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Ultrasonic Technology: Single-Use High-Precision Flowmeter

Ulrike Flaig

August 10, 2016

2 Min Read

Logo_3-300x67.jpgLevitronix® has released the first ultrasonic, single-use (SU) flowmeter on the market. Characterized by high accuracy and superior performance, LEVIFLOW® SU noninvasive flowmeters enable a highly precise and low-cost flow measurement. With an accuracy of <1% of reading and flow ranges from 1 mL/min to 80 L/min, they offer the highest level of accuracy for measuring liquids in biopharmaceutical and other applications that require FDA, USP-VI, BSE/TSE, and animal-component–free materials that can be gamma sterilized.

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Figure 1: Operating principle of ultrasonic single-use sensor

Technical Background: Figure 1 illustrates the operating principle: Two piezo-electric transducers, mounted in the sensor housing, generate and receive an ultrasonic wave. The wave going in direction of the flow (with-steam wave) is accelerated, and the wave going against the flow direction (against-steam wave) is slowed down. Both waves are processed by a signal converter. The difference of the transit time of both waves is proportional to the velocity of the fluid.

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Figure 2: Single-use flow sensor

The standard configuration of Leviflow single-use flowmeters (Figure 2) consists of a flow sensor and a converter with a digital signal processor (DSP) for processing sensor signals. Various signals (analog output, digital input/output) are provided and can be configured with PC software. A two-wire RS485 bus allows arrays of multiple flowmeters. In addition, the sensor value is shown on a four-digit display.

System Benefits

  • High-precision flow measurement (1% of reading)

  • Product line covering 1–80 L/min

  • Gentle to sensitive fluids such as CHO cells and proteins based on ultrasonic technology, no moving parts

  • High accurate and dynamic flow control with Levitronix® MagLev pump

  • Highly flexible configuration, same hardware (converter and cables) for SU sensors and clamp-on sensors

  • Easy integration into OEM equipment

  • Easy configurable flow sensor parameters

  • Integrated and configurable totalizer function

  • Gamma radiation up to 40 kGy

  • All wet materials of the SU flowmeters made of biocompatible (FDA, USP-VI, BSE/TSE, and animal- component free) polypropylene

  • Improved bubble robustness due to DSP technology

Applications

  • High-purity and high-precision liquid processes

  • Sterilize noninvasive flow measurement in pharmaceutical manufacturing

  • Biotechnology processing

  • High accurate and dynamic flow control in combination with Levitronix pump systems

  • Single-use disposable applications.

Ulrike Flaig is a business development specialist at Levitronix GmbH, Technoparkstrasse 1, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland, 41-44-445-1913; [email protected]; www.levitronix.com.

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