| www.FlowTimes.com | www.FlowResearch.com |
welcome to
FlowTimes - April 2012
Your Update on Flow, Temperature, and Pressure Measurement from Flow Research
Executive Editor: Dr. Jesse Yoder; Volume 13, Number 2 - ISSN 1350-7204
1.
Letter from the
President
The recession of 2009 had a
significant impact on the flowmeter market, as many end-user companies
canceled projects or put them on hold.
The good news is that the flowmeter market rebounded in 2010, and
also appears to have rebounded strongly in 2011.
The
flowmeter market does not exist in a vacuum; instead it is subject to the
same economic pressures and influences as chemical, food & beverage,
and other process markets. In
addition, the flowmeter market today is actually made up of more than a
dozen submarkets, each corresponding to a different flow technology.
One
of the broad trends in the flowmeter market is the transition from
traditional technology flowmeters to new-technology meters.
While this transition is continuing, many traditional meters are
holding their own, due to their large installed base and the large number
of suppliers. However, the
picture is different for each type of meter.
Would
you like to Supersize that Coriolis Meter?
![MC900040035[1]](welcom1.gif)
Some
of the most dramatic developments in the world of flow today are occurring
in Coriolis meters. While the
large majority of Coriolis flowmeters still have a line size of two inches
and less, some major developments are occurring involving large line size
Coriolis meters. Rheonik (now
part of GE) used to be the only company that manufactured Coriolis meters
in line sizes above six inches. Today,
several other companies have entered this market, and are producing
Coriolis meters that fit in line sizes from 6 to 16 inches.
Endress+Hauser and Emerson Micro Motion both produce bent-tube
Coriolis meters that fit into 16-inch lines, while KROHNE produces a
straight tube meter for line sizes from six to greater than 10 inches.
Positive
displacement market flat for 10 years and now declining slightly
Although
the positive displacement flowmeter market size is slightly larger than it
was in 2001, it has been essentially flat for the past 10 years.
Today, the PD flowmeter market is declining slightly.
The main reasons the market is declining only slightly are the
large installed base of PD meters, the large number of suppliers, and the
ability of PD meters to measure high viscosity liquids with high accuracy.
PD meters are still widely used for downstream measurement of oil
for custody transfer operations. Here
they are being displaced by Coriolis meters, although they have a price
advantage over Coriolis meters.
Turbine
flowmeter manufacturers invest in R&D
Turbine
meters are driven by similar growth factors to PD meters.
They also have a large installed base and a large number of
suppliers. But one difference
between the two is that turbine meter manufacturers are more active in
doing research and development and in introducing new products than PD
meter suppliers. Examples of
such companies include Elster, Cox Instruments, Badger Meter, and Hoffer
Flow Controls. The new
products being released by these and other turbine flowmeter companies are
helping the market grow slowly rather than decline.
Turbine
and PD markets losing ground to new-technology meters
Regardless
of whether turbine and positive displacement meters are growing slowly or
declining slowly, they are still losing market share to new-technology
meters. The Coriolis and
ultrasonic flowmeter markets are growing in the range of six to eight
percent per year. So while the
turbine flowmeter market is growing at less than one percent per year and
the PD flowmeter market is slowly declining at about one percent per year,
their percent of the total flowmeter market is declining.
This fact is not likely to change in the foreseeable future.
2.
The World Market
for Multiphase Flowmeters is now shipping!
This study analyzes the
world market for multiphase flowmeters, one of the newest types of
flowmeters to enter the market. The
future of multiphase flow measurement appears brighter than ever.
Although one of the most complex applications to address,
successful multiphase measurement holds the promise of large benefits for
both suppliers and end-users. Less
than one percent of the world’s wells are equipped with the technology
today so there is ample room for market expansion.
Multiphase meters are at an early stage of their evolutionary cycle, and
no doubt new technologies will emerge over time.
In the meantime, companies are working hard to improve the existing
technology. Companies are
putting money into developing multiphase meters not so much because the
meters do the measurement so well, but because the measurement is so
valuable.
This study gives detailed
market sizes, analysis, and forecasts for multiphase flowmeters worldwide,
with dual phase in the context of multiphase manufacturers (excluding
companies who manufacture only dual phase meters).
It gives market size for 2011, and forecasts the market through
2016.
The objectives covered in
the study are as follows:
·
Determine worldwide supplier market
size for multiphase flowmeters
·
Determine worldwide market shares
for the multiphase flow measurement market in 2011
·
Forecast market growth through 2016
·
Identify the industries and
applications where multiphase flowmeters are used, and identify market
growth sectors
·
Provide strategies to manufacturers
for selling into the multiphase flowmeter market
·
Create company profiles of the main
suppliers into the multiphase flowmeter market
·
Analyze products for the main
companies selling into the multiphase flowmeter market
·
Provide product descriptions and
average selling prices in the market
·
Analyze factors contributing to and
limiting growth
The
World Market for Multiphase Flowmeters
is Module E of our megastudy, The
World Market for Natural Gas and Gas Flow Measurement, and completes
the set. Our unprecedented
series of studies on the natural gas and gas flowmeter markets is the
culmination of two years of research, three trips to the Mideast, and more
than 10 trips to conferences and customers in Europe and the
The series features a Core
Study and five standalone Modules:
·
Core
Study: The
World Market for Gas Flow Measurement, 2nd Edition.
For more information visit http://www.gasflows.com/.
·
Module
A: An Analysis of the Regional Gas Flowmeter and Natural Gas Markets.
For more information visit http://www.worldnatgas.com/.
·
Module
B: A Strategic Approach to Doing Business in the Gas Flowmeter and Natural
Gas Markets in
Mideast/Africa.
For more information visit http://www.mideastnatgas.com/.
·
Module
C: The World Market for Custody Transfer of Natural Gas.
For more information visit http://www.custodytransfer.com/.
·
Module
D: Strategies, Industries, & Applications.
For more information visit http://www.gasflows.com/.
·
Module
E: The World Market for Multiphase Flowmeters.
For more information visit http://www.flowmultiphase.com/.
3. Agar
believes in non-nuclear multiphase technology
In the evolving world of multiphase
flow, Agar is one of the few companies offering a non-nuclear multiphase
solution. The Agar MPFM-50
combines Coriolis technology with traditional flow measurement devices to
achieve accuracy in the entire GVF range (0-100%), including the difficult
wet gas regime from 95-100%. The
company claims that the device is specially designed for field conditions,
with low maintenance and ease of operation, and requires no field
calibration or prior knowledge of fluid properties (such as fluid density
and salinity) to attain the specified accuracies.
The complete article can be found in
our Q1 2012 issue of Market Barometer, in the Company Korner section.
For more information, go to http://www.worldflow.com/,
the Flow Research subscription service.
4.
“The World Market for Turbine Flowmeters, 2nd Edition,” is
now shipping!
Wakefield
,
Despite
competition from ultrasonic, Coriolis, and other new-technology flowmeters,
turbine flowmeters remain a viable and popular choice for a variety of
applications. This is one
finding in a new Flow Research study, The
World Market for Turbine Flowmeters, 2nd Edition.
According
to Dr. Jesse Yoder, president of Flow Research, the gas market holds
significant opportunities for suppliers:
“Many
people believe that the turbine meter market has been declining, but in
fact it has been holding its own over the past 10 years.”
To
see the full press release, go to http://www.flowresearch.com/news.html.
This
study addresses the key issues in the turbine market today, including:
·
What is the technological state of
the market today?
·
What applications are growing –
and which are not?
·
What regions of the world hold the
greatest growth prospects – and why?
·
Are there new competing
technologies to the traditional devices – and what are they?
·
Are there new measurement
standards that must be understood?
·
What technical developments are
occurring in turbine flowmeters?
·
Which industries represent the
greatest growth potential – and why?
·
What are the features that
end-users are looking for in turbine flowmeters?
For
more information about this study, plus information and articles about
turbine meters, we invite you to visit our website http://www.turbine.com.
5.
New Informative Websites on Energy, Oil, and Gas Now Up and Running!
Flow
Research has formed a joint venture with Global
Processing and Processing
magazines to bring you updated information on the important topics of
energy, oil, and gas. We have
created three jointly sponsored websites to bring you timely and
up-to-date news and analysis on these vital topics.
The websites, which are already up and running, are:
The
websites will be updated regularly with news feeds from Global
Processing and Processing
magazines, and with news and analysis from Flow Research on various topics
relating to renewable energy, and to oil and gas production and
measurement.
Check
them out!
6.
Crude Oil Spikes to Nearly $110 per Barrel on Iranian Tensions
February
28, 2012 (Wakefield, MA) – The price of crude oil surged to almost $110
a barrel on Friday, February 24, as uncertainty about Iran and its nuclear
program continued to impact oil prices.
Tensions were exacerbated by
The
last time we published a Flash Report on oil prices, almost exactly a year
ago, the news was that oil prices had exceeded $100 per barrel, due to
unrest in the Middle East and
Other
areas in the Middle East that have been hot spots include
The
news this time is much more dramatic, with oil prices exceeding $100 for
the first time since October 2, 2008.
Energy demand is increasing along with the improving economy, and
this increasing demand is helping to push prices higher.
But the main driver of the current spike in oil prices unrest is
the Middle East and Northern Africa, including
To
read more and find out what it all means, including line charts and
analysis, go to http://www.worldflow.com/,
the Flow Research subscription service.
7.
Our new Positive Displacement study is now Shipping!
This hot-off-the-press study covers the entire worldwide positive displacement flowmeter market, including seven geographic regions. The study includes oval gear, rotary, helical gear, nutating disc, piston, diaphragm, and other PD meters. It also includes market size and forecasts from 2011 to 2016, market shares, strategies, product analysis, and company profiles. Don't miss this chance for an up-close look at the positive displacement flowmeter market! For complete information, go to http://www.flowPD.com.
8.
Emerson introduces a 16" line size Coriolis flowmeter
Note:
Endress+Hauser previously introduced, in 2011, their ProMass
83X/84X Coriolis meters that can be used with 12, 14 and 16
inch line sizes.
Boulder,
Colorado; February 23, 2012 — Emerson Process Management has expanded
its range of Micro Motion ELITE® High Capacity Coriolis flowmeters with
the introduction of a large line size version with 16 inch (400
millimeter) process connections. This ELITE High Capacity Coriolis meter
addresses the need for high accuracy, large line size measuring
instruments and provides a high technology option for applications that
have historically used mechanical/volumetric devices.
The
introduction of the 16” version expands the scope of Micro Motion High
Capacity Coriolis flowmeters to many more challenging applications
including oil and gas pipelines, refinery oil movement and storage,
specialty chemicals, and marine bunkering.
The
complete article can be found in our Q1 2012 issue of Market Barometer.
For more information, go to www.worldflow.com,
the Flow Research subscription service.
9.
Studies we are currently working on
The
World Market for Mass Flow Controllers, 2nd Edition
http://www.flowmfc.com/
The
World Market for Ultrasonic Flowmeters, 4th Edition
(three studies) http://www.flowultrasonic.com/
The
World Market for Coriolis Flowmeters, 4th Edition
http://www.flowcoriolis.com/
10.
New http://www.flowstudies.com/
website getting positive reception
We launched this website
with the aim of making it quick and easy to see, at a glance, all the
studies we have. It lists our
studies by category, and also provides direct links to the latest
editions. We are pleased that
we’ve been getting some very positive feedback on it.
Thank you.
What
do you think of FlowTimes? We welcome your comments! Please send
any comments or suggestions to jesse@flowresearch.com.
Dr.
Jesse Yoder – jesse@flowresearch.com
Editor:
Belinda
Burum – belinda@flowresearch.com
Associate
Editors:
Norm
Weeks – norm@flowresearch.com
Christina
Glaser – christina@flowresearch.com
Leslie
Buchanan – leslie@flowresearch.com
Flow
Research, Inc.
Wakefield
,
+1
(781) 224-7552 (fax)
www.flowresearch.com
FlowTimes is published by Flow Research, Inc.