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Sanitary Vortex Flow Meter
A vortex flow meter in a hygienic build: a polished stainless body with tri-clamp connections that loosen by hand for cleaning. It measures clean steam, gas, and clear liquid on food, beverage, and pharmaceutical lines, and it has no moving parts to wear or trap residue.
- Principle: Karman vortex shedding, hygienic build
- Size: DN15 to DN150
- Accuracy: ±1.0% or ±1.5% of rate
- Connection: Tri-clamp; 304 or 316L polished body
- Output: 4-20 mA, pulse, RS-485; IP65
Overview
A sanitary vortex flow meter puts the same vortex sensing as an industrial meter into a hygienic body. A bluff bar in the bore sheds a Karman vortex street, the shedding frequency gives the velocity, and the meter scales it to flow. What changes is the build: a polished 304 or 316L body with tri-clamp connections that loosen by hand, no crevices or dead legs, and no moving parts to wear or trap product. That makes it a fit for food, beverage, and pharmaceutical lines that are cleaned in place.
Its strength is clean steam, gas, and clear liquid in one no-moving-parts meter. It is the natural choice for clean steam and the steam used to sterilize a skid, for compressed air and CO2 in a brewery, and for clear process liquids where a magnetic meter does not suit. For conductive liquids such as milk and juice, a sanitary magnetic flow meter reads with no straight-run penalty; for clean low-viscosity batching, a sanitary turbine flow meter gives a fast pulse. Use the vortex meter where steam and gas are in the mix.
Features
Everything here follows from one idea: vortex sensing in a hygienic, quick-release body.
Tri-clamp, quick-release
Connections loosen by hand, so the meter comes off for cleaning or inspection between batches.
Crevice-free polished body
A polished 304 or 316L bore with no dead legs drains clean and stands up to CIP wash and SIP steam.
Steam, gas, and clear liquid
One meter handles clean steam, compressed air and CO2, and clear process liquid.
No moving parts, low loss
A fixed bar in the flow means nothing wears, and the meter adds little pressure loss to the line.
Built for clean steam
The vortex principle suits steam, so it meters clean process steam and the steam used to sterilize the line.
4-20 mA, pulse, RS-485
An LCD head drives analog, pulse, and Modbus, with a lithium-battery option for a local total.
Working principle
A bluff body, the shedder bar, sits across the bore. As fluid passes it sheds vortices alternately from each side, the Karman vortex street, and the shedding frequency is proportional to the flow velocity. A piezoelectric sensor counts the frequency, and the meter scales velocity to volumetric flow from the known bore. There is nothing moving and nothing in the path but the bar, so the body stays clean and drains, which is what makes the principle suit a hygienic line. Because shedding has to be clean and stable, the meter needs a developed profile: 40 diameters of straight pipe upstream and 20 downstream. For steam and gas, a temperature and pressure input lets the meter report mass.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Measurement principle | Karman vortex shedding; volumetric |
| Medium | Clean steam, gas, and clear liquid |
| Size | DN15 to DN150 |
| Accuracy | ±1.0% or ±1.5% of rate |
| Turndown | 20:1 |
| Velocity range | Liquid 0.5 to 7 m/s; gas 5 to 50 m/s; steam to 60 m/s |
| Medium temperature | -25 to 100 C standard; to 150 or 250 C by build |
| Ambient temperature | -25 to 55 C |
| Nominal pressure | To 2.5 MPa, by build |
| Wetted material | 304 or 316L polished stainless steel |
| Connection | Tri-clamp standard; DIN 11851 or RJT on request |
| Outputs | 4-20 mA; voltage pulse (high ≥5 V, low ≤1 V); RS-485 |
| Power | DC 24 V; 3.6 V lithium battery for local display |
| Display | LCD: rate, total, vortex frequency |
| Straight run | 40D upstream, 20D downstream |
| Mounting | Integral or split |
| Protection | IP65 |
| Explosion protection | Intrinsically safe Ex ia, optional |
Representative specifications; confirm per datasheet for the size, connection, medium, and temperature you need.
Ordering example. Sanitary vortex flow meter for clean steam on a DN40 line, tri-clamp, 316L body, 4-20 mA and RS-485, integral LCD.
Measuring range
A vortex meter is sized by velocity, not by a fixed flow table. Keep the working velocity inside the band for the medium so vortex shedding stays strong and the reading holds across the turndown.
| Medium | Velocity range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid | 0.5 to 7 m/s | Clean, clear, low-viscosity liquid |
| Gas | 5 to 50 m/s | Compressed air and CO2 |
| Steam | To 60 m/s | Clean process or sterilizing steam |
Hygienic design and CIP
The sanitary build is what sets this meter apart from the industrial vortex meter; the sensing is the same. Three things make it suit a clean line:
- Tri-clamp connections. A clamp and a gasket loosen by hand, so the meter comes off in seconds for cleaning or inspection, far quicker than a bolted flange. DIN 11851 and RJT fittings are available on request.
- Crevice-free, polished body. A polished 304 or 316L bore with no threads, no dead legs, and no moving parts drains fully and gives nothing for product to lodge against.
- CIP and SIP ready. The body takes clean-in-place wash and sterilize-in-place steam, and because it is a vortex meter it can also meter that steam.
Where a formal 3-A or EHEDG certificate is required, confirm the surface finish and certification at order so the build matches your audit.
Applications
Sanitary vortex meters suit clean utilities and clear product on hygienic lines, especially where steam and gas are in the mix:
- Clean process steam and sterilize-in-place steam on food and beverage skids
- Compressed air and CO2 in breweries and beverage plants
- Clear process liquids in food and dairy lines
- Clean utilities in pharmaceutical and biotech process areas
- Bottling, filling, and packaging service lines
Application example
Brewery utility metering. A beverage plant wanted one meter type for the clean utilities feeding its packaging hall, the sterilizing steam and the CO2, so the skid kept a single set of tri-clamp fittings. A sanitary vortex meter measured both the clean steam and the gas with no moving parts, and its clamp connections let the crew pull it for inspection between cleaning cycles without tools. Keeping the hygienic fittings common across the skid simplified spares and cleaning.
Related products
Vortex Flow MeterFull-bore wafer or flange body for steam, gas, and liquid, DN15 to DN1000.
Sanitary Turbine Flow MeterTri-clamp turbine for clean, low-viscosity liquid batching.
Browse all vortex flow meters →
FAQ
What is a sanitary vortex flow meter?
It is a vortex flow meter built for hygienic lines: a polished 304 or 316L body with tri-clamp connections and no crevices or moving parts. A bar in the bore sheds a Karman vortex street, and the shedding frequency gives the flow. It measures clean steam, gas, and clear liquid, and comes off by hand for cleaning.
Can a vortex flow meter measure steam?
Yes. Steam is one of the principle’s best fits, which is why a sanitary vortex meter suits clean process steam and the steam used to sterilize a line. With a temperature and pressure input the meter can report steam mass rather than volume.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a vortex flow meter?
The advantages are no moving parts, low pressure loss, one meter for steam, gas, and liquid, and a wide turndown. The main limit is that it needs a developed flow profile, so it asks for straight pipe, and it is for clean media: it does not suit slurries or heavily fouling product. For conductive clean liquids a sanitary magnetic meter is often the better choice.
What connections does it use, and can it be cleaned in place?
The standard connection is tri-clamp, with DIN 11851 or RJT on request. The polished, crevice-free body is made for clean-in-place wash and sterilize-in-place steam, and the clamp lets the meter come off in seconds for inspection.
How much straight pipe does it need?
40 diameters upstream and 20 downstream, so the flow profile is developed where the bar sheds. Where space is tight, flow conditioners can shorten the upstream run; confirm the layout at order.
Request a quote
Send us the size, the connection, the medium, the flow range, and the temperature and pressure, and we set the body, the fittings, and the outputs.