Study: Ultrasonic Still the Fastest Growing Type of Flowmeter
03-Sep-2003
Ultrasonic flowmeters/order_t/'>flowmeters remain the fastest growing type of flowmeter, finds a new market study from flow Research. Sales of ultrasonic flowmeters worldwide totaled $255 million in 2002, and revenues are projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.0 percent through 2007. In 2007, the worldwide market is projected to be valued at $393 million.
While ultrasonic flowmeters are used to measure both liquid and gas, their rapid growth is mainly due to their use to measure the flow of natural gas. In June 1998, the American gas Association (AGA) approved the use of multipath ultrasonic meters for custody transfer of natural gas. This approval has caused a major increase in the use of ultrasonic flowmeters for this purpose. Multipath ultrasonic flowmeters send multiple ultrasonic signals across the pipe, resulting in greater accuracy. Suppliers have developed ultrasonic flowmeters with four, five, and six paths. The main companies in this market are Emerson Daniel, Instromet, and FMC Measurement Solutions.
While much of the projected growth in the ultrasonic flowmeter market is due to their use for custody transfer of natural gas, the use of ultrasonic flowmeters to measure other types of gas flow is also expected to increase substantially during this time. Users are becoming more aware of the advantages of ultrasonic flowmeters, and more success stories are being told. Technological improvements in transit time meters allow them to handle a wider range of fluids. In addition, ultrasonic flowmeters are becoming more accurate, especially spoolpiece meters. This increased accuracy is making ultrasonic flowmeters more attractive to end-users.
There are also important developments for ultrasonic flowmeters designed to measure liquid flow. This year, Krohne introduced a new three-path ultrasonic flowmeter designed for the chemical, oil, and water & wastewater industries. The American Petroleum Institute has released a draft standard concerning the use of transit time ultrasonic flowmeters for measuring liquid hydrocarbons. Just as is the case with gas flow measurement, the use of ultrasonic flowmeters will get a boost from the publication of approvals by standards organizations.
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