Our CV-P Vortex meter employs the use of Piezoelectric crystals as sensors, mounted in the upper portion of the shedder bar out of the flow stream.
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The Cadillac® Piezo Electric Vortex (CV-P) Meter is a rate and totalizing meter which is capable of measuring liquid, steam and gas. Due to its piezoelectric sensor technology it is particularly suitable for direct high pressure saturated and superheated steam measurement. In any high pressure saturated or superheated steam application, the Cadillac® Vortex meter is the number one technology choice due to Cadillac®’s accuracy, linearity, reliability and rangeability.
Like many other flow meters, the Cadillac® Vortex meter is a velocity measuring device which computes flow by multiplying the effective cross sectional area of the flow meter with the detected fluid velocity. The meter has no moving parts and consists of a rugged vortex strut with embedded piezoelectric crystals and an amplifier assembly. It detects velocity by measuring the frequency of the vortices, as the peel off the vortex strut of the flow meter. The frequency of these “Karman” vortices is directly proportional to the velocity of the moving fluid, whether this is a gas or liquid.
The Cadillac® Piezo Electric Vortex (CV-P) Meter – Mass flow compensation for super-heated steam.
For compressible fluids, such as superheated steam, an external pressure input (4-20 mADC) into the meter electronics is required to provide mass flow computation. Cadillac® Meter also offers a complete line of Pressure elements.
Technical guidance for saturated and superheated steam measurement, including operating principles, mass-flow compensation, published flow ranges, installation requirements, dimensions and model selection.
The Cadillac Vortex CV-P Meter is a full-bore rate and totalizing flow meter designed to measure steam, gases and liquids. Its rugged piezoelectric sensing technology makes it particularly suitable for direct measurement of high-pressure saturated and superheated steam.
With no moving parts in the flow measurement mechanism, the CV-P is designed for dependable operation in demanding steam systems. It can provide instantaneous flow rate and totalized flow locally or transmit measurement data to remote energy-management, control or building automation systems.
Suitable for direct saturated-steam flow measurement, with mass-flow compensation available through the appropriate electronics and system configuration.
Designed for applications involving elevated steam pressures and temperatures, with pressure and temperature compensation configured for mass-flow computation.
Available indication and output configurations support local flow monitoring, totalization and connection to remote management or control systems.
The Cadillac Vortex CV-P is intended for direct steam measurement where dependable rate and total information is needed for system management, process monitoring, energy allocation or customer billing.
The Vortex CV-P is a velocity-measuring flow meter. As steam passes through the meter body, a solid metal shedder bar creates alternating vortices in the flow stream. These repeating pressure disturbances are known as Karman vortices.
The frequency at which the vortices are shed is directly proportional to the velocity of the moving fluid. Piezoelectric crystals embedded and hermetically sealed within the shedder bar detect the alternating stress produced by each vortex.
Steam passes through the full-bore meter body and encounters the stationary shedder bar.
Alternating vortices peel away from each side of the shedder bar as the steam moves downstream.
Piezoelectric crystals detect the alternating mechanical stress and produce corresponding electrical pulses.
The electronics use vortex frequency, meter calibration and flow area to calculate rate and totalized flow.
Vortex frequency ∝ fluid velocity
Each meter is calibrated to establish the relationship between vortex frequency and flow rate. This relationship is represented by the meter K-factor.
The sensing principle does not depend on turbines, gears or other moving components inside the flow stream. The meter instead uses a stationary shedder bar and solid-state piezoelectric detection.
The CV-P combines vortex sensing with configurable indication, totalization and retransmission options. The exact electronics, compensation inputs and outputs must be selected for the intended steam service and control-system architecture.
| Performance Item | Published Guidance |
|---|---|
| Steam and gas accuracy | ±1.0% of reading across the stated operating range. |
| Published turndown | The legacy brochure states 15:1 typical and up to 30:1 when selected for best fit. The current product page describes typical turndown as 20:1 or better. |
| Operating pressure | Vacuum to 2,100 psig. |
| Operating temperature | −40°F to 500°F (−40°C to 260°C). |
| Typical gas velocity limit | 250 ft/s, subject to application review. |
| Flow indication | Instantaneous flow rate and totalized flow may be displayed locally or transmitted to remote systems. |
Published electronics include automatic or one-button tuning for establishing appropriate noise-immunity settings.
Indicator and totalizer configurations can display simultaneous flow rate and accumulated total in selected engineering units.
Published configurations include analog 4–20 mA and conditioned pulse outputs for remote flow monitoring and totalization.
Process analysis and diagnostic functions support commissioning, condition assessment and adjustment of meter settings.
A vortex meter directly measures volumetric flow, but steam density changes with pressure and temperature. Converting that volumetric measurement into compensated mass flow therefore requires the correct process inputs and steam-property data.
The required arrangement depends on the steam condition and on whether compensation is performed within the CV-P MASS electronics or by a separate CMASS flow or energy computer.
The MASS option includes an integral temperature sensor within the shedder bar and programmed saturated-steam property tables.
The legacy CV-P documentation states that the meter electronics can compute saturated-steam mass flow without an external compensation input.
Superheated-steam compensation requires both temperature and pressure information because temperature alone does not establish the steam density.
The published MASS arrangement uses the integral temperature sensor together with an external 4–20 mA pressure-transmitter input.
| Configuration | Process Inputs | Published Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Saturated steam with CV-P MASS | Integral temperature sensing and programmed saturated-steam tables. | Published as capable of direct mass-flow computation without an external compensation input. |
| Superheated steam with CV-P MASS | Integral temperature sensing plus an external pressure input. | The external pressure signal is used with the meter’s programmed steam-property data for compensated mass-flow calculation. |
| CV-P with external CMASS | CV-P flow signal plus the pressure and temperature transmitter inputs specified for the system. | Compensation is performed by the external CMASS enclosure rather than by treating the CV-P as a self-contained MASS configuration. |
The following legacy sizing table lists the published minimum and maximum saturated-steam flow ranges for CV-P meter sizes from ½ inch through 12 inches.
Steam flow is shown in pounds per hour (lb/hr). Scroll horizontally on smaller screens to view every pressure column.
| Meter Size | 5 psig | 10 psig | 20 psig | 50 psig | 100 psig | 150 psig |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ½ in | 13–85 | 14–105 | 17–140 | 23–255 | 30–435 | 35–615 |
| 1 in | 30–260 | 35–325 | 40–440 | 55–790 | 70–1,355 | 80–1,915 |
| 1½ in | 60–625 | 65–765 | 80–1,050 | 105–1,885 | 135–3,235 | 165–4,565 |
| 2 in | 100–1,020 | 110–1,265 | 130–1,740 | 175–3,120 | 230–5,360 | 270–7,565 |
| 3 in | 190–1,980 | 215–2,450 | 250–3,355 | 335–6,025 | 440–10,345 | 520–14,600 |
| 4 in | 335–3,450 | 370–4,260 | 435–5,860 | 580–10,500 | 765–18,050 | 905–25,490 |
| 6 in | 730–7,550 | 810–9,330 | 950–12,830 | 1,275–23,000 | 1,670–39,540 | 2,095–55,810 |
| 8 in | 1,565–13,500 | 1,740–16,880 | 2,040–22,940 | 2,730–41,160 | 3,580–70,700 | 4,255–99,790 |
| 10 in | 2,825–21,000 | 3,140–25,800 | 3,680–35,470 | 4,930–63,650 | 6,460–109,300 | 7,675–154,300 |
| 12 in | 4,050–30,000 | 4,500–37,000 | 5,270–50,800 | 7,060–91,150 | 9,250–156,550 | 10,990–221,000 |
Vortex-meter accuracy depends on a stable and sufficiently developed velocity profile. The CV-P should be installed in a full pipe, aligned with the actual direction of flow and provided with the required unobstructed piping upstream and downstream.
In many steam systems, the selected meter body is smaller than the main pipeline so the meter can cover lower loads more effectively. Engineered reducer and expander sections are then used to create the correctly sized meter run.
D = nominal CV-P meter diameter. The published baseline is at least ten meter diameters upstream and five meter diameters downstream.
| Installation Item | Published Guidance |
|---|---|
| Upstream straight run | At least 10 nominal meter diameters. |
| Downstream straight run | At least 5 nominal meter diameters. |
| Reducer or expander piping | Retain the published 10D upstream and 5D downstream straight runs around the reduced meter section. |
| Pressure-tap position | The legacy reducer diagram shows the pressure tap approximately 3.5D to 7.5D downstream of the meter. Confirm its final position for the selected compensation architecture. |
| High-vibration locations | Avoid where practical. Increasing electronic noise immunity can reduce the meter’s ability to measure the lowest flows reliably. |
Install the meter so the body’s flow-direction arrow matches the actual direction of steam flow.
Check engineering units, output scaling, compensation inputs, K-factor and loop power before accepting readings.
Meter placement must account for valves, elbows, reducers, steam condition, drainage, insulation and maintenance access.
The following dimensions and approximate weights are reproduced from the legacy CV-P brochure for preliminary planning.
Dimensions are in inches and weights are in pounds. Scroll horizontally on smaller screens to view the complete table.
| Meter Size | A Face to Face |
B Centre to Centre |
C Meter ID |
ANSI Class 150 Approx. Weight |
ANSI Class 300 Approx. Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ½ in | 5.12 | 7.52 | 0.50 | 10 lb | 10 lb |
| 1 in | 5.91 | 7.60 | 1.00 | 15 lb | 17 lb |
| 1½ in | 5.91 | 7.87 | 1.50 | 19 lb | 21 lb |
| 2 in | 6.69 | 8.74 | 2.00 | 27 lb | 30 lb |
| 3 in | 7.87 | 9.41 | 3.00 | 45 lb | 53 lb |
| 4 in | 8.66 | 10.00 | 4.00 | 61 lb | 80 lb |
| 6 in | 10.63 | 10.75 | 6.00 | 81 lb | 121 lb |
| 8 in | 12.20 | 12.00 | 8.00 | 125 lb | 180 lb |
| 10 in | 14.57 | 13.43 | 10.00 | 200 lb | 275 lb |
| 12 in | 15.75 | 14.61 | 12.00 | 310 lb | 395 lb |
| 16 in | TBA | TBA | 16.00 | TBA | TBA |
The CV-P is published with multiple body, electronics, converter and pressure-class options. The legacy model structure below is useful for understanding the available configuration categories, but the final ordering code must be confirmed with Cadillac Meter.
The meter consists of a flow body, stationary vortex shedder bar and integral or remote electronics.
Two piezoelectric crystals are hermetically sealed and embedded in the shedder bar outside the primary flow stream.
Published configurations include integral indication, remote indication and blind electronics housings.
The legacy structure lists wafer bodies from ½ through 4 inches and flanged bodies in multiple ANSI pressure classes.
| Position | Code | Published Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Meter family | CV-P | Cadillac Vortex flow meter with piezoelectric pickup technology. |
| Meter size | A / B / C / D / E / F | ½ / 1 / 1½ / 2 / 3 / 4 inches. |
| Meter size | G / H / I / J | 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 inches. Contact the factory regarding larger sizes. |
| Electronics | S | Standard electronics. |
| Electronics | M | MASS electronics with integral RTD. |
| Converter | II | Integral converter with indicator and totalizer. |
| Converter | RC | Remote converter. |
| Body | W / F | Wafer body from ½ through 4 inches / flanged body. |
| Pressure class | 150 / 300 / 600 / 900 | Published ANSI flange pressure classes. |
| Approval | FM | FM approval designation shown in the legacy model structure. |
The supplied 2024 application diagrams show the CV-P operating as the volumetric steam-flow input to a separate CMASS wall-mount enclosure. The CMASS receives the required process-transmitter signals, performs the compensation calculations and provides outputs to the building automation or energy-management system.
The supplied saturated-steam layout shows a pressure transmitter connected to the external CMASS enclosure. This is a different configuration from the brochure’s self-contained CV-P MASS electronics, which are described as capable of saturated-steam mass-flow computation without an external input.
Published application diagrams list Modbus RTU/RS-485, Modbus TCP/IP, BACnet TCP/IP and BACnet MS/TP.
The external CMASS diagrams show two configurable pulse or 4–20 mA outputs to the building automation system.
The supplied wall-mount CMASS arrangements depict a 115 VAC panel power supply.
Complete process and installation data allows Cadillac Meter to verify that the selected CV-P will cover the real operating envelope without excessive velocity, inadequate low-flow signal or unnecessary pressure loss.
| Decision | Confirm Before Ordering |
|---|---|
| Meter size | That the selected bore covers minimum through maximum steam demand at acceptable velocity and pressure loss. |
| Compensation location | Whether compensation is performed by the CV-P MASS electronics or an external CMASS enclosure. |
| Process transmitters | The pressure and temperature inputs required for the selected steam condition and architecture. |
| Outputs and communications | Signal type, range, scaling, protocol, engineering units and receiving-system requirements. |
| Certified submittal | Current dimensions, materials, pressure class, model code, wiring, calibration and approvals. |
Keep the complete Vortex CV-P Meter for Steam guide for engineering review, preliminary planning and discussions with Cadillac Meter. The PDF includes the published steam-flow ranges, compensation guidance, dimensions, model codes and system-selection checklist.
Published values are provided for preliminary selection. Current availability, certified dimensions, guaranteed performance, materials, approvals and the final model configuration must be confirmed for the specific application.
