Pipeline systems
Oxygen flowmeter
In the 2019 WHO-UNICEF technical specifications and guidance for oxygen therapy devices, an oxygen flowmeter is a device that measures and controls the rate of oxygen flow to a patient, from a pipeline terminal unit, a high-pressure cylinder or a concentrator.
ISO 15002:2023 covers flow control devices connected to an ISO 9170-1 terminal unit of an ISO 7396-1:2016 pipeline, or to the pressure outlet of a regulator, in three types: flowmeters, flowgauge devices and fixed orifice devices. It does not apply to devices for use with gases for driving surgical tools. WHO-UNICEF (2019) describes three types: the Thorpe tube, or rotameter, which has a float in an upright clear tube, must be used vertically and is calibrated to a specific gas; the Bourdon gauge; and the dial/click type. It prefers a compensated flowmeter because it shows when an obstructed or pinched line delivers too little oxygen.
HTM 02-01 (2026), the NHS England guidance, warns that oxygen and medical air flowmeters read differently if interchanged, and that a normal ward flowmeter (0 to 15 L/min) should not be used where a paediatric flowmeter (0 to 1.5 L/min) is required. Ultra Controlo supplies medical oxygen and air flowmeters in various flow ranges for ICU, ward and theatre use, which connect directly to NIST, DISS and "Schraeder" wall outlets.
Sources
- WHO-UNICEF, Technical specifications and guidance for oxygen therapy devices (14 January 2019)
- ISO 15002:2023, Flow control devices for connection to a medical gas supply system (ISO summary)
- HTM 02-01 (2026) Part B, paragraphs 9.173 and 9.174 (NHS England)
- Ultra Controlo, medical oxygen and air flowmeter
Ultra Controlo figures come from its technical datasheets. Third-party facts were read at the source on the date shown.