Alicat M Series - Installation; Plumbing; Mounting; Application

5
Thank you for purchasing an M Series Gas Flow Meter. Please take the time to fi nd and read the
information contained in this manual. This will help to ensure that you get the best possible service from
your instrument. This manual covers the following Alicat Scientifi c instruments:
M Series Mass Gas Flow Meters M-XXSCCM-D
M-XXSLPM-D
This includes M Series devices labeled as approved for CSA Class 1 Div 2 and ATEX Zone 2 hazardous
environments. See pages 46 and 47 for Special Conditions regarding the use of CSA/ATEX labeled
devices.
Alicat Portable Gas Flow Meters
All Alicat Portable Gas Flow Meters operate in accordance with the instructions found in this manual.
Please see page 38 for information regarding battery replacement.
Installation
Plumbing
M Series Gas Flow Meters are equipped with female inlet and outlet port connections (Male VCR fi ttings
are available as an extra cost option for vacuum applications). Because the fl ow meters set up a laminar
fl ow condition within the fl ow body, no straight runs of pipe are required upstream or downstream of
the meter. The inlet and outlet ports are equal in size and symmetric (in-line). The port sizes (process
connections) and mechanical dimensions for different fl ow ranges are shown on pages 28-31.
Meters with M5 (10-32) ports have o-ring face seals and require no further sealant or tape. On
other meters, avoid the use of pipe dopes or sealants on the ports as these compounds can cause
permanent damage to the meter should they get into the fl ow stream. Use of thread sealing Tefl on tape
is recommended to prevent leakage around the threads. When applying the tape, avoid wrapping the
fi rst thread or two to minimize the possibility of getting a piece of shredded tape into the fl ow stream.
When changing fi ttings, always clean any tape or debris from the port threads.
It is also recommended that a 20 micron fi lter be installed upstream of meters with full scale ranges of
1 (S)LPM or less and a 50 micron fi lter be installed upstream of meters with full scale ranges above
1 (S)LPM.
Mounting
M Series Gas Flow Meters have mounting holes for convenient mounting to fl at panels. The meters are
position insensitive and can be mounted in any orientation. The sizes and dimensions for the mounting
holes are shown on pages 32-34.
Application
Maximum operating line pressure is 145 PSIG (1 MPa).
Caution: Exceeding the maximum specifi ed line pressure may cause permanent damage to the
solid-state differential pressure transducer.
If the line pressure is higher than 145 PSIG (1 MPa), a pressure regulator should be used upstream
from the fl ow meter to reduce the pressure to 145 PSIG (1 MPa) or less if possible. Although the meter’s
operation is unidirectional, reversing the fl ow direction will infl ict no damage as long as the maximum
specifi ed limits are not exceeded.
Note: Avoid installations (such as snap acting solenoid valves upstream) that apply instantaneous
high pressure to the meter as permanent damage to the differential pressure sensor could result.
This damage is not covered under warranty!