Turbine flowmeter is a reliable instrument used to measure fluid flow rate. Turbine flow meters are widely used in the petroleum and chemical industries to measure the flow of natural gas, fuel oil, and hydrocarbon fluids during transportation. The accuracy of turbine flow meters is crucial for energy related trade handovers. Since Reinhard Woltman used the first turbine flowmeter to measure water flow in 1790, the turbine flowmeter has undergone many changes and improvements, and is still considered an accurate and stable industrial instrument. Under stable conditions, the accuracy of liquid turbine flowmeters can reach 0.5%, and the accuracy of gas turbine flowmeters can reach 1.0%.

Usually, metrology technology institutions or calibration laboratories use a certain fluid (usually water) to calibrate turbine flow meters, while the actual measured object is often another medium. Even if the same medium is used for calibration and in the workplace, the viscosity of the liquid is easily affected by temperature changes, resulting in significant differences in the performance of the turbine flowmeter and requiring additional calibration work. For example, in the trade handover of oil or hydrocarbon media, if the medium in the pipeline is replaced or the physical properties of the medium change significantly, the turbine flowmeter needs to be recalibrated on site.

Previous studies have shown that the calibration curve shapes of turbine flowmeters differ significantly between low viscosity fluids (1mm2/s and below) and high viscosity fluids (50-100 mm2/s). Although there have been many studies and reports on this, the fluid dynamics mechanism by which viscosity affects the performance of turbine flow meters is still not fully understood. Most of the published physical models of turbine flow meters are based on momentum and airfoil theory, but these models rely on the correction of experimental data, and there is no widely validated physical model that can fully explain the output response of turbine flow meters and the detailed changes in calibration curves.