Design and Development of IoT-Based Wireless Volumetric Flow Transmitter With Hemispheric Type Cup System

This study details the design and development of a wireless open-channel volumetric flow transmitter based on Internet of Things (IoT) technology, intended for measuring Newtonian fluid flow. A four-hemispheric cup system is positioned at the outlet of fluid flow. Upon rotation, the torque produced by the fluid flow induces rotation in the cup system, consequently generating a direct current (dc) voltage signal. This output signal is subsequently transmitted to a remote cloud server through a wireless sensor network (WSN) and IoT for monitoring and storage purposes. The developed open-channel volumetric flow transmitter offers numerous advantages, such as easy installation in harsh environments, wireless data transmission capabilities, easy portability, and minimal power consumption. There are few limitations of the system such as wear and tear of rotating parts due to aging, may require added sensors or mathematical model for turbulent flow conditions, lower flow rate, and various losses that occur in dc generators. The sensors are capable of measuring flow rate ranges from 0 to 1.228 m3/hr, corresponding to a sensitivity of 4.54 V/m3/hr, and the measured power consumption was determined to be 117.18 W. The percentage deviation and standard deviation were found to be −1.055% to 0.631%, and 0 direct current voltage (DCV) to 1.374 DCV, respectively. The experimental results indicate that the performance of this developed flow sensor is comparable to that of other standard flow-measuring sensors and its prime objective is to determine flow rate as a function of dc generator mechanical to electrical energy change. Further, considering the limitations inherent in traditional electrical signal communication, which are often unsuitable for harsh environments in the process industry, the developed IoT-based volumetric flow transmitter system exhibits considerable potential for applications involving the measurement of open-channel flow rates under such challenging conditions.