic flow measurement technology.

A ultra-low flow ultrasonic flowmeter measuring as little as 0.2 ml/min or less, targeting flows ten times lower than Titan's current Atrato® meter and offering an alternative solution to thermal devices.

A clamp-on, disposable medical tubing ultrasonic flowmeter for the measurement of small volumes of medical grade fluids in dialysis or bolus drug delivery type application where sterility, accuracy and economy are paramount.

To accomplish these stringent targets, Titan developed a sophisticated miniature piston prover system driven by synchronised dual stepping motors with rotation encoders for monitoring accuracy. 

The system supports computer-controlled flow rates, bolus simulation and data output for meticulous performance examination.

The development also took into account complex mechanical and hydraulic challenges such as:

• system bleeding
• valve synchronisation
• linear motion stability
• drive system stiffness
• temperature effects
• tubing compliance
• calibration accuracy
• and robust safety features such as end-of-stroke detection

“This custom-built rig represents a major step forward in Titan’s commitment to precision flow measurement and advancing our R&D capabilities,” says Neil Hannay, Senior R&D Engineer at Titan Enterprises. “By developing our own calibration infrastructure, we’re unlocking new performance frontiers to both industrial and medical flow applications.”

This ambitious project underscores Titan's in-house strength to create implementable solutions in overcoming R&D limitations and accelerating breakthrough innovation.

By creating in-house capability for accurate, flexible meter calibration and testing, Titan can move more rapidly from prototype to proven product. Proprietary software used in-house allows testing for many real-world conditions customers will encounter so process optimization can be guaranteed.

Calibration rig design principles will allow Titan to design advanced tools that are customer-specific. New fluid test units and temperature-controlled units will be developed for future growth, allowing for designing cutting-edge products both for general applications and OEM solutions globally.

Download the white paper 

To find out more about Titan Enterprises and its OEM flowmeter solutions, contact Titan Enterprises at email sales@flowmeters.co.uk.