| Different types of turbine flowmeters have come | | | | first fixed-bladed propeller turbine in 1916. Useful at |
| into play since the first flowmeter was invented in | | | | the time because there was no electricity but is still |
| 1790. Taken from the Latin meaning of "spinning | | | | popular today because it is so inexpensive to |
| thing," the Greeks would grind their flour with | | | | operate. |
| horizontal turbine wheels and named this piece of | | | | Another type of turbine flow meter is the Woltman. |
| equipment a turbine. | | | | Quite possibly ahead of his time, Woltman, a German |
| These flow meters are designed to measure the | | | | engineer published many studies on hydraulic |
| flow of fluids, mainly in an industrial capacity. Chemical, | | | | engineering in the 1790s. Still quite popular today, the |
| refining, food processing and power plants all use | | | | Woltman meter is best known for measuring large |
| turbine flow as a source of calculating the flow of | | | | quantities of water used in the bulk industrial and |
| liquids. As hard as technology has worked to come | | | | municipal water fields. |
| up with a better mousetrap, the traditional turbine | | | | Hydrocarbon based liquids are another form of liquid |
| flowmeter is still the most popular and dependable | | | | that is measured by turbine flow meters. Regularly |
| machine type being used today. | | | | used in the transportation industry, petroleum |
| Although there haven't been any outstanding changes | | | | production and aviation, these types of meters must |
| to the flowmeter, there have been additions of | | | | be very accurate and rugged due to the stress they |
| specific water type meters that follow the same | | | | have to withstand. Turbine meters measure utility |
| perimeters but addressing different factors. Eight | | | | gas, as well. |
| distinct kinds of turbine flow meters are used today, | | | | The flow of fluids has to be measured and |
| mainly for water billing purposes. | | | | accounted for by use of a highly dependable method. |
| Lester Pelton in Camptonville, Nevada invented the | | | | Otherwise, water companies would not know how |
| Pelton wheel in 1898. At the time, this turbine was | | | | many gallons of water were being dispensed in a |
| rotated by a wheel that turned as buckets of water | | | | certain period of time, manufacturing plants could not |
| were moved by water jets attached to the wheel's | | | | control the flow of liquid materials and one could not |
| outside. The concept progressed to where it | | | | measure the flow of clean medium to high-speed |
| currently is with the Pelton flowmeter measuring low | | | | liquids and gases. |
| viscosity flows at rates of low flow. | | | | New technology flowmeters are electronic rather |
| A propeller turbine is used in hydropower and is | | | | than mechanical and serve some areas of industry |
| based on the principle that the water current causes | | | | and water measurement but they have yet to |
| the rotation of propellers, making proportional to flow | | | | convince many that their trend is better than the |
| rate. Forrest Nagler was the one who designed the | | | | first mechanical flowmeter designed by Woltman. |