Size a Liquid Orifice Meter with ISO 5167 and Excel

This Excel spreadsheet sizes a liquid orifice meter using the equations in ISO 5167.  Orifice meters determine liquid flowrate by measuring the pressure difference across a constriction in a pipe. 

The spreadsheet is free - all I ask is that you credit this website with its authorship (and perhaps provide a link!)

The equations given in ISO 5167 are given below.

• C is the discharge coefficient (the equation is only valid for the three standard tap positions defined below)
• Re is the Reynolds number
• L₁ and L₂ are the upstream and downstream tap positions (ft)
• P₁ and P₂ are the upstream and downstream pressures (psig)
• D₁ and D₂ are the pipe and orifice diameters (inches)
• V is the liquid velocity in the pipe (ft s^-1)
• ρ is the liquid density slugs ft^-3
• μ is the liquid viscosity lb-sec ft^-2

ISO 5167 defines three different tap positions for the pressure probes (Corner, D-D/2 and Flange taps). These positions the values of L₁ and L₂, and are given below

• Corner Taps: L₁ = L₂ = 0
• Flange Taps: L₁ = L₂ = 1 inch
• D-D/2 Taps: L₁ = D₁, L₂ = D₁/2

The solution to the equations is iterative; you need Re to calculate C, but you need Q to calculate Re, but you need C to calculate Q.  This requires the use of Excel's Goal Seek.  We simply find the

1. Guess a value of Re,
2. Calculate C and Q
3. Use C and Q to calculate Re
4. Use Goal Seek to change the value of Re we guessed in Step 1 until it's equal to the value calculated in Step 3

This process is automated in the Excel spreadsheet with a button linked to a VBA macro. The VBA macro simply initiates Goal Seek with the requireed settings.

Download Excel spreadsheet to size an orifice meter with ISO 5167