Pico Technology

Flow Meter Kits

Milwaukee, WI 53235, USA
Tel: +1 (414) 769-6400
[email protected]

St. Ives, Cambs. PE27 3LZ, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1480 397 400
[email protected]

www.webtec.com

These flow meters are designed for intermittent or continuous testing of Features
hydraulic systems on vehicles, mobile machinery, test stands and many other
hydraulic circuits. They are the ideal tool to locate hydraulic flow problems • FLOW: 1 - 600 lpm,
and can be used to verify and record repair work. They are used to check 0.25 - 160 US gpm
system performance, balance system flows and commission of hydraulically
powered equipment. Their compact design enables them to be installed • PRESSURE: Up to 480
where space is limited. bar, 7000 psi

When included, the integral loading valve provides smooth progressive • ACCURACY: Up to 1%
pressure control in both flow directions allowing components such as of indicated reading
cylinders or motors to be tested without re-plumbing the test connections.
• LOADING VALVE:
with bi-directional flow
and pressure loading
capability

• ‘INTERPASS’™ safety
disc system, bypasses
oil internally in the event
of the valve being over
pressurised

• BI-DIRECTIONAL
operation**
(Model specific)

• TEMPERATURE: sensor
built-in

• FLUIDS: Wide range of

hydraulic oil, lubrication
oil, and fuels

• CALIBRATION: 21 cSt
as standard. Special
calibrations possible

Certificate No.8242

Hydraulic measurement and control PICO-BU-ENG-3625.pdf

(Issue 1)
10/17
Specifications
Kit Model Maximum
Flow Meter Main ports Top ports Flow Range
Number pressure
Pico 25 EU CT25-FB-B-B-6* 1/2” BSPP 1/4” BSPP* 1 - 25 lpm 420 bar
Pico 25 NA CT25-FB-S-S-6* 3/4” -16UN #8 SAE ORB 7/16” -20UN #4 SAE ORB* 0.25 - 7 US gpm 6000 psi
Pico 300 EU CT300R-FB-B-B-6 1” BSPP 1/4” BSPP 8 - 300 lpm 420 bar
Pico 300 NA CT300R-FB-S-S-6 1-5/16” -12UN #16 SAE ORB 7/16” -20UN #4 SAE ORB 2 2 - 80 US gpm 6000 psi
Pico 600 EU CT600R-FB-S-B-7** 1-7/8” -12UN #24 SAE ORB 1/4” BSPP 20 600 lpm* 480 bar
Pico 600 NA CT600R-FB-S-S-7** 1-7/8” -12UN #24 SAE ORB 7/16” -20UN #4 SAE ORB 5 - 160 US gpm* 7000 psi

*Only one test port.

**CT600R has limited pressure control below 86 lpm (23 US gpm). The maximum controllable pressure in this region
is calculated by: max pressure (in bar) = 5 x flow (lpm) +30

Functional specification
Ambient temperature: 5 to 40°C (41 - 104°F)
Fluid type: Oils, fuels
Fluid temperature: 5 to 90°C (41 - 194°F) continuous use.
Accuracy: CT25 is 1% of full scale
(in preferred direction) CT300/600 - 15 to 100% of range - 1% of indicated reading
Below 15% fixed accuracy of 1% of 15% of full scale
Output: Frequency - 5 - 3000 Hz

Construction material
Flow body: High tensile Aluminium 2014A T6, Aluminium 6082 T6
Internal parts: Aluminium, Steel, Stainless Steel.
Transducer: Aluminium, Steel - electroless nickel plated, Stainless Steel.
Seals: FKM seals as standard.

Operation
As fluid is passed through the flow block it rotates a Installation
precision turbine. The flow straighteners and turbine The flow blocks have built-in flow straighteners so the
design minimise the effects of turbulence and swirl. The normal recommended length of 10 Ø of straight tube
turbine blades are detected by the magnetic reluctance can be reduced to 8 Ø where space is limited. 90-degree
transducer which produces a pulse output. The flow bends are permitted on the loading valve end of the
meter block has ports for pressure or temperature sensors block, but should always be of a similar bore size to that
which can be supplied as an option. of the flowmeter to prevent venturi or constriction effects.
Where meters include a loading valve the unique The range of flow meters can be used for intermittent or
designed, pressure balanced poppet ensures low handle continuous testing of flow in either direction. The flow
effort throughout the full range of the meter. It also block can be mounted in any orientation.
provides excellent tactile feedback regardless of pressure,
flow and direction. Turning the valve clockwise increases Filtration
the restriction and hence the load on the circuit. In the It is recommended that a 25-micron (10 micron for CT25)
event of overpressure, replaceable safety discs (situated filter is installed in the circuit prior to the flow block.
within the poppet) rupture to internally by-pass the oil at
low pressure. Safety discs with different pressure ranges Top ports
up to 480 bar are available -please consult sales office. All flow meters have two additional ports (see table
for configuration) in the top face to enable the user to
Reverse flow connect both a temperature and pressure senor. All
The flow block is capable of controlling and measuring flow meters come with one M16 x 2 test point fitted as
flow in either direction. There is a shuttle valve which standard.
ensures the pressure port measure the high pressure
side of the loading valve. In order to achieve the quoted Ordering
accuracy figures flow must be in the preferred direction - Flow meters are only available in the kits listed in the
turbine first then loading value. specifications table, ie. “Pico AM300 EU.”

Calibration
All units are calibrated with 21 cSt oil as standard.
Calibration certificates are available on request - this is a
chargeable option. Other calibration on request - please
consult the sales office.
 Pressure Drop Chart
Hydraulic Oil Viscosity 21 Centistokes (Fully open load valve)
10.0

Pressure Drop (bar)

CT600R
5.0
CT300R

CT25
Note:
1.0
1 UK gallon = 4.546 litres
1 US gallon = 3.785 litres
0.5
5 10 50 100 500 1000
Flow (lpm)

Pico Kit No. Webtec Model No. A B C D Weight kg (lbs)

PICO 25 EU CT25-FB-B-B-6 49 127.5 37 136 0.7 (1.5)
PICO 25 NA CT25-FB-S-S-6 49 127.5 37 136 0.7 (1.5)
D

C A

1/4” BSPP or 7/16” UNF Connection M10x1 Port B

with M16x2 Test Point fitted

Pico Kit No. Webtec Model No. A B C D Weight kg (lbs)

PICO 300 EU CT300R-FB-B-B-6 161 193 100 222 3.7 (8.1)
PICO 600 EU CT600R-FB-S-B-7 186 214 125 235 8.0 (17.6)
PICO 300 NA CT300R-FB-S-S-6 161 193 100 222 3.7 (8.1)
PICO 600 NA CT600R-FB-S-S-7 186 214 125 235 8.0 (17.6)
Dimensions in Millimetres
D 1/4” BSPP or 7/16” UNF Connection
with M16x2 Test Point fitted

C
A

1/4” BSPP or 7/16” M10x1 Port

UNF Connection
B
Turbine Flow Meters
Accuracy Repeatability
The accuracy is better described as the uncertainty of the The repeatability is the variation in the performance of the
flow reading compared to a known reference. Every flow flow meter when used under the same conditions. Our
measurement has an error associated with it, caused by range of flow meters has excellent repeatability of better
the combination of a large number of factors that affect than ± 0.2%. This is just as important as the accuracy
the operation of the flow meter, these include bearing since in many applications the flow readings from the
friction, temperature, viscosity, magnetic drag and the same flow meter will be compared at regular intervals to
signal strength to name but a few. look for any change in performance of the system.

All our flow meters are calibrated at 10 points over the Flow range (Turndown ratio)
flow range and its performance measured against a flow A turbine flow meter has a minimum and a maximum
reference that is traceable to International standards. calibrated flow which together describe the range of
Accuracy is typically quoted in one of two ways: as a flows that can be accurately measured. Through the
percentage of full scale (the maximum calibrated flow) or addition of signal conditioning either mounted on the flow
as a percentage of the indicated reading (the actual flow). meter or built into the readout, the flow range of our flow
meters has been extended considerably compared to
Full scale (FS) or full scale deflection (FSD) other models on the market; the ratio of the maximum to
A term that was originally used for analogue displays the minimum calibrated flow (turndown ratio) is between
where a needle pointed to a number on a scale, hence 15 and 40 across all models. Particular effort has been
FSD. The flow accuracy is a fixed amount regardless of made to extend the flow range by calibrating down to
the actual flow you are measuring. For example 1% FS lower flows enabling one flow meter to be used where
for a flow meter with a maximum calibrated flow of 400 two may have been required in the past. This makes the
lpm is ± 4 lpm whether you are measuring 40 lpm, 200 flow meter both a more economical and easier to install
lpm or 400 lpm (see graph below). If you need to measure solution.
flows of 40 and 400 lpm with same flow meter then it is
important to check the allowable error at all flows. Fluid viscosity
The performance of a turbine flow meter can be affected
Graph showing accuracy of 1% of Full Scale (FS) for a by the viscosity of the fluid measured. Our turbine flow
flow meter rated up to 400 lpm meters are calibrated at between 18 and 26 cSt as
5
standard (a mean viscosity of 21 cSt), which is the typical
4
kinematic viscosity for a hydraulic fluid operating at 50
3
°C. The kinematic viscosity of all hydraulic fluids is related
2
to the fluid temperature and the table below shows the
1
affect of temperature on the kinematic viscosity of a
Error (lpm)

0
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360 380 400 range of typical grades of hydraulic oil.
-1

-2
The shaded area of the table shows the range of
-3
viscosities that can be measured by a flow meter with
-4
standard calibration with minimal effect on the accuracy
-5
Flow (lpm) (less that ± 1% FS).

Flow meters can be specially calibrated at a different

Indicated reading (IR) viscosity to the standard or we can advise on the
Accuracy is quoted as a percentage of the actual value expected error when the flow meter is used at other
measured. So if the accuracy of a 400 lpm flow meter is viscosities, please contact sales for further information.
1% IR then the error at 400 lpm is ± 4 lpm. As the actual
flow measured reduces, so does the error in lpm. When
measuring a flow of 60 lpm with an accuracy of 1% IR, Table showing kinematic viscosity (cSt)
the possible error is ± 0.6 lpm. At very low flows, the of different mineral oils at specific temperatures
possible errors are no longer proportional to the flow rate,
but actually a fixed amount in lpm (see graph below). For Fluid type
example if the accuracy is quoted as 1% IR (>60 lpm) Temp °C ISO15 ISO22 ISO32 ISO37 ISO46 ISO68
for a flow meter with the range 10 - 400 lpm, then the 0 85.9 165.6 309.3 449.9 527.6 894.3
accuracy is 1% of the actual flow in the range 60 to 400 10 49.0 87.0 150.8 204.7 244.9 393.3
lpm and a fixed flow error in the range 10 to < 60 lpm.
20 30.4 50.5 82.2 105.5 127.9 196.1
30 20.1 31.6 48.8 59.8 73.1 107.7
Graph showing accuracy of 1% of Indicated Reading (IR)
for a flow meter rated up to 400 lpm 40 14.0 21.0 31.0 36.6 44.9 63.9
5 50 10.2 14.7 20.8 23.9 29.4 40.5
4 60 7.7 10.7 14.7 16.5 20.2 27.2
3 70 6.0 8.1 10.9 12.0 14.6 19.2
2 80 4.8 6.4 8.4 9.1 11.1 14.3
1
90 4.0 5.2 6.6 7.2 8.7 11.1
Error (lpm)

0
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360 380 400 100 3.3 4.3 5.5 6.0 7.1 8.9
-1

-2 ISO 15, 22, 32, 46 and 68 based on typical figures for the Esso
-3 Nuto range of HM oils. ISO 37 based on Shell Tellus HM oil.
-4
-5
Flow (lpm)

Webtec reserve the right to make improvements and changes to the specification without notice