I did not know the differences between the ways to measure flow. The purpose of measuring a flow of fluid is to understand how it is acting on its surroundings. An easy and cheap way to do this, heavily interrupts the flow (orifice plates). A venturi tube interrupts the flow much less than orifice plates. A pitot tube interrupts the flow much less than orifice plates. The more expensive the device the more effective it is at measuring the flow. Engineers care about the cost-effectiveness of a device. Therefore, engineers will still design an orifice plate into a system.

MET330_JohnMiles_HW2.3