Electromagnetic Flowmeters
Image courtesy of TÜV NEL
Magnetic flowmeters, also known as electromagnetic flowmeters or induction flowmeters, obtain the flow velocity by measuring the changes of induced voltage of the conductive fluid passing across a controlled magnetic field.
A typical magnetic flowmeter places electric coils around (inline model) / near (insertion model) the pipe of the flow to be measured and sets up a pair of electrodes across the pipe wall (inline model) or at the tip of the flowmeter (insertion model). If the targeted fluid is electrically conductive, i.e., a conductor, its passing through the pipe is equivalent to a conductor cutting across the magnetic field. This induces changes in voltage reading between the electrodes. The higher the flow speed, the higher the voltage.