FORGED ORIFICE FLANGE

A forged orifice flange is a specialized flange designed by Western of Texas Forge & Flange manufacturers for pipeline flow measurement. It incorporates an orifice plate, a thin plate with a precisely sized hole (orifice) that restricts the flow, allowing for accurate fluid or gas flow rate measurement.

Key Features of Forged Orifice Flanges

• Forged Construction: Made using forging processes that increase the flange’s strength, toughness, and durability, making it ideal for high-pressure and high-temperature applications.
• Orifice Plate Integration: The flange assembly holds an orifice plate between two flanges with gaskets to ensure tight sealing and minimal leakage.
• Tappings for Pressure Measurement: Forged orifice flanges come with pressure tap holes (usually 1/4″ or 1/2″ NPT) on both upstream and downstream sides. These taps allow differential pressure readings.
• Standardized Designs: They adhere to standards like ASME B16.36, ensuring compatibility with piping systems and measurement equipment.

How do the Flanges Work

• Flow Restriction: The orifice plate creates a restriction in the pipeline, causing a pressure drop as fluid or gas flows through the orifice.
• Pressure Differential: The flow rate can be calculated using the Bernoulli principle or standardized flow equations by measuring the pressure difference between the upstream and downstream tappings.
• Flow Calculation: The size of the orifice hole and the differential pressure are key factors for calculating the flow rate accurately.

Applications

• Flow Measurement: Common in oil & gas, chemical, water treatment, and power generation industries for flow rate monitoring of liquids, gases, and steam.
• Custody Transfer: Used for billing purposes where precise flow measurement is required.
• Control Systems: Integrated into systems to regulate and monitor flow as part of industrial process control.

Advantages

• High Accuracy: Provides precise flow measurement when installed and calibrated correctly.
• Robust and Durable: Forged construction ensures high pressure and temperature reliability.
• Easy Maintenance: The orifice plate can be easily replaced or inspected without removing the entire flange assembly.

Installation Considerations

• Orientation: Ensure correct alignment of the orifice plate and flanges.
• Straight Pipe Runs: Require sufficient straight pipe lengths upstream and downstream to ensure accurate flow measurement.
• Pressure Tap Connection: Proper connection of pressure sensors or transmitters to the tapping points.

Our forged orifice flanges are a reliable tool for flow measurement in critical industrial processes, combining strength (via forging) and precision engineering to ensure accurate and dependable operation.