Flow Rate Measurement Using [sup 99m]tc Radiotracer Method in a Pipe Installation

Flow rate is a significant parameter for managing processes in chemical processing plants and water processing facility. Accurate measurement of the flow rate allows engineers to monitor the delivery of process material, which in turn impacts a plant's capacity to produce their products. One of the available methods for determining the flow rate of a process material is by introducing a radiotracer to the system that mimics the material's flow pattern. In this study, a low activity Technetium-99m radioisotope was injected into a water piping setup and the 2" x 2" Nat (TI) detectors were calibrated to detect spectrum peaks at specific points of the pipe installation. Using pulse velocity method, water flow rate was determined to be 11.3 litres per minute. For the sampling method, at different pump capacity, the flow rate was 15.0 litres per minute.