Thermal flowmeters today have benefited from the need to measure greenhouse gas emissions. Suppliers have adapted their products to meet these needs.
Wakefield, Massachusetts (PRWEB) March 29, 2016
A new research study, The World Market for Gas Flow Measurement, 3rd Edition, by Flow Research (http://www.flowresearch.com) finds substantial growth in the gas flow measurement market. Thermal flowmeters are used almost entirely for gas flow measurement.
According to this new study, the worldwide gas flowmeter market exceeded $1.7 billion in 2014. While traditional technology gas flowmeters revenues are still strong in this market, accounting for $930 million of the total, new-technology gas flowmeters made up $788 million of the market total. The thermal gas flowmeter market exceeded $53 million in North America in 2014.
Thermal flowmeters, which were developed in the mid 1979s, came into their own in the 1990s when Continuous Emissions Monitoring (CEM) Requirements made it necessary to monitor air quality. In the early 1990s, new environmental regulations began requiring companies to detect and reduce the emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxide (NOx) into the air. SO2 and NOx are two principal causes of acid rain. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a program to reduce pollution in the atmosphere. It is possible to determine how much of these substances are released into the atmosphere by combining a measurement of the flowrate with a measurement of the concentration of SO2 and NOx. EPA regulations have resulted in the development of an entire industry around CEM, including the introduction of Continuous Emission Systems (CEMs).
In response to CEM requirements, thermal flowmeter companies developed multipoint thermal flowmeters. In many cases, continuous emissions monitoring occurs in large stacks that emit pollution from industrial sources. Single point thermal flowmeters measure flow at a point, making it difficult to accurately compute flow in a large pipe or smokestack. Multipoint thermal flowmeters measure gas flow at multiple points, and use these values to compute flow for the entire pipe, duct, or stack. Some multipoint flowmeters have as many as 16 measuring points.
The new age of environmental awareness, together with the Kyoto Accord and other greenhouse gas initiatives, has resulted in a rewriting of the rules on measuring greenhouse gas emissions. There is now a need and demand to measure greenhouse gases in applications that previously may have gone unnoticed. Many of these applications — including flue gas, flare gas, various types of emissions, biomass gasification, ethanol production, and recovery of methane from coal mines — present opportunities for thermal flowmeters. Thermal flowmeters are uniquely suited to make these measurements because their insertion technology allows them to handle large pipe sizes and because they can accurately measure different mixtures of gases. The need for these measurements can expected to grow substantially in the next 5–10 years. As a result, so will the demand for thermal flowmeters.
This study, The World Market for Gas Flow Measurement, 3rd Edition (http://www.gasflows.com), analyzes the world market for all types of flowmeters used for gas flow measurement. It includes a technology analysis, 2014 market size and market share data, market growth projections through 2019, and provides in-depth segmentation of the market by various product and geographic categories.
According to Dr. Jesse Yoder, president of Flow Research:
“Thermal flowmeters were developed in the mid-1970s as a way to create more rugged versions of anemometers that could be used in industrial markets. But they didn’t come into their own until the Continuous Emissions Monitoring requirements of the early 1990s. Then suppliers developed multipoint thermal meters to handle these applications. Thermal flowmeters are used almost entirely for gas flow measurement. Today the need to measure greenhouse gas emissions is giving thermal flowmeters another boost. While most of the early product development occurred in the United States, quite a few European companies manufacture thermal flowmeters as well.”
About Flow Research
Flow Research, with headquarters in Wakefield, Massachusetts, is the only independent market research company whose primary mission is to research flowmeters and other instrumentation products and markets worldwide. Flow Research has years of experience in doing both off-the-shelf studies and custom work. Published studies can be purchased by anyone interested in the topics. These studies are developed through interviews with suppliers, distributors, and end-users, and are presented in a clear and consistent manner. Topics include all of the flowmeter technologies – both new and traditional – as well as temperature sensors, temperature transmitters, level products, and pressure transmitters.
A growing area of interest – especially related to custody transfer – is flowmeter calibration. Flow Research has recently completed two studies, one on gas and one on liquid, of flow calibration facilities and markets. This series is called Worldwide Flowmeter Calibration Facilities and Markets (http://www.flowcalibration.org).
The company also focuses on the energy industries, especially on oil and gas production and measurement. Special topics include custody transfer, multiphase measurement, and liquefied natural gas (LNG). A series of quarterly reports called the Worldflow Monitoring Service (http://www.worldflow.com).provides regular updates on both the flowmeter markets and the energy industries.
For more information, visit http:// Flow Research at http://www.flowresearch.com or call +1 781-245-3200.