You’ll find no shortage of flume styles available, but some tend to stand out more than others. While the Parshall flume reigns supreme in terms of popularity, the Trapezoidal flume has plenty to offer in its own right that could make it the clear top choice for your flow rate measurement needs. Learn all about the benefits of trapezoidal flumes, and discover how they can work for your flow rate measurement efforts.
Easy Retrofit
When you imagine a naturally formed channel like a stream or a creek, what shape do you picture? Turns out, most natural channels naturally take a similar shape to a Trapezoidal cross section. This is thanks to the water sculpting the earth as it moves over. Because of this natural shape, Trapezoidal flumes can easily fit into natural channels, which will greatly decrease installation costs compared to rectangular and U-shaped flumes.
Heightened Accuracy
Trapezoidal flumes are among the top choices for flumes styles that offer precise measurements over a wide range of flow rates. Sensitivity is required to measure low flows, and resilience and size is required to pass surge flows. Trapezoidal flumes offer both with the same +/- 3-5% accuracy rate over its entire range. Just make sure you’re adjusting the equations and measurements accordingly to account for different flow rates.
Easy Maintenance
Maintaining a flume is an important step in any kind of flow rate measurement effort, but the actual work of cleaning a Trapezoidal flume is notably easier than many other styles. Trapezoidal flumes are inherently self-cleaning thanks to its flat bottom and V-shape. Solids and sediment don’t build up on the floor, and the flume itself is typically wide enough for most solids to simply pass through without getting stuck. If they do get stuck, however, the wall that builds up behind them is usually enough to push them out.
Customizability
Trapezoidal is more of a category than specific style of flume. Among Trapezoidal flumes, you’ll find various sizes and styles, so you can more accurately apply one to your unique flow channel conditions. Whether you need a flume for seepage, industrial discharge, or irrigation, you can be sure that there’s a Trapezoidal flume that’s fit for the job. It’s especially easy to get the customization you need when you work with a manufacturer that can offer custom designs.
No Submergence
Submergence occurs when downstream conditions cause the flow to back up and eventually overtake the flume itself. This doesn’t really happen with Trapezoidal flumes, though, because the transition is 80%. That means you’d need some seriously poor conditions to ever have to worry about submergence to the point where those conditions would immediately be spotted before installation.
Trapezoidal Flumes from Tracom
If you’re looking to take advantage of the benefits of Trapezoidal flumes, Tracom is happy to help. When you work with us, you can get a trapezoidal flume that fits your unique flow channel conditions. We utilize fiberglass construction, so you can always count on your flume to be dimensionally exact and long lasting. Contact us today to learn more!
