Long Term Savings and New Product Innovations Contribute to Rise of Coriolis Flowmeters
By Tabitha Naylor
Posted: May 9, 2013
Coriolis Flowmeters have always been recognized for delivering very accurate measurements. While also recognized for having a higher cost than other meters, new product developments and applications, coupled with a refreshed economic outlook has seen the uses steadily increasing.
A March 2013 report issued by TechNavio, forecasted a growth for the market of over 12% through the year 2016. A TechNavio analyst stated that a cross section of industries are demanding more advanced Coriolis meters with greater functionality and at the same time have an ease of use. Because of this, many of the manufacturers are striving to meet this increase demand.
During and following the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, when companies began restructuring operations to adapt to the new economic realities, the lower long-term ownership costs of Coriolis meters came into play. Until recently, the higher prices of Coriolis flow meters compared to more traditional positive displacement and turbine models have always been prohibitive to the segment's growth. However, longer term reliability and the prospect of incurring virtually no periodic maintenance expense begin to strongly tip the odds in favor of Coriolis-based meters.
The recent introductions of more large line size Coriolis flowmeter products have also brought in another wave of growth in the sector over the last few years. This has made them especially suited to the oil and natural gas custody transfer market. Higher oil prices and sustainability concerns make accuracy and reliability a critical priority for all energy companies.
Coriolis meters may soon displace more positive-displacement units as the value of liquid petroleum becomes even more precious. Natural gas is expected to be the next future global fuel source which will soon replace coal. As a result, the adoption of Coriolis meters for these new gas applications will also likely increase significantly.
Coriolis meters with two-phase capabilities have also been proven largely successful. These advances will eventually make the technology suitable even for very high-value wells which can produce both liquid and gas.
Better design implementations are also at the forefront of many flowmeter manufacturers' agendas. Coriolis meters were originally completely bent-tube designs with inherent pressure and velocity issues affecting many applications. Since the introduction of the first straight-tube meters in 1993, the market has also been slowly increasing adoption of these new designs.
New materials such as titanium and stainless steel have been introduced to provide even better operating thresholds and durability. Sensor tubes have also been made stronger making them applicable even for corrosive liquids.
Adoption of Coriolis flow meters has always been more significant in the process industries. It is especially suited to specific sectors such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage where hygiene and sanitation is of primary concern. Many of the new advancements will make them more suitable to future applications and continue to remain attractive because of the accuracy and reliability they deliver.
The significant growth of multiphase flowmeters will also be of benefit to the future development of Coriolis technology. Many multiphase flow meters rely on Coriolis meters as primary components as well. This is further proof that Coriolis flow meters are here to stay and we may already be in the midst of a new era of adoption across many industries.
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