Prowirl 72F order code: how to read it and what to specify (DN 15–300)

The Endress+Hauser Proline Prowirl 72F is a flanged vortex flowmeter for gas, steam and liquids, built in nominal diameters DN 15 to DN 300 (½" to 12"). Endress+Hauser no longer sells it — its product page is marked "no longer available" and points to the Proline Prowirl F 200 as the successor — but the Prowirl sensor behind it has, by Endress+Hauser's own count, served in more than 200 000 applications, and 72F units remain in service, in spares stores and on the second-hand market. Every one of them carries an order code, and that code is what you need for a spare transmitter, a like-for-like replacement or a quotation for the current model.

This guide explains what the 72F order code is, which parts of it Endress+Hauser has published, how to read the rest from the nameplate, and what each decision behind the code means for a buyer in Iraq or the wider region.

What the order code looks like

A Prowirl 72 order code has two halves separated by a hyphen. The nameplate examples in the operating instructions show the pattern:

72XXX-XXXXXXXXXXX      transmitter / compact device
72WXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX     sensor of a remote version

• 72 — the Prowirl 72 electronics: volume flow, with calculated mass or corrected-volume flow from a fixed density. Its sibling 73 adds a built-in temperature measurement for steam mass and energy.
• F or W — the sensor: F is the flanged body (DN 15–300), W the wafer body clamped between flanges (DN 15–150).
• Two size characters — the nominal diameter. For the line-size-reduction versions these are published (see below); for plain sizes read the "Size" line of the nameplate.
• The string after the hyphen — about a dozen positions covering flange standard and pressure rating, material, sensor temperature version, approvals and housing, output and communication, display, calibration and options.

One honest limit before going further: Endress+Hauser does not publish a position-by-position key for those characters. Both the Technical Information and the operating instructions say that "detailed information on the order code can be obtained from your Endress+Hauser Service Organization" and that the meanings of the individual letters are given on the order confirmation. Anyone offering you a full decoding table for a 72F is guessing. What you can do reliably is read the nameplate, use the published size codes, and specify the decisions listed in this guide.

The published part: size codes for reduced-bore versions

The 72F was also made with an integrated line-size reduction, so a small meter can sit in a larger pipe without separate reducers and extra straight runs. These versions are the only ones whose size code Endress+Hauser prints in the datasheet:

Style	Code	Pipe size → meter size
R Style single reduction	7*F RF	DN 25 (1") → DN 15 (½")
	7*F RG	DN 40 (1½") → DN 25 (1")
	7*F RJ	DN 50 (2") → DN 40 (1½")
	7*F RK	DN 80 (3") → DN 50 (2")
	7*F RM	DN 100 (4") → DN 80 (3")
	7*F RN	DN 150 (6") → DN 100 (4")
	7*F RR	DN 200 (8") → DN 150 (6")
S Style double reduction	7*F SF	DN 40 (1½") → DN 15 (½")
	7*F SG	DN 50 (2") → DN 25 (1")
	7*F SJ	DN 80 (3") → DN 40 (1½")
	7*F SK	DN 100 (4") → DN 50 (2")
	7*F SM	DN 150 (6") → DN 80 (3")
	7*F SN	DN 200 (8") → DN 100 (4")
	7*F SR	DN 250 (10") → DN 150 (6")

The asterisk stands for 2 or 3 (Prowirl 72F or 73F). If your nameplate code begins 72FRK, you have a DN 80 flange pair with a DN 50 measuring section — order the same, not a plain DN 80.

Reading the nameplate

The transmitter nameplate of a compact 72F carries thirteen fields. The ones that matter for re-ordering are:

Field	What it tells you
Order Code	The full 72F…-… string. Photograph it; do not retype it.
Ser. No.	Serial number — Endress+Hauser's Device Viewer returns the documents and configuration for this exact unit.
Size	Nominal diameter, e.g. DN100.
K-factor	The calibration constant in pulses per litre, unique to the sensor. A replacement transmitter must be programmed with it.
Materials / Gasket	Measuring tube and seal material, e.g. CF3M/F316/F316L/1.4404 and Graphite.
TM	Permitted fluid temperature range, which identifies the sensor version (standard or high/low temperature).
Ta	Permitted ambient temperature.
Power supply / outputs	e.g. 12–36 V DC, 4…20 mA, HART, power consumption.
IP rating, PED category	Degree of protection (IP 67 / NEMA 4X) and Pressure Equipment Directive category, if applicable.
Certificates field	Ex marking and approvals of this version.

A remote-version sensor has its own nameplate with the sensor half of the code (72WXX-… or 72FXX-…), size, K-factor and materials; the transmitter has a separate one.

Sizes and measuring ranges

Vortex meters measure velocity, so the usable range depends on size and fluid. The table gives the water range per flanged size from the operating instructions, together with the K-factor band; the frequency the transmitter sees runs from 0.5 Hz to 2 850 Hz.

DN	inch	Water, min–max (m³/h)	K-factor (pulses/dm³)
15	½"	0.16 – 5	390 – 450
25	1"	0.32 – 15	70 – 85
40	1½"	0.91 – 37	18 – 22
50	2"	1.5 – 62	8 – 11
80	3"	3.4 – 140	2.5 – 3.2
100	4"	5.9 – 240	1.1 – 1.4
150	6"	13.4 – 550	0.3 – 0.4
200	8"	25.7 – 1 050	0.1266 – 0.14
250	10"	40.6 – 1 650	0.0677 – 0.0748
300	12"	58.2 – 2 360	0.0364 – 0.0402

Two rules decide the size, not the pipe: the flow must stay above a Reynolds number of 4 000 (full accuracy above 20 000), and the velocity must not exceed 9 m/s for liquids or 75 m/s for gas and steam (46 m/s at DN 15). If your normal flow sits near the bottom of the range, the R- or S-Style version is usually the right answer. Endress+Hauser's Applicator tool sizes it exactly for your fluid.

The decisions behind the feature positions

Whatever the letters are, each position records one of the following choices. Have all of them ready when you ask for a quotation.

Process connection and pressure rating

Flanges to EN 1092-1 (DIN) PN 10 to PN 250, ASME B16.5 Class 150 to 1500 or JIS B2220 10K to 40K. Only the flanged 72F goes above PN 40 / Class 300 / 20K; the wafer 72W stops there. State the flange standard, rating and facing exactly as on the mating flange.

Body material

Up to PN 40 / Class 300 / 20K the measuring body is cast stainless steel A351-CF3M (1.4408) to NACE MR0175/MR0103, with Alloy C-22 as an option on the 72 only. Up to PN 160 / Class 600 / 40K it is CF3M; for PN 250 / Class 900–1500 and butt-weld versions it is 316Ti/316L (1.4571). Sour-service sites in Iraq should ask for the NACE statement explicitly.

Sensor temperature version and seal

The capacitive DSC sensor comes as a standard version (−40 to +260 °C) and a high/low-temperature version (−200 to +400 °C); Inconel, titanium Gr. 5 and Alloy C-22 sensors cover the high-pressure and corrosive variants, and a special version to +450 °C exists on request. Seals: graphite (−200 to +400 °C), Viton (−15 to +175 °C), Kalrez (−20 to +275 °C) or Gylon PTFE (−200 to +260 °C). Compare your maximum fluid temperature with the "TM" line on the old nameplate before assuming the standard version.

Output and communication

The standard 72 has a 4–20 mA current output with HART plus a pulse/status output that can also give the raw vortex frequency or a PFM signal; alternatives are PROFIBUS PA and FOUNDATION Fieldbus. This choice also fixes the supply voltage: 12–36 V DC for the standard version (18–36 V with HART), 12–30 V DC for Ex i, 15–36 V DC for Ex d; fieldbus versions run on 9–32 V DC.

Approvals and housing

Non-Ex, intrinsically safe (Ex i / IS), Ex n or flameproof (Ex d / XP), certified to ATEX, FM, CSA, TIIS or NEPSI. The housing is powder-coated die-cast aluminium, IP 67 / NEMA 4X; the Ex d housing is a different casting with slightly larger dimensions, so a compact Ex d unit is not a drop-in for an Ex i one.

Compact or remote

Compact means transmitter on the sensor; remote puts the transmitter up to 30 m away on a wall or pipe bracket, with a separate mounting kit and a sensor cable. High-temperature steam lines and hard-to-reach positions are the usual reasons for remote.

Display, calibration and factory settings

Two-line display with push buttons or a blind version. Calibration is on a rig traceable to national standards, with measured error better than 0.75 % of reading for liquids and 1 % of reading for gas and steam (Re > 20 000). The device can be delivered pre-programmed if you state the operating language, the fluid type, the 20 mA value, the pulse value, and the operating (and reference) density when you want mass or corrected-volume units.

Options

Pressure Equipment Directive category, SIL 2 for safety loops, a Dualsens version with two sensors and two electronics for redundant measurement, and the perforated-plate flow conditioner as an accessory.

Installation facts that change what you order

Vortex meters need a fully developed flow profile. The datasheet's minimum straight runs upstream of the meter are: 15×DN after a reducer, 17×DN plus 8×h after an expansion, 20×DN after a single 90° elbow or tee, 25×DN after two elbows in one plane, 40×DN after two elbows in different planes, and 50×DN after a control valve — always with 5×DN downstream, and the longest figure governs when there are several disturbances. A flow conditioner between two flanges brings every case down to 10×DN with full accuracy. Pressure taps belong 3–5×DN downstream and temperature taps 4–8×DN downstream. If the available run is short, budget for the conditioner or a reduced-bore version before you finalise the order.

Replacing a 72F today

You have three routes:

1. Replacement transmitter only. Endress+Hauser listed the Prowirl 72 transmitter as an accessory with its own code (72XXX-XXXXX…) defined by approvals, housing, cable entry, display, software and outputs. The sensor stays, and the new transmitter is programmed with the sensor's K-factor from the nameplate.
2. Same model from stock. Unused or refurbished 72F units are still traded. Match the complete order code — size, rating, material, sensor version, approval and output — not just "72F DN 100". Barmaan's current unit, a Prowirl 72F DN 100 PN 40 with 4–20 mA HART and Ex i electronics, is listed with both official Technical Information documents attached.
3. The current model. Endress+Hauser's successor chain is 72F → Prowirl F 200 (7F2B) → Prowirl F 200 (7F2C), with the O 200 for very high pressure and the R 200 for reduced-bore duty. Two checks before a like-for-like swap: the standard F 200 is rated to PN 100 / Class 600, so a PN 160 or PN 250 72F needs the O 200 instead, and the new order code is built in Endress+Hauser's configurator, not by translating the old letters.

To get a usable quotation for any of the three, send: a photo of the nameplate (order code and serial number), the fluid and its normal, minimum and maximum flow, operating pressure and temperature, the flange standard and rating on the pipe, the hazardous-area zone, the required output or bus, and whether the unit is compact or remote. With those eight items the code can be reproduced without guesswork.