How should weep holes and vent holes of an orifice plate be oriented in a vertical pipe?
A. Top of pipe
B. Three o’clock position
C. Bottom of pipe
D. Nine o’clock position
E. Side of the pipe
A recent Quiz Corner asked the same question and presented the same answers with regard to a horizontal pipe installation where the answers had specific orientations for liquid and gas flows.
If you have to give an answer to this question, Answer E would be the best answer because the vent hole and weep holes are located near the side of the pipe.
However, vent holes and weep holes are not needed when the orifice bore itself will allow liquids (in gas service) and noncondensable gases (in liquid service) to pass downstream, making this question moot.
Additional complicating factors
None! Why complicate the situation?
David W. Spitzer is a regular contributor to Flow Control magazine and a principal in Spitzer and Boyes LLC, which offers engineering, seminars, strategic, marketing consulting, distribution consulting and expert witness services for manufacturing and automation companies. Spitzer and Boyes is also the publisher of the Industrial Automation INSIDER. He has more than 40 years of experience and has written more than 10 books and 350 articles about flow measurement, instrumentation and process control.
Spitzer may be reached at 845-623-1830 or via spitzerandboyes.com. Click on the "Products" tab to find his Consumer Guides to various flow and level measurement technologies.
