Glossary · Sensors and measurement
Mass flow meter
Also known as: Mass flowmeter
German: Massedurchflussmesser
In process instrumentation, a mass flow meter is a flowmeter that measures the mass of a medium flowing per unit of time, either directly, as with Coriolis or thermal meters, or by calculation from volume flow, density, pressure and temperature.
- Sensors
- Process industry
In one sentence
A mass flow meter measures the mass of a medium flowing per unit of time, directly or calculated from volume flow and density.
Example
A thermal mass flow meter measures the compressed-air consumption of a production line in standard cubic meters per hour.
How it applies
- Engineering: Mass flow is independent of pressure and temperature, which matters for dosing, energy balances and billing. Direct measurement avoids errors from separate density or compensation inputs.
- Operation: Thermal mass flow meters are common for gases; they are calibrated for a specific gas or gas mixture, and a different gas requires correction.
- Documentation: State whether a flow is mass, actual volume or standard volume, and for gases the reference conditions. Interface specifications should give the unit for every flow value.
Mass flow meter vs. Coriolis flowmeter
Mass flow meter is the category. A Coriolis flowmeter is the most common kind for liquids; thermal meters are common for gases. Derived mass flow values should also state which density, pressure and temperature inputs they rely on.