GETTING THE MOST OUT OF FLOWMETERING

Flowmetering is the principal measurement made in process control systems. That statement is a bold one, but is undoubtedly true. At a recent conference in the States, one speaker revealed that his research indicated that some 60% of all measurements made in the process industries are directly related to flow. Of the many devices that are currently available, head producing devices make up the bulk of those supplied, some 66% in fact. But it is the next statistic produced by the conference speaker that is perhaps the most surprising, and disturbing. Of all of the applications that he reviewed, he found that some 60% of the flowmeters installed for a specific duty were of an inappropriate type. Many companies have investigated refinements to modern techniques to increase the performance of their flowmeters. This article highlights some important advances.