The Leader in flow measurement innovation : Proteus Industries

The driving force behind flow measurement innovation is accuracy. Flow meters are relied to measure the flow rate of one of several types of liquids or gasses, typically divided as gas, liquid and steam. These three can be further subdivided. For instance, liquid can include water, industrial fluids and oil. There are three types of gases: industrial gases, greenhouse gases and natural gas. Steam is divided into superheated, wet and saturated. Each of these can be further broken down. For instance, industrial gases may include specific gases such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen. Given the complex nature of each of these types of flow, flow meters must be highly accurate and reliable.

Flow measurement innovation has advanced quite a bit over the past one hundred years, mostly as a result of changing market needs and in response to end-user requirements. An example of this is in the oil and gas industry.

An example of flow meter innovation in the oil and gas industry

Flow meter measurement in the oil and gas industry is an ongoing battleground between traditional technology flow meters and new-technology meters. The main “new technology” flow meter types that are used to measure gas and oil include thermal, ultrasonic, vortex and Coriolis flow meters. Amongst the traditional technology flow meters are positive displacement, differential pressure and turbine flow meters.

Advantages and disadvantages lie within both the old and new technologies, however new technology flow meters are more sought after because they have lower maintenance, higher reliability and less pressure changes than a traditional flow meter. The older flow meter designs have more mechanical parts that depend on regular maintenance. Nevertheless, their advantage is that they are installed within base.

Apart from the cost of maintenance, new technology flow meters have greater reliability and higher accuracy. Due to rising oil prices and the increasing difficulty of finding it, natural gas is becoming much sought after. It is a cleaner and more affordable fuel source than oil, as it has no environmental impact and is therefore seem as a bridge to a renewable fuel source. Natural gas is more plentiful than oil. New technologies have made it possible to extract this precious resource from remote location where earlier it was not possible to drill. New drilling technologies and abundant gas resources has equipped the world with enough fuel for the next one hundred years or more.

Due to the ever-increasing demand for natural gas, it has seen steep increases in price. The demand for natural gas has generated an increased demand for flow meters with greater accuracy and reliability. Measurement accuracy is especially necessary in gas flow pipelines. Turbine flow meters are beginning to lose their market to ultrasonic flow meters, especially during the custody transfer of natural gas. Reduced maintenance costs, higher reliability and higher accuracy are quickly making turbine flow meters obsolete and increasing the reliance on ultrasonic flow meters.

Proteus Industries is the leader in flow measurement innovation. With a strong a research and development team, they continue to be the global leader in providing reliable and accurate flow meters across various industries.