Patented differential pressure flow measurement
Precision flow measurement for compact, high-pressure, and harsh industrial service.
The SPINDLE flowmeter combines an engineered primary element, integrated flow conditioning, and factory calibration to deliver stable measurement where conventional meters need long straight pipe, frequent maintenance, or higher permanent pressure loss.
Turndown
Up to 500:1
Line size
DN8-DN4000
Temperature
-200 C to +850 C
Pressure
PN400 / Class 2500
Industrial Benefits
Zero straight-pipe penalty
Built-in flow conditioning allows installation directly after elbows and in compact skids, offshore modules, shipboard systems, and crowded plant rooms.
Lower operating cost
Permanent pressure loss is approximately one quarter of a standard orifice plate, reducing pumping or compression energy demand.
Harsh-service reliability
All-metal construction, no internal moving parts, and optional abrasion-resistant materials support high-pressure, particulate, wastewater, and crystallization-prone fluids.
Factory-backed deployment
Open Idea Partners provides commercial support with manufacturer engineering, calibration, and commissioning support from requirement review through installation.
Applications
- Offshore production platforms, topside modules, and FPSO packages
- Onshore oil and gas production, drilling, and gas gathering stations
- Midstream pipelines, gas terminals, and underground storage facilities
- Marine and shipboard utility systems
- Hydrogen, compressed air, flue gas, dirty gas, steam, and wastewater service
- Research laboratories, wind tunnels, and high-pressure test platforms
Special Service Options
Available for slurry and particulate flow, bidirectional measurement, and dual- or triple-redundant configurations for SIS-oriented deployments.
Engineering Evidence
Design Requirements
- Field and laboratory environments should be hydrodynamically similar — matching Reynolds number, Mach number, and velocity profiles.
- Permanent pressure loss must be minimized to reduce energy cost and avoid disturbing the pipeline system.
- The meter must tolerate unclean process fluids through self-cleaning flow paths.
- The discharge coefficient should remain constant wherever possible, avoiding piecewise approximation or iterative correction errors.
Technical Approach
- Built on differential-pressure measurement, using a purpose-designed throttling element to control and reshape the internal flow field.
- Flow is conditioned inside the meter so that field conditions match calibration conditions — eliminating the need for straight pipe upstream or downstream.
- Wide measurement range from sub-critical to critical flow regimes.
- Throttling element geometry optimized through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and genetic algorithms to prevent flow separation, stabilize the flow field, and minimize drag.
- Spindle-shaped throttling body with front and rear support fins to straighten flow, provide structural stiffness, and resist shock waves in gas or water hammer in liquid service.
Dimensional analysis shows the discharge coefficient depends only on Reynolds number, and the expansibility factor depends only on Mach number — allowing independent, predictable characterization across operating conditions.
Numerical simulation confirms smooth flow throughout the meter body with only minor separation at the tail cone. Pressure and velocity recover quickly with a short wake, minimizing downstream disturbance. The annular channel re-establishes boundary layers on both sides of the spindle; as Reynolds number increases, the boundary layer thins and the discharge coefficient stabilizes to a constant value.
The meter can convert asymmetric inlet flow — such as flow from an elbow — into uniform, axis-symmetric flow without external straight-run piping.
Datasheet & Calibration
| Series | SPINDLE |
| Measurement Principle | Differential pressure (annular channel) |
| Accuracy — Liquid | Better than 0.15% |
| Accuracy — Gas | Better than 0.3% |
| Repeatability | Better than 0.1% |
| Turndown Ratio | 13:1 standard; up to 500:1 |
| Pipe Size | 1/4 in to 160 in (DN8 – DN4000) |
| Operating Temperature | -200 °C to 850 °C |
| Maximum Pressure | PN 400 (GB); Class 2500 (ASME) |
| Applicable Fluids | Liquid, gas, steam (Re > 2,000) |
| Straight-Run Requirement | None (upstream or downstream) |
| Pressure Loss | ¼ standard orifice plate equivalent |
| Moving Parts | None in measuring body |
| Calibration | Factory flow calibration; coefficient stored in electronics |
| Verification Standard | JJG 640 |
| Flange Standards | GB/T 9119, GB/T 9115, ASME B16.5 |
| Typical Model | SPINDLE-200-D5-AS-Q-02 |
Sample Gas Uncertainty
Qmax
0.13%
0.7 × Qmax
0.09%
0.4 × Qmax
0.14%
0.3 × Qmax
0.12%
Calibration Facilities
- NIM (China) — Water facility — DN50 channel flow meter calibrated on national water flow standard.
- PTB (Germany) & CEESI (USA) — DN80 gas calibration at Re > 10⁵
- Jiangsu Gas Flow Center (China) — DN80 calibration on PVTt gas flow facility.
- PTB (Germany) — With elbow upstream — Demonstrated accurate measurement with elbow connected directly, no straight run.
- Siemens Coriolis meter — Series comparison — Excellent correlation in side-by-side testing; any system offset attributable to different transfer standards.
Signal Interface
Measured Signals
- Flow rate
- Pressure
- Temperature
Outputs & Protocols
- 4-20 mA analog output
- 24 V pulse output
- RS-485 digital bus
- TCP/IP or custom protocols on request
Technology Comparison
SPINDLE is positioned for compact installations and harsh operating conditions where conventional differential-pressure, target, and clamp-on ultrasonic meters face pressure-loss, straight-run, coupling, or maintenance limitations.
| Feature | SPINDLE Flowmeter | Orifice Plate | Target Flowmeter | Clamp-on Ultrasonic | V-Cone Flowmeter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement Principle | Differential Pressure (Channel Type) | Differential Pressure | Force / Mechanical | Transit-Time Ultrasonic | Differential Pressure |
| Typical Accuracy | +/-0.50% | 1-2% | 1.5-5% | 2-5% | 0.5-1% |
| Repeatability | +/-0.10% | 0.2-0.5% | 0.10% | 0.2-0.5% | 0.15-0.3% |
| Turndown Ratio | 500:1 | ~10:1 | 10:1 | Up to 150:1* | 10-20:1 |
| Pressure Loss | Low (approx. 1/4 of Orifice) | Very High | Medium | None | Medium |
| Upstream Straight Pipe | None Required | 10-20D | 5D | 30D | 3-10D |
| Downstream Straight Pipe | None Required | 5-10D | 3D | 10D | 2-5D |
| Flow Conditioning | Strong (Built-in) | None | Limited | None | Partial |
| Installation Sensitivity | Low | High | Medium | High | Medium |
| Flow Profile Robustness | Excellent | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| Accuracy Stability in Field | Excellent | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| Pressure Rating | Very high | Very high | High | Limited | High |
| Moving Parts | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Coupling Medium Needed | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Fouling / Wear Risk | Low | Medium-High | High | Low | Low |
| Calibration Dependency | Low | High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Maintenance Cost | Near Zero | Medium | High | Medium | Low |
| Bidirectional Measurement | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Deployment & Commercial Support
More than 200 clients and 3,000 installed units across oil and gas, chemical, steel, power, research, and utility applications.
| Reference | Medium | Application | Size Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinopec Shandong Shengli Oilfield | Natural Gas | Wellhead Measurement | DN50, DN80, DN100, DN150 |
| PetroChina Shaanxi Changqing Oilfield | 30 MPa Natural Gas | Wellhead Measurement | DN32, DN50, DN65, DN80, DN100 |
| Jiangsu Taixing Guangming Chemical | Hydrogen | Custody Transfer | DN150 |
| Jiangsu Shagang Group | Dirty Gas | Custody Transfer | DN720, DN820, DN900, DN1200, DN2800, DN3200 |
| Changzhou Yabang Chemical | Air | Utility Services | DN1200 |
| Jiangsu Hailan Thermal Power Plant | Air | Utility Services | DN159, DN426, 600×900, 1000×1000 |
| Chuzhou Yueda Group | Air | Utility Services | DN80 |
| Zhengzhou Machinery Research Institute | 16 MPa Air | Test Platform | DN50, DN100 |
| Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics (Energy) | Engine Air | Fuel Efficiency Testing | DN50, DN80 |
| China Aerodynamics Research Center (Mianyang, Sichuan) | 22 MPa Compressed Air, Hydrogen | Wind Tunnel Arrays Experiments | DN40, DN50, DN60, DN80, DN125, DN200, DN400, DN600, DN800 |
| Nanjing Railway Locomotive Depot (East) | Maintenance Wastewater | Discharge Monitoring | DN100 |
| PetroChina Langfang Yong 22 Gas Storage | Natural Gas | Wellhead Measurement | DN200 |
| Nanjing Chemical Industry Park | Compressed Air | Custody Transfer | DN350 |
| Nanjing Titanium Dioxide Chemical | Compressed Air | Custody Transfer | DN350 |
Project Roadmap
Phase 1
Requirement survey and process data review
Phase 2
Sizing, design, material selection, and commercial quotation
Phase 3
Manufacturing, factory calibration, and documentation
Phase 4
Installation guidance, commissioning, and lifecycle support
Distributed internationally by Open Idea Partners · Manufactured by Beijing Spindle Technology Development Co., Ltd.