San Marcos, CA — Engineers challenged by flow meter inaccuracy and repeatability issues in crowded plant conditions will want to watch a new video featuring, “Vortab Flow Conditioners.” This video explains how air, gas and liquid flow measurement can be greatly improved anywhere restricted pipe runs in cramped equipment areas make following the flow meter manufacturer’s pipe straight-run requirements impractical or impossible.

The Vortab flow conditioners overcome this challenge by delivering a uniform, swirl-free flow profile to the meter inlet in as little as a few pipe diameters for accurate, repeatable measurement. Upstream flow disturbers, such as pumps, elbows, expanders or reducers, and valves, often produce non-uniform, non-repeatable and swirling fluid flow entering the meter. These flow disturbers impact the flow sensor’s ability to measure fluid flow accurately and consistently. 

Turbulent flow conditions in the pipe not only affect flow meter accuracy, but it can also damage pumps, valves and other equipment by causing premature wear that requires additional maintenance cycles and/or early equipment replacement before their normal life-cycle. Swirling flows also can affect product throughput, energy costs, process quality and more. 

With their exclusive flow profile and anti-swirl tab design, the Vortab process flow conditioners correct fluid disturbances to mimic adequate pipe straight run and produce a highly repeatable, symmetrical flow profile. Vortab flow conditioners are proven to be the industry’s lowest pressure drop flow conditioning technology, which reduces energy costs and minimizes process design considerations. Their use also eliminates the extra pipe cost and technician labor for additional lengths of pipe straight run and/or moving equipment around to accommodate new pumps. 

In long lengths of straight pipe, swirl reduction and velocity profile correction occur naturally due to diffusion, friction and turbulent mixing. The Vortab flow conditioner’s anti-swirl and inclined vortex generating profile correction tabs, projecting from the inside pipe surface, generate vortices that accelerate these natural pipe effects to create a uniform, non-swirling, symmetrical flow profile in a much shorter section of pipe. 

The simple, flexible designs of the Vortab Insertion Plate (Model VIP), Vortab Elbow (Model VEL) and the Vortab Insertion Sleeve (Model VIS) configurations provide a cost effective, easy to install solution that supports proper pump installation. They can be made from carbon steel, 316L stainless steel or Hastelloy C-276 and in almost any pipe size. A variety of process connections are also available – ANSI flanges, male NPT threads, butt welded preps or retaining wafers.

The Vortab Company is a manufacturer and global supplier of flow conditioners and flow straighteners committed to meeting the needs of its customers through innovative solutions to the most challenging requirements for flow disturbance isolation to optimize flow meter accuracy and repeatability in gases or liquids.

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San Marcos, CA — Swirling fluid flows and asymmetric velocity profile distortions resulting from crowded plant conditions where insufficient pipe straight runs exist upstream and/or downstream from sensitive equipment such as gas compressors, pumps, valves and flow instruments can be mitigated if not entirely eliminated with the Vortab Flow Conditioners from The Vortab Company. The efficiency of natural gas compressors can be easily reduced by such disturbed flow conditions, which also potentially increases maintenance and the total cost of operating gas pipelines. Gas with swirling or asymmetric velocity flow profiles can result as gas is routed through compressor stations on long, complex pipelines and into storage facilities due to shortages of real estate, crowded equipment conditions, the use of pipe elbows or valves and variable pipeline demand. Multiple types of equipment including gas compressors, pumps, valves and flow instrumentation require relatively long lengths of pipe straight-run for high efficiency operation. It can take up to 145 pipe diameters of unobstructed straight pipe run to eliminate both swirl and velocity profile distortions. Vortab flow and process conditioners isolate such flow disturbances and create a swirl-free, symmetrical, and repeatable velocity flow profile in just a few pipe diameters to keep equipment running efficiently. The Vortab Company’s product line of flow conditioners nearly eliminates the upstream straight pipe run requirements for many types of equipment and instruments by conditioning the flow stream into a regular flow regime to mimic adequate pipe straight run. In addition to conditioning the flow stream, the use of a flow conditioner eliminates the pipe cost and technician labor for the purchase of additional lengths of pipe straight run and the labor for its installation. Many times, however, sufficient plant real estate is simply not available to accommodate the required pipe straight-run. The Vortab flow conditioners feature tab-type flow conditioning technology, which has been laboratory proven and successfully installed in hundreds of plants worldwide. To validate their unique flow conditioning design, they have been tested with swirl and velocity profile distortion generators in state-of-the-art gas and liquid calibration facilities. Swirl reduction and velocity profile correction occur naturally in long lengths of straight pipe due to diffusion and turbulent mixing. Vortab’s anti-swirl and inclined vortex generating profile correction tabs, projecting from the inside pipe surface, generate vortices that accelerate these natural pipe effects to create a uniform, non-swirling, symmetrical flow profile in a much shorter section of pipe. The simple, flexible designs of the Vortab Elbow, the Vortab Insertion Panel (VIP) and the Vortab Insert Sleeve, Short Run, Meter Run and Field Kit configurations provide a cost effective solution to crowded installations for gas compressors, pumps, valves, flow meters and other critical process equipment. Vortab provides the most effective flow disturbance isolation, lowest pressure drop and least affected by fouling of any of the flow conditioners available. Vortab flow conditioners can be made from carbon steel, 316L stainless steel or Hastelloy C-276. A variety of process connections are also available–ANSI flanges, male NPT threads, butt welded preps or retaining wafers. Delivery time for the Vortab flow conditioner is available in less than five weeks, depending on size. Custom configurations are also available from the factory. The Vortab Company is a global supplier committed to meeting the needs of its customers through innovative solutions to the most challenging requirements for optimizing flow meter accuracy and repeatability in gases or liquids.

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San Marcos, CA — Process and plant engineers who need to add a liquid flow meter in already crowded equipment areas where there is an insufficient straight pipe run will find Vortab® Flow Conditioners ensure a smooth flow profile for accurate measurement by flow meters, which often must be installed in close proximity to pumps, valves or elbows due to limited plant real estate. A number of popular liquid flow meter meters, including differential pressure (dP), magnetic, ultrasonic and turbines, feature sensing technologies that can be significantly affected by asymmetrical flow conditions in the pipe. These conditions degrade measurement accuracy and repeatability. Depending on the particular technology, these meter sensing technologies require a minimum of 6 to 10 upstream and up to 5 downstream straight pipe diameters to a achieve a symmetrical swirl-free flow profile for accurate measurement. Unfortunately, most process industry plants are rich with bulky equipment and other real estate limitations, which make it difficult to achieve the required pipe straight-run configuration necessary for accurate liquid flow measurement. Many times too, plant upgrades and retrofits require adding more flow meters in locations that are difficult to accommodate without flow conditioning devices because of their straight pipe run requirements. Vortab Flow Conditioners reduce the required straight pipe diameters to only a very few diameters for effective compact meter installation and accurate flow measurement. Furthermore, the design of the Vortab Flow Conditioners results in an extremely low pressure drop. This design feature provides significant energy cost savings over alternative flow conditioning technologies and maximizes attainable plant product throughput. Non-recoverable pressure loss can reduce maximum flow capability in process lines, creating process inefficiencies and requiring greater energy expenditures to move process liquids and gases. There are four different Vortab Flow Conditioner models to accommodate a variety of process requirements. The Vortab Insertion Sleeve (VIS) is the most cost effective version of the Vortab flow conditioning products. The VIS can be installed directly into existing pipe or specially designed to meet unique piping configurations. The Vortab Meter Run (VMR) Flow Conditioner offers a complete, simple pipe section replacement for new and existing piping systems. The VMR is a seven pipe diameter long spool piece comprised of three pipe diameters of Vortab flow conditioning internals and a built in downstream settling chamber. The Vortab Short Run (VSR) flow conditioner offers a simple flow conditioning pipe section replacement for new and existing piping systems. The VSR is a three pipe diameter long flow conditioning spool piece with just the Vortab flow conditioning internals. The Vortab Elbow™ Flow Conditioner is a 90° long radius elbow (VEL) model. It offers a simple flow conditioning elbow replacement for new and existing piping systems. The VEL is the only true isolating elbow flow conditioner in the world. It not only has the ability to isolate irregular velocity profiles and swirl normally encountered in a single elbow, but it also has the ability to isolate any irregular velocity profiles entering the VEL. The Vortab Company is a global supplier committed to meeting the needs of its customers through innovative solutions to the most challenging requirements for optimizing flow meter accuracy and repeatability in gases or liquids

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San Marcos, CA — Process engineers responsible for keeping the pumps running in plants crowded with equipment and awkward pipe layouts will find the Vortab Elbow Flow Conditioner is an effective, low-cost solution to eliminate the turbulent fluid flows that result in pump cavitation, which can lead to line shutdowns, expensive maintenance and shorter pump life. Pump cavitation often occurs after liquid swirls and bubbles form in a pipe. These turbulent asymmetrical flow patterns create a vacuum suction that once it reaches a pump’s impeller will cause high pressure shock waves. The resulting stress on the impeller blades pits them and requires extra maintenance or costly replacement. All pumps require a smooth, regular symmetrical inlet liquid fluid flow profile for efficient operation. Pump manufacturers typically recommend 10 diameters of straight pipe be placed upstream from their pumps to avoid creating the turbulent flow conditions that can lead to pump cavitation. Many times, however, such a long straight pipe run is impractical because of insufficient plant real estate, the need for elbows or U-joints, flow meters, valves and other equipment. In these all too real world situations, the installation of a flow conditioner solves the problem by vigorous mixing action that eliminates the irregular flows prior to contact with the inlet port on the pump. The resulting pre-conditioned flow stream achieved with the Vortab Elbow Flow Conditioner from The Vortab Company mimics the straight run needed for efficient pump operation and removes asymmetric velocity flow profiles. In addition to conditioning the flow stream, the 90-degree angle tab-type Vortab Elbow Flow Conditioner eliminates the straight pipe run cost and installation technician labor. The Vortab Elbow was developed using the same tab-type flow conditioning technology as the straight run Vortab Flow Conditioners, which have been laboratory proven and successfully installed in hundreds of plants worldwide. To validate the Vortab Elbow’s unique design–ball valves, gate valves, out-of-plane and in-plane elbows and swirl generators were installed at the immediate inlet of the Vortab elbow and tested in the company’s state-of-the-art gas and liquid calibration facilities. The Vortab Elbow Flow Conditioner isolates the flow irregularities and conditions the flow stream into a swirl-free and symmetrical velocity profile. Swirl reduction and velocity profile correction occur naturally in long lengths of straight pipe due to diffusion and turbulent mixing. Vortab’s anti-swirl and inclined vortex generating profile correction tabs, projecting from the inside pipe surface, generate vortices that accelerate these natural pipe effects to create a uniform, non swirling, symmetrical flow profile in a much shorter section of pipe. The simple, flexible designs of the Vortab Elbow, the Vortab Insertion Panel (VIP) and the Vortab Insert Sleeve, Short Run, Meter Run and Field Kit configurations provide a cost effective solution to crowded installations for flow meters and other critical process equipment. Vortab provides the most effective flow disturbance isolation, lowest pressure drop and least affected by fouling of any of the flow conditioners available. Vortab flow conditioners can be made from carbon steel, 316L stainless steel or Hastelloy C-276. A variety of process connections are also available–ANSI flanges, male NPT threads, butt welded preps or retaining wafers. Delivery time for the VORTAB flow conditioner is available in less than five weeks, depending on size. Custom configurations are also available from the factory. The Vortab Company is a global supplier committed to meeting the needs of its customers through innovative solutions to the most challenging requirements for optimizing flow meter accuracy and repeatability in gases or liquids.

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San Marcos, CA-Wastewater treatment engineers who can’t find room for the recommended straight pipe run needed by electromagnetic flow meters in sewage lift stations will find the Vortab Elbow Flow Conditioner from The Vortab Company eliminates the problem by removing swirl and asymmetric velocity profiles caused by pumps placed too close to the meter. To provide accurate and repeatable flow measurement, electromagnetic and other types of flow metering technologies require a specific amount of straight pipe run upstream and downstream from the installed location of the meter. The straight pipe runs create a swirl-free and symmetric velocity profile in the pipe that can be measured accurately over and over again. When electromagnetic flow meters are placed too close to pumps in sewage lift stations, there can be measurement problems. Sewage lift stations are required to pump wastewater from one elevation to a higher level when gravity flow isn’t feasible for any number of reasons. Often there isn’t enough available plant real estate to support the straight pipe run required by electromagnetic and other flow metering technologies. The Vortab Company’s elbow flow conditioner eliminates the flow meter upstream piping requirements by conditioning the flow stream into a flow regime, mimicking adequate straight run. In addition to conditioning the flow stream, the 90-degree angle tab-type Vortab Elbow Flow Conditioner eliminates the pipe cost and technician labor for the 5 to 10 upstream and 3 to 5 downstream pipe diameters required by mag meters. The Vortab Elbow was developed using the same tab-type flow conditioning technology as the straight run Vortab Flow Conditioners, which have been laboratory proven and successfully installed in hundreds of plants worldwide. To validate the Vortab Elbow’s unique design–ball valves, gate valves, out-of-plane and in-plane elbows and swirl generators were installed at the immediate inlet of the Vortab elbow and tested in stateof-the-art gas and liquid calibration facilities. The Vortab Elbow Flow Conditioner isolates the flow irregularities and conditions the flow stream into a swirl-free and symmetrical velocity profile. Swirl reduction and velocity profile correction occur naturally in long lengths of straight pipe due to diffusion and turbulent mixing. Vortab’s anti-swirl and inclined vortex generating profile correction tabs, projecting from the inside pipe surface, generate vortices that accelerate these natural pipe effects to create a uniform, non swirling, symmetrical flow profile in a much shorter section of pipe. The simple, flexible designs of the Vortab Elbow, the Vortab Insertion Panel (VIP) and the Vortab Insert Sleeve, Short Run, Meter Run and Field Kit configurations provide a cost effective solution to crowded installations for flow meters and other critical process equipment. Vortab provides the most effective flow disturbance isolation, lowest pressure drop and least affected by fouling of any of the flow conditioners available. Vortab flow conditioners can be made from carbon steel, 316L stainless steel or Hastelloy C-276. A variety of process connections are also available–ANSI flanges, male NPT threads, butt welded preps or retaining wafers. Delivery time for the VORTAB flow conditioner is available in less than five weeks, depending on size. Custom configurations are also available from the factory. The Vortab Company is a global supplier committed to meeting the needs of its customers through innovative solutions to the most challenging requirements for optimizing flow meter accuracy and repeatability in gases or liquids.

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San Marcos, CA—A breakthrough, patentpending flat panel flow conditioner, Model VIP, has been introduced by the Vortab® Company. This revolutionary flow conditioner maximizes flow meter performance with minimal pressure drop in a simple to install, lightweight thin panel. The VIP blends the proven performance and superior low pressure drop of Vortab tab-type flow conditioning technology with the low cost and ease-of-installation of an insertion panel type flow conditioner solution. Vortab tab-type flow conditioning technology greatly reduces the pressure drop compared to alternative technologies such as tube bundles, screens and perforated plates. Minimizing pressure drop is a significant design consideration in flow conditioning for process engineers to minimize plant energy consumption and energy costs. Many flow meter technologies, and particularly center-point types, require several diameters of straight pipe run to meet their meter’s accuracy specifications. The straight-run is necessary to provide a highly repeatable symmetrical and swirl-free flow profile to the flow sensor for accurate and repeatable flow measurement. Unfortunately, most process industry plants are rich with elbows, valves, tees and real estate limitations that make the flow meter’s required pipe straight-run configuration difficult to achieve. The Model VIP Insertion Panel Flow Conditioner solves the pipe straight-run dilemma. A VIP installed in just 3 pipe diameters downstream from the flow disturbance and with the

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