Smartflow Tracer Series Operating Instructions Manual

Tracer

Flowmeter

Operating Instructions (Ver 5.1)

®

Electronic Switching

with FCI (Fluid Characteristic Indication)

General

The Tracer Electronic Switching Flowmeter provides:

◆ 0 to 5V or 0 to 10V Selectable Flow Output

◆ 0 to 5V or 0 to 10V Selectable Temperature Output

◆ 1A, 30VAC/42VDC Programmable Switch for high

or low temperature and/or flow

◆ Fluid Flow Rate Display in gallons per minute

(gpm) or liters per minute (lpm)

◆ Fluid Temperature Display (°F or °C)

◆ BTU’s per Minute Display

◆ Fluid Characteristic Indication (Turbulent Flow or

“TFLOW” on display)

BTU Basics

To obtain the most accurate BTU calculation, use the Tracer
to measure the supply side water temperature (in °F) before
installing the Tracer in a cooling water return line.

BTU’s per minute calculation is based on the increase in water
temperature multiplied by the flow rate. The Tracer Electronic
Flowmeter calculates this information based on supply side
temperature entered manually. Due to inherent differences in most
thermometers, the most accurate BTU calculation will result from
using the same thermometer (inside the Tracer) to measure supply
and return line temperatures. Record the supply side temperature and
enter it using the “Set BTU/m Input Temperature” instructions on
page 3.

U.S. Patent No.
7,729,869

Application

Liquid running through the Tracer flowmeter
should be free of metal shavings. Loose
particles can interfere with moving
components causing extra maintenance
requirements.

Specifications

Flow

Size [NPT(F)] Range (gpm) Range (lpm)

3/8" 0.5 to 8 0 to 30
3/4" 2.0 to 20 8 to 76

1" 3.0 to 30 11 to 114

1-1/2" 6.5 to 60 25 to 228

2" 10.0 to 110 38 to 418

Accuracy ....................±5% of Full Range

Repeatability ..............±3% of Full Range

Environment

Tracer construction is water resistant, but the
electronics housing is not submersible.

Turbulent Flow

“TFLOW” notification appears on the display when Turbulent Flow
is likely inside the cooling circuit of the selected size.
Turbulent flow is the mixing and swirling of water inside a cooling
line that provides optimum heat transfer. Water flow rate greater than
the point of Turbulent Flow does not provide a proportional benefit.
Turbulent flow tracking allows technicians to apply mathematical
cooling principles to all machines in a water system. Visit the
Technical Documents section of www.smartflow-usa.com for a
detailed discussion of Turbulent Flow.

Input the percentage of glycol in cooling water (0%, 10%, 20% or
30%) for accurate Turbulent Flow Indication. See Setup Mode option
on page 5. Antifreeze compounds of ethylene or propylene glycol are
sometimes added to cooling waer. Glycol compounds have
substantially higher viscosity than water. As a result, higher flow
rates are required to reach Turbulent Flow when glycol is used.

151 Memorial Drive, Unit H - Shrewsbury, MA 01545 - Phone: [phone] - [e-mail] - www.plastixs.com

Form #146 (02.16)

Temperature

Operating Range............32 to 180°F (0 to 82°C)

Accuracy........................±2% of Display Value

Repeatability..................±1% of Display Value

Component Materials

Body (3/8" model) .........Nickel-Plated Brass

Body (3/4" thru 2")........Anodized Aluminum

Stainless Steel (optional)
Back Cover(3/8" only) ..Polysulfone

Impeller..........................Nylon 6/12

Magnet...........................Neodymium

Shaft...............................18-8 Stainless Steel

Electronics Cover ..........Nylon 6/6

Cable..............................9-Conductor, 24AWG

Operating

Internal Relay ................SPDT 1A, 30VAC/42VDC

Power Required .............8 to 28VDC

Maximum Pressure........100psi (7bar)

Installation Instructions

For best performance, mount the Tracer flowmeter vertically with the
flow entering the meter from the bottom. This provides full flow inside
the meter. We recommend a straight run of pipe equal to 10 pipe
diameters on the inlet side of the Tracer flowmeter and a straight run of
pipe equal to 5 pipe diameters on the outlet side of the flowmeter.

Use appropriate pipe sealant to prevent leakage on inlet and outlet
sides of the flowmeter. The Tracer flowmeter can be installed in any
orientation with the flow direction from either end of the flowmeter.

Attach the power and switching connections to the bare wires of the
cable according to the chart at right. Individual wires are 24AWG
stranded copper. Attach 8 to 28VDC power to the unit for correct
operation. Power supply other than 8 to 28VDC may damage the
electronics!

In normal operation, the internal relay is energized. If power to the unit
is lost, or if unit is turned off, relay state changes to signal an alarm.

Operating Instructions

When power is applied to the Tracer flowmeter, the software version
and the Tracer Unit Code (EP) will appear sequentially. Then the
screen will be blank. Press ON to activate the display.
There are three modes of operation for the Tracer Electronic
Flowmeter: User Mode, Setup Mode, and Calibration Mode. User
Mode displays all available process information. Setup Mode
configures the flowmeter for unit selection (°F, °C, lpm, and gpm)
and switching set points. Setup Mode also allows you to enter the
information required to calculate BTU’s per Minute.

Wire Color Function

Black DC Ground

(Ground for Analog Output)

Yellow +DC Input (8 to 28VDC)

Red Not used

Blue Not used

Orange Flow Analog Voltage Output (+)

Violet Temp. Analog Voltage Output (+)

Green Relay Common

Brown Relay Normally Open

Gray Relay Normally Closed

Figure 1

ON

Δ

Δ

User Mode

After pressing ON, press Δ or ∇ buttons repeatedly
to scroll continuously through displays of flow
rate, temperature and BTU/m. BTU/m will not
display until activated using the Setup Mode on
page 3.

View Flow Rate

Press ON. Flow rate and units (gpm or lpm) will be
displayed. See Figure 1.

View Temperature

Press Δ. Temperature and units (°F or °C) will be
displayed. See Figure 2.

View BTU/m (not visible until activated)

Press Δ. BTU's and units will be displayed. See
Figure 3. To activate, enter Setup Mode, and
follow instructions to set input temperature found
on page 3.

Figure 2

Figure 3

2

Setup Mode

Setup Mode allows the user to select English or Metric units, input
BTU/m inlet temperature, and set auto shut-off time. Δ and ∇ keys
scroll through all options inside each display selection. Turn the
display off before entering Setup Mode.

Enter Setup Mode

The display must be off to enter Setup Mode.

∇

and

Press and hold ∇, then press ON. Flow rate units

ON

plus "Unit" and "SETUP" will be displayed. See
Figure 4.

Select Flow Rate Units

Figure 4

∇

ON

∇

∇

or

ON

ON

or

ON

ON

or

ON

Press ∇ or Δ to change units to gpm or lpm. Press

Δ

ON when the desired unit is displayed. See Figure

4. Setup Mode will continue unless you exit.

Exit Setup Mode

Δ

Press ON repeatedly until the display reads “end”,
then press Δ. See figure 5. The display will read
"off", then press ON and the unit will return to user
mode.

Select Temperature Units

Enter Setup Mode (above). Press ON repeatedly
until the display shows “°F” or °C” in the upper
right corner and “unit” in the center. See Figure 6.

Δ

Press ∇ or Δ to change units. Press ON when
desired unit is displayed.
Setup Mode will continue unless you exit.

Set BTU/m Input Temperature

Enter Setup Mode (above). Press ON repeatedly
until the display shows “BTU/m” in the upper left
corner. See Figure 7. Press ∇ or Δ to change input
temperature (40 to 220°F or 4.4 to 104.4°C). Press

Δ

ON when desired unit is displayed.

Note: If you set the temperature input to less than
40°F or 4.4°C, the display will show “off” and
BTU/m display will deactivate.

Setup Mode will continue unless you exit.

Figure 5

Figure 6

Reactivate BTU/m

Follow the instructions to set (above) and press ∇
or Δ to display a value instead of “off”, and press
ON to set.

Figure 7

3