Orifice Flange Union
At Flowell, we engineer our orifice flange unions to deliver dependable, repeatable flow measurement with minimal maintenance. Drawing on years of field experience across demanding industries, we combine robust materials, careful machining, and thoughtful design features that make installation simpler, service faster, and readings more consistent. Whether you’re building a new metering run or upgrading a legacy line, our goal is straightforward: help you capture accurate data and keep your process moving.
How Our Orifice Flange Unions Work
An orifice flange union measures flow by creating a known, repeatable pressure differential across a precision-bored orifice plate. As fluid passes through the plate, the change in velocity and pressure is captured at dedicated tap locations, enabling flow calculation through established differential-pressure methods. We focus on what matters most to your measurement integrity: plate flatness, bore concentricity, smooth sealing surfaces, aligned pressure taps, and stable clamping of the plate so it stays exactly where it should during operation. The result is predictable performance and reliable data you can use for control, billing, or compliance reporting.
Engineered for Accuracy
Accuracy begins with the plate. We manufacture orifice plates to tight tolerances and finish critical surfaces to minimize edge imperfections that can bias readings. We also pay close attention to how the plate is located within the union, controlling squareness and gasket compression to keep the bore centered and perpendicular to the flow. By reducing turbulence at the plate interface and maintaining consistent tap geometry, our orifice flange unions help you achieve steady differentials and reduce measurement drift over time. When you specify your service conditions, we size the orifice diameter (beta ratio) accordingly and guide you on recommended straight-run pipe lengths and upstream conditioners where appropriate.
Built for Harsh Service
We design our orifice flange unions for long service life in tough environments—high pressure, elevated temperature, and corrosive media. Our standard offerings include carbon steel and multiple grades of stainless steel, with additional alloys available upon request for aggressive process streams. We offer a range of pressure classes and facing options to suit your piping standard and sealing preference. From produced water and sour gas to acids and steam, our materials and coatings are chosen for durability, while the overall assembly is built to maintain structural integrity and dimensional stability over years of thermal and hydraulic cycling.
Versatility You Can Specify
Every measurement point is different. That’s why we provide choices in size, pressure class, facing type, tapping style, and plate configuration. Need concentric bores for clean liquids and gases? We’ve got you covered. Managing entrained solids or condensate? Ask us about eccentric or segmental plate options that help mitigate buildup and improve reliability. We also support commonly requested tap configurations and can align with your site standard for fittings and thread types. If you’re integrating into an existing metering skid or SCADA system, our team will help ensure mechanical and instrumentation compatibility from day one.
Fast Installation and Easy Maintenance
Downtime is costly, so we engineer for speed and simplicity. Our union-style design enables quick access to the orifice plate without disturbing upstream or downstream piping. Clear plate orientation marks, accessible fasteners, and straightforward alignment features make plate changes and inspections efficient for your technicians. Routine tasks—like verifying plate condition, inspecting gaskets, or swapping to a different beta ratio for seasonal or rate-change needs—can be completed with minimal disruption. Many customers keep a small set of plates on hand to adapt to changing operating ranges, and our design makes those swaps quick.
Safety and Sealing Confidence
A reliable seal protects your people, your equipment, and your measurement integrity. We pair machined sealing faces with compatible gasket options to help you maintain leak-tight performance across temperature and pressure swings. Hardware is selected to provide a consistent clamping force and resist galling or relaxation. For corrosive services, we can recommend gasket materials and fastener selections that balance chemical resistance with long-term mechanical stability. Our guidance on torque values and re-torque intervals helps you lock in performance during commissioning and after thermal cycles.
Where Our Orifice Flange Unions Excel
Our orifice flange unions support a wide range of applications across industries:
- Oil & Gas: Custody transfer lines, gas gathering, fuel gas, flare monitoring, produced water.
- Chemical & Petrochemical: Process control loops, recycle lines, feed measurement, utility services.
- Power Generation: Boiler feeds, condensate, cooling water, combustion air and fuel.
- Water & Wastewater: Plant influent/effluent tracking, chemical dosing, filtration stages.
- Industrial & Manufacturing: Air, nitrogen, steam, and process liquids where rugged measurement is required.
If you’re sizing for variable loads, pulsating flows, or fluids with changing properties, we can discuss plate selections and signal conditioning approaches to stabilize your readings.
Quality You Can Measure
Quality is more than a promise—it’s built into every step of our process. We machine, inspect, and document critical dimensions so you can trust the geometry that underpins your flow calculations. Surface finishes on sealing faces, plate flatness, bore diameter, and tap alignment are verified against your specification. When you need additional documentation—material test reports, dimensional inspection data, or pressure test records—we can supply the package your quality system requires. Our aim is to make your procurement and audit process straightforward and fully traceable.
Guidance for Specifiers
To help us deliver precisely what you need, share the following when requesting a quote or placing an order:
- Nominal pipe size and schedule (or internal diameter)
- Pressure class and facing type
- Line medium, temperature, and operating pressure range
- Desired measurement range and required accuracy
- Preferred orifice plate style (concentric/eccentric/segmental)
- Tap configuration and instrument connection requirements
- Materials for body, plate, gaskets, and hardware
- Any applicable project or site standards and documentation needs
If any of this is still being defined, we’ll collaborate with you to finalize a practical, cost-effective specification.
Lifecycle Support
Our relationship doesn’t end at delivery. We support installation, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance with clear instructions and responsive technical help. Need to re-range a meter because process conditions changed? We’ll calculate a new plate bore, provide updated documentation, and ship quickly so you can stay on schedule. Have a troubleshooting question after a turnaround? Our engineers will help you isolate the cause—whether it’s upstream flow conditioning, plate wear, gasket selection, or instrument setup—so you can resolve it with confidence.
Why Choose Flowell
We understand that flow measurement is a means to an end: safe, efficient, and profitable operations. Our orifice flange unions are designed to serve that mission by balancing accuracy with durability and simplicity. The combination of robust construction, careful attention to metrology, and an accessible design for maintenance reduces your total cost of ownership over the life of the asset. Just as important, our team is easy to reach and ready to help, from the first specification to spare parts years down the road.
Get Started
Tell us about your process, and we’ll help you select or configure the right orifice flange union for your application. Whether you’re standardizing across a facility or solving a one-off measurement challenge, we’ll bring practical guidance and prompt delivery to keep your project moving. With Flowell, you’re choosing a partner committed to quality, durability, and precision—so your measurements stay trustworthy and your operations stay on track.