Name: ModMAG M1000 Electromagnetic Flow Meter
Brand: ModMAG

Product Overview

ModMAG M1000 is Badger Meter’s baseline electromagnetic (mag) flow meter for conductive liquids. It measures by Faraday’s law of induction — a voltage induced across two electrodes in a magnetic field, proportional to velocity — no moving parts, no obstruction and no pressure loss. A third electrode provides empty-pipe detection. The M1000 covers 1/4–20 in. lines at ±0.3% accuracy, with a selection of liner and electrode materials for material compatibility, and drinking-water listings (NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 & 372). Display-I/O is meter-mount or remote mount.

Other ModMAG options for different needs

M2000 — higher accuracy, ten comms protocols & a zero straight-run option M3000 — Class I, Division 2 hazardous areas M4000 — Class I, Division 1 hazardous areas M5000 — battery power for remote or off-grid sites FC-5000 Flow Computer — add relays, a panel display & networking FC-5000 BTU Monitor — pair for combined flow + energy (BTU) measurement Field Verification Device — in-place check of meter functionality & calibration

Key Features & Benefits

No moving parts — an open, unobstructed flow tube means no pressure loss and virtually no maintenance
±0.3% accuracy — processor-based digital signal conversion across the full 1/4–20 in. range
Automatic empty-pipe detection — a dedicated third electrode flags an empty pipe and clears itself when flow returns
Integrated data logger — on-board logging without external hardware
Drinking-water listed — NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 & 372, plus WRAS, ACS and KTW/DVGW liner approvals
Wide material compatibility — four liner and four electrode options matched to the fluid
Integral or remote Display-I/O — mount on the sensor or up to 164 ft (50 m) away
Smart-metering ready — an Absolute Digital Encoded output pairs with AMI/AMR systems such as Badger AquaCUE — a cell-tower–based, customizable solution for remote meter reading, monitoring and analysis
Bi-directional measurement — uni- and bi-directional flow with positive zero return

Specifications

Measurement principle: Electromagnetic — Faraday’s law of magnetic induction. No moving parts and an open, unobstructed flow tube, so there is no pressure loss.
Accuracy: ±0.3% of reading, ±0.08 in./s (2 mm/s)
Repeatability: 0.1%
Flow velocity range: 0.03–12 m/s (0.10–39.37 ft/s)
Line sizes: 1/4–20 in. (DN 6–500)
Liner materials: Hard / soft rubber (DN 25 and up, 32–176°F / 0–80°C), PFA (DN 6–10) and PTFE (DN 15–500), the fluoropolymers rated −40…302°F (−40…150°C); Halar also offered. Specify PTFE (PFA in 1/4–3/8 in.) below 4 in. for AWWA / potable-water service and above 176°F (80°C), where hard rubber does not apply
Electrode materials: Hastelloy C-22 (standard); 316 stainless steel, tantalum, platinum/gold platinized, or platinum/rhodium
Process connections: Flanged DIN, ANSI, JIS, AWWA (Type II); wafer short-lay (Type III); sanitary Tri-Clamp, DIN 11851, ISO 2852, BS 4825
Body / sensor material: Carbon steel (standard) or stainless steel; stainless steel on the sanitary sensor
Process / fluid temperature: Up to −40…302°F (−40…150°C) with PTFE/PFA liner; 32–176°F (0–80°C) with rubber liner

Flow Range by Line Size

Size	DN	Flow range (US)	Flow range (metric)
1/4 in.	6	0.0134–5.4 GPM	0.051–20.4 l/min
5/16 in.	8	0.0239–9.6 GPM	0.090–36.2 l/min
3/8 in.	10	0.0373–14.9 GPM	0.141–57 l/min
1/2 in.	15	0.084–33.6 GPM	0.318–127 l/min
3/4 in.	20	0.149–60 GPM	0.57–226 l/min
1 in.	25	0.233–93 GPM	0.88–353 l/min
1-1/4 in.	32	0.382–153 GPM	1.45–579 l/min
1-1/2 in.	40	0.60–239 GPM	2.26–905 l/min
2 in.	50	0.93–373 GPM	3.53–1414 l/min
2-1/2 in.	65	1.58–631 GPM	0.358–143 m³/h
3 in.	80	2.39–956 GPM	0.54–217 m³/h

Size	DN	Flow range (US)	Flow range (metric)
4 in.	100	3.73–1494 GPM	0.85–339 m³/h
5 in.	125	5.8–2334 GPM	1.33–530 m³/h
6 in.	150	8.4–3361 GPM	1.91–763 m³/h
8 in.	200	14.9–5975 GPM	3.39–1357 m³/h
10 in.	250	23.3–9336 GPM	5.3–2121 m³/h
12 in.	300	33.6–13,444 GPM	7.6–3054 m³/h
14 in.	350	45.7–18,299 GPM	10.4–4156 m³/h
16 in.	400	60–23,901 GPM	13.6–5429 m³/h
18 in.	450	76–30,250 GPM	17.2–6870 m³/h
20 in.	500	93–37,345 GPM	21.2–8482 m³/h

Recommended straight run: 3 pipe diameters upstream and 2 downstream for best accuracy (M-Series installation recommendation)
Power supply: 92–275 V AC (50/60 Hz), 13 VA; or 9–36 V DC, 4 W
Analog output: 0/4–20 mA (≤800 Ω) or 0–10 mA; flow direction on a separate status output
Digital / pulse outputs: Two open-collector outputs (passive 32 V DC; 0–100 Hz at 100 mA, 100–10,000 Hz at 20 mA; optional active) for pulse, status and error
Frequency output: 10 kHz
Communication options: RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485 with Modbus RTU; optional Modbus TCP/IP, M-Bus or HART
Smart-metering connectivity: Absolute Digital Encoded output for pairing with AquaCUE cellular endpoints
Remote signal cable: Up to 164 ft (50 m) between sensor and remote Display-I/O
Enclosure / protection class: NEMA 4X / IP67 (IP68 optional)
Nominal pressure: Up to 1450 psi (100 bar) flanged (Type II); 580 psi (40 bar) wafer (Type III); 145 psi (10 bar) Tri-Clamp / 230 psi (16 bar) DIN 11851 (sanitary)
Display: Backlit graphical LCD (64 × 128) showing flow rate, totalizers and status
Display-I/O housing: Powder-coated die-cast aluminum
Minimum conductivity: ≥5 µS/cm (≥20 µS/cm for demineralized water)
Units of measure: Gallons, ounces, MGD, liters, cubic meters, cubic feet, imperial gallon, barrel, hectoliter and acre-feet, field programmable
Flow direction: Uni-directional and bi-directional, with positive zero return, field programmable
Empty-pipe detection: Dedicated third electrode, field-tunable; clears automatically when flow returns
Grounding: 304 or 316 stainless-steel grounding rings
Ambient temperature: −4…140°F (−20…60°C)
Operating altitude: Up to 8,202 ft (2,500 m)
Humidity: 90% R.H. maximum
Approvals & listings: NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 and 372 listed for drinking water (hard-rubber liner 4 in. and up; PTFE liner, all sizes); liner materials also WRAS, ACS and KTW/DVGW approved; pressure equipment to PED

Common Applications

Municipal and industrial water and wastewater
Chemical processing and other conductive process liquids
Batching and dispensing processes
Machinery-plant cooling and utility water
Slurries and conductive fluids of 5 µS/cm and above
Sub-metering and remote monitoring through AquaCUE

Not suitable for hydrocarbons or for pure / demineralized water below the conductivity threshold — an electromagnetic meter needs a conductive fluid.

Design & Selection Considerations

Keep the flow tube full — a partially full bore reads high and erratic. The standard empty-pipe-detection electrode flags a drained line and stops measuring to protect accuracy, but it will not correct a chronically low one — mount the meter in a low point or a rising run so the bore stays flooded. Air in the tube means bad numbers; pipe it so the meter never sees a half-full bore.
Give it straight run — or specify the zero-straight-run version — turbulence off elbows, pumps, and valves skews the velocity profile and the reading. Allow roughly 3 pipe diameters upstream and 2 downstream for full accuracy; where the layout is tight, specify the M2000 OIML/MID zero-straight-run (0×DN) build that holds its rated accuracy with no straight run. Bolt a standard meter straight onto an elbow and you forfeit the rated accuracy — design the run in, or order the meter that does not need it.
Match the liner to the fluid and its temperature — the liner is the wetted barrier, so it sets the chemical and temperature limits: PTFE / PFA / ETFE for chemicals, high temperature (to about 150°C), and potable water; hard rubber for water and abrasive / slurry service (to about 80°C). The liner — not the steel tube — sees the fluid, so spec it to the chemistry and the temperature.
Match the electrode alloy to the fluid — Hastelloy C-22 is standard and covers most services; 316 stainless, tantalum, platinum / rhodium, or gold-/platinum-plated electrodes handle aggressive or special-purity media. The wrong electrode alloy corrodes or fouls and the signal drifts off.
Ground the meter to the fluid — a mag meter measures millivolts and must share an electrical reference with the liquid — use grounding rings (304 / 316 stainless or Alloy C) or order the built-in grounding electrode, especially in lined or plastic pipe that insulates the fluid (rings are required on hard-rubber liners 4 in. and larger, and on all PTFE-lined sizes). Skip the grounding and you get noise, drift, and unstable readings.
Size to velocity, not to the pipe — the meters read from 0.03 up to 10–12 m/s, but accuracy is best well above the low-velocity floor (the M5000, for one, holds ±0.5% only above 0.5 m/s). On an oversized line, drop a meter size with reducers so the velocity lands in the accurate band instead of crawling at the bottom of the span. Size the meter to the flow, then fit it to the pipe — not the other way around.
Plan for abrasion and electrode coating in dirty service — in slurry, sludge, and scaling service a hard-rubber liner resists abrasion better than PTFE, while greasy, fatty, or scaling fluids can slowly coat the electrodes and pull the reading off over months. Spec the liner for the solids and plan periodic electrode checks. A clean install in dirty service can still drift later — design for inspection.
Confirm the fluid conducts — and reach for the right technology if it doesn’t — an electromagnetic meter reads only a conductive liquid: the M-Series needs conductivity above 5 µS/cm (above 20 µS/cm for demineralized water), so hydrocarbons, oils, gases, and pure / DI water fall outside its range. That is a technology fit, not a dead end — for those fluids reach for ultrasonic on clean, high-purity, or DI water, vortex on steam and gas, or a turbine or positive-displacement (oval-gear) meter on oils and hydrocarbons. Check conductivity early so you size to the right meter technology from the start.

To size & select the right ModMAG M1000:

Use the input form to send your fluid, line size, conductivity and process conditions and we’ll spec the liner, electrode and Display-I/O for your application.

Flow Meter Application Sheet ›

Talk to an engineer directly — Scott Prater, Principal · 917-580-0878 · scott@pratertechnical.com

ModMAG M1000 — Electromagnetic Flow Meter