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Electronic bubble counter

Great Idea & then also link it into a digital needle valve so you can just program in the bps!
 
I thought of this, replace the bubble counter with a flowmeter, the type where a small ball moves higher up the tube the higher the flow rate.

The smallest cheap flowmeter (£30) I could find was rated 2 litres/minute air, smallest graduation was 0.1litre/minute. Co2 as denser than air might give a slighty different reading.

How much are we after to measure ?

Assume bubble is 2mm diameter, a 0.1cm radius. Thus volume is 4/3 x pi x r ^3 = 4/3 * 3.142 * 0.1^3 = 0.0042cm3.

Assuming say 5 bubbles per second give 5 x 0.0042 = 0.02cm3/sec.

This is 0.000002litres/sec -> 0.0012 litres/minute :woot:

This is 100 times smaller than the smallest graduation on the flow valve. So flowmeters are no good. :(
 
I registerd ages ago and never got round to introducing myself, so apologies for that....

I drilled out the hole in my bubble counter so that the bubbles were bigger and therefore easier to count for a given flow rate.

Rgs, Mike.
 
I looked into this ages ago. You can use a rotameter ( the little glass thing with the ball)

Or even better a mass flow controller. :)

I found both at cole palmer, but i needed to buy 10 to get discount :(
 
I will try and find my thread over at the barr report.

But i will add, that you can reduce your bubble rate and keep the co2 level constant by decreasing surface agitation and increasing co2 diffusion and circulation

As for cost

mass flow controller, circa £900

Rotameter, circa £40-£200
 
geoffbark said:
I will try and find my thread over at the barr report.

But i will add, that you can reduce your bubble rate and keep the co2 level constant by decreasing surface agitation and increasing co2 diffusion and circulation

Trust me, on a 200lt tank with trickle filter & sump, conventional BCs are almost useless but, when you move onto 400lt plus, you need something different regardless of surface movement & distribution.
I think there has to be an electronic solution that can actually count the fast flowing bubbles?
 
foxfish said:
Trust me, on a 200lt tank with trickle filter & sump, conventional BCs are almost useless but, when you move onto 400lt plus, you need something different regardless of surface movement & distribution.

I don't know what to say, sorry i disagree :)

foxfish said:
I think there has to be an electronic solution that can actually count the fast flowing bubbles?

There is. :)

You will need a mass flow controller, I doesn't count bubbles it measures flow in ml/m for example :)

These are costly and are not needed for most hobbiests.

But you may be a contender, i also find bubble counters crude and useless :)
 
the link i posted was for a mass flow meter :) 1600 USD

Think i'd rather use rummy noses if they die there was too much co2 :)
 
Not at all, it's a great visual aid at the very least murf. I have more than I can count going into mine, but you can tell the difference if you turn it up or down slightly.

Also know when there's no gas going in if its empty or leaking. :)
 
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