Flow rate or volumetric flow rate is defined as the amount of fluid that passes through in a unit of time.
Flow rate is a widely used measurement, it’s used in waste management systems, any industry that processes liquids and gases, and it is even used for pipe systems in a house.
The amount of fluid is calculated in volume; that’s why it’s also known as the volumetric flow rate, there are calculators that you can find online to measure the volumetric flow of a fluid.
If you are someone who’s trying to figure out volumetric flows for fluids these calculators will help you a lot.
This article is all about flow rate calculators, some of the best tools to find the flow rate have been mentioned in this, go through it and you will find the best flow rate calculator for yourself.
It doesn’t matter why you are finding the flow rate; these calculators will get the job done for you.
You’ll be surprised to see the variety of flow rate calculators available online.
Best Flow Rate Calculator
1. Copley: Flow Rate Calculator
Copley is a UK-based company that develops extruding tubes and provides hose solutions, they have all sorts of fluid related products like pipes, hose couplings, reels, etc.
Copeley’s flow rate calculator is a really practical and accurate tool that you can use to calculate the flow rate.
You can see the instructions to use the calculator just above it, the instructions are barely 2 lines and it is highly recommended that you go through them.
The design of the website is pretty clean and generic, it is just like how you would expect a good calculator website to be.
The website’s design also reflects on the calculator’s interface, the interface is also very simple but still doesn’t seem outdated at all.
You have to input Bore Diameter, Pressure, and Length, you will get the results automatically just below the calculator highlighted in blue.
If you leave an input field empty, the calculator will choose a value on its own for that measurement. Just on the right of the calculator, you will see a graph.
You can view 3 quantities against the fluid flow on this graph, Bore Diameter, Hose length, and Pressure.
2. Good Calculators: Flow Rate Calculator
Good Calculators has a wide range of free online calculators for domestic and commercial use.
Some of their best calculators include US income calculator, overtime calculator, ratio calculator and water intake, calculator. As you can see all of these are a bit rare types of calculators.
Their flow rate calculator is a very viable option if you’re looking for a quick and accurate flow rate calculator.
The design of the website feels a little empty, it’s like they didn’t know what to do with the extra space, and this also gives it an outdated look.
They have written 5 step instructions just above the calculator, go through them if you want to operate the calculator without any queries.
You need to enter 4 inputs in this calculator to get the results, Shape, Pipe/Crosssection Inside Diameter, Velocity, and Flow Rate Units. This calculator can give you the answer is pretty much every flow rate unit.
Click ‘Calculate’ and the results will be shown below. You can see some explanation of the flow rate and the formula behind it under the results.
3. Omni Calculator: Flow Rate Calculator
The Omni calculator is an online calculator and is probably the most used calculator website. They have numerous calculators related to all kinds of subjects and fields.
Their calculators are widely trusted and you can use their flow rate calculator for your calculations.
The design of Omni Calculator’s website is pretty artistic, or at least they have tried to make it artistic.
All the beauty of their design is shadowed by the ads that they display. It not only gives the website a bad look but is also distracting for the users.
You have to enter the shape and crossectional area of the pipe/vent and the velocity and density of the fluid.
Omni calculator gives you a bunch of unit options when you’re its flow rate calculator, which is always a really convenient thing to have in a tool.
The results will be displayed in the ‘Flow Rate’ section. You will observe that flow rates are given two different units, the upper one, titled as ‘Flow Rate,’ is the volumetric flow rate, the one that we’ve been talking about.
‘Mass flow rate’ is referred to the mass of the liquid that flows per unit of time; this unit can also come in handy for you.
4. TLV: Water Flow Rate Through Piping
TLV is a piping company that mainly deals with steam pipes, they have numerous tools and calculators related to pipes. You can use their flow rate calculator but it can be only used for pipes.
Their website is built really good but there are a few elements that they can improve on.
Their calculator has a user friendly interface and is convenient in the sense that you don’t have to enter the crossectional shape and size.
You can select pipe grade and pipe size from the option given in the drop-down fields, you will have to enter the fluid’s speed though.
Click ‘Calculate,’ and you will get the results below, you can change the units of the flow rate as per your requirements.
There is an ‘Advanced Options’ button that you can use to display more options in the input section, but it only adds the option of ‘Pipe Inner Diameter’.
TLV’s Water Flow Rate Through Piping calculator would be probably a good choice for professionals that work with piping and have knowledge about different pipe grades.
If you are someone who is calculating flow rate for any other reason, you might not want to use this calculator.
5. 1728.org: Diameter Velocity & Flow Rate Ultra Calculator
It is a little hard to explain the type of website 1728.org is, they have different calculators, softwares, top ten lists, etc on their website.
The website is really useful and informative, but its design is totally outdated. It might not seem that outdated if it was maintained a little.
Apart from the website design, it is hard to find a flaw in the calculator. At the top of the calculator, you have the option to select what measurement you want to calculate, Pipe Diameter, Velocity or Flow Rate.
So if you know the flow rate you can also use this calculator to find the velocity or the pipe diameter.
Enter the inside diameter of the channel and the velocity of the fluid, you can input both of these quantities in a wide of range units.
When you click calculate, the results will be shown below in an excel type sheet, having flowrate on one side and units on the other.
If you scroll down more, you can find the instructions for the calculator, but the color scheme that has been chosen to write these calculators makes it hard for the reader to go through the instructions.
6. Flow Calculator App by Ziga Zibert
There are many apps dedicated to calculating the flow rate, and the ones that are don’t seem that credible. Flow Calculator by Ziga Zibert is the best mobile app that you’ll find.
It has a good user interface but gives you a feeling of using a ‘knockoff’ version of an app.
It has different units that need to be entered, like slope, manning coefficient, and water depth. This flow rate calculator has a very specific use.
We recommend using the online calculators that we have mentioned above, if you do need to use a flow calculator on your mobile device, you can always access the calculators mentioned above on your phone browsers.
Concept Behind Flowrate
Calculating flow rate is simple physics, all these calculators use a simple physics equation to find out the flow rate based on your inputs.
Although it is recommended that you use a calculator when calculating the flow rate, but having its basic concept can be beneficial for you.
Flow rate is calculated based on the following equation:
Q = vA
Where, v is velocity, Q is the flow rate, and A is the crossectional area.
End Note
Flow Rate Calculators are a useful tool if you know which one to use.
There are a variety of flow rate calculators available on the market with different interfaces, different inputs, different units, and of course, different purposes. You just need to find the one that best suits you.
Flow rate is an important measurement, and is used all sorts of places, from heavy industries to small domestic taps.
This article would have helped you a lot in giving you a brief yet comprehensive introduction to all these calculators, so you find the best flow rate calculator for yourself.
