What Should You Know About Dual‑channel Transit‑Time Ultrasonic Flow Meters?
Non‑intrusive dual‑path measurement. No pipe cutting, no pressure loss, suitable for complex flow‑profile working conditions.
Single‑channel ultrasonic meters struggle under distorted flow profiles. Mechanical flow meters bring pressure loss and wearing parts. The dual‑channel transit‑time ultrasonic flow meter adopts two pairs of transducers for multi‑path acquisition, delivering higher measuring accuracy without cutting pipes or interrupting process operation.
1. What is this dual-channel ultrasonic flow meter?
Dual‑channel wall‑mounted transit‑time ultrasonic flow meters works on transit‑time principle. Lanry supplies two main hardware variants:
- Digital Clamp‑on Type: TF1100‑DC wall‑mounted dual‑channels ultrasonic flow meter
- High‑accuracy Insertion Type: TF1100‑DI insertion‑type dual‑channel ultrasonic flowmeter
Both product lines are manufactured by Lanry Instruments (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd. These meters are designed for liquid flow measurement in fully‑filled closed pipes. Two pairs of transducers can cover most common pipe diameter ranges and various pipe materials. Besides standard flow measurement, they support optional thermal‑energy measurement function to complete comprehensive thermal‑consumption analysis for facilities. Benefiting from dual‑path sampling, they achieve better accuracy compared with single‑channel ultrasonic flow meters.
This flexible and easy‑to‑use flow meter is ideal for on‑site service and maintenance activities. It can also be applied for process monitoring or serve as temporary replacement for permanently installed flow meters.
- Dual‑channel design: Measurement accuracy up to ±0.5%, superior to single‑channel ultrasonic flowmeters.
- Non‑intrusive option: Clamp‑on sensor installation requires no pipe cutting, no process shutdown.
- Broad compatibility: Supports pipe diameters from DN20 up to DN5000, multiple pipe materials and liquid media.
- Wide working temperature: Liquid medium temperature range -35℃ ~ 200℃.
- Built‑in functions: On‑board data logger, dynamic zero calibration, optional thermal energy/heat‑quantity measurement.
- Bidirectional flow measurement: Flow velocity range covers 0.01 m/s ~15 m/s.
- Multiple mounting geometries: Supports V‑method, Z‑method, W‑method to adapt different pipe & liquid conditions.
What are its main features?
Dual channels ultrasonic transit-time sensor
for high accuracy 0.5%.
Easy to install, cost effective
require no pipe cutting or processing interrupt.
Wide liquid temperature range
-35℃-200℃.
Data logger & Dynamic zero function
Built-in reliable functions.
Thermal energy measurement capability
Can be optional.
Wide bi-directional flow range
0.01 m/s to 15m/s.
2. How does the transit-time measurement principle work?
The TF1100 transit time flow meter utilizes two pairs of transducers that function as ultrasonic transmitters and receivers. The transducers are installed on the outside of a closed pipe at a specific distance from each other and can be mounted in V-method where the sound transverses the pipe twice, or W-method where the sound transverses the pipe four times, or in Z-method where the transducers are mounted on opposite sides of the pipe and the sound crosses the pipe once. This selection of the mounting method depends on pipe and liquid characteristics.
Unlike the Doppler ultrasonic flowmeter, the flow meter operates by alternately transmitting and receiving a frequency modulated burst of sound energy between the two pairs of transducers and measuring the transit time that it takes for sound to travel between the two pairs of transducers. The difference between the transit-time is directly and exactly related to the velocity of the liquid in the pipe.
3. Where can this flow meter be applied?
Thanks to its unique working principle, the High‑precision TF1100‑DI insertion‑type dual‑channel ultrasonic flowmeter and TF1100‑DC wall‑mounted dual‑channels ultrasonic flowmeter excels in many applications where traditional flow meters struggle, including:
- 1
Water and waste water industry: hot water, cooling water, potable water, sea water, etc. - 2
Petrochemical industry - 3
Chemical industry: chlorine, alcohol, acids, thermal oils, etc. - 4
Refrigeration and air conditioning systems - 5
Food, beverage and pharmaceutical industry - 6
Power supply: nuclear power plants, thermal & hydro-power plants, heat energy
5. In summary
To sum up, TF1100‑DI insertion‑type dual‑channel ultrasonic flowmeter and industrial TF1100‑DC wall‑mounted dual‑channels ultrasonic flowmeter stand out with 0.5% high accuracy, achieved through the transit‑time principle, which significantly outperforms single‑channel models. Suitable for water treatment, petrochemical, food and pharmaceutical industries as well as power supply fields, it provides reliable and convenient flow measurement solutions for diverse industrial needs.
FAQ
Q1: Can I mix different transducer types with one transmitter?
A: Not all transducers are cross-compatible. For example, transducers for TF1100-EC cannot be interchanged with TF1100-EP transducers. Always match the transducer model to your transmitter model. We recommend purchasing one complete matched transducer pair for the corresponding host.
Q2: What liquid conditions are required for transit-time ultrasonic measurement?
A: The pipe must be fully filled with liquid. The measured liquid should not contain excessive air bubbles or large solid particles, otherwise signal quality and measurement accuracy will degrade.
Q3: Which mounting method (V / Z / W) should I choose?
A: V-method is the default for most small-to-medium pipes. Z-method applies for thick-wall pipes or heavy-attenuation pipe materials. W-method is used for small-diameter thin-wall pipes. The meter will suggest the proper geometry after you input pipe parameters.
Q4: Can this meter measure heat / thermal energy?
A: Yes. Thermal energy measurement is an optional function. Additional temperature sensors need to be connected to enable heat-quantity calculation.
Q5: Is on-site pipe cutting necessary for clamp-on version TF1100-DC?
A: No. Clamp-on transducers are externally mounted on pipe outer wall, no cutting or process interruption. Insertion type TF1100-DI requires tapping on the pipeline.
Q6: What is the accuracy of this dual-channel flow meter?
A: Dual-channel model achieves ±0.5% reading accuracy, which performs better than conventional single-channel transit-time ultrasonic flow meters.
Tell us your liquid application — we'll size the meter
Share your pipe size, flow velocity range, liquid medium and communication requirements. The Lanry team will recommend the proper TF1100 dual-channel transit-time ultrasonic flowmeter configuration.
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Post time: Oct-22-2026