Mass Flow Meter

A mass flow meter, also known as inertial flow meter and coriolis flow meter, is a device that measures how much fluid is flowing through a tube. It does not measure the volume of the fluid passing through the tube; it measures the amount of mass flowing through the device.
Volumetric flow metering is proportional to mass flow rate only when the density of the fluid is constant. If the fluid has varying density, or contains bubbles, then the volume flow rate multiplied by the density is not an accurate measure of the mass flow rate.
In a mass flow meter the fluid is contained in a smooth tube, with no moving parts that would need to be cleaned and maintained, and that would impede the flow. Find useful information on other gas mass flow measurement technology; see thermal massr flow meter or mass flow controller.
The animations on the right do not represent an actually existing coriolis flow meter design. The purpose of the animations is to illustrate the operating principle, and to show the connection with rotation.