The primary finding of the research was to determine the actual size of the turbine flowmeter market in 2019 and 2020. Forecasts based on these findings and other important data points through 2024 are included.
Despite intense competition from ultrasonic, Coriolis, and other new-technology flowmeters, turbine flowmeters have remained and will continue to be a viable and popular choice for a variety of applications. In particular, they excel at measuring clean, steady, medium to highspeed flows of low-viscosity fluids. They offer simplicity, effective turndown ratios, and the capability of customized solutions for various applications.
Turbine flowmeters also have a significant cost advantage over ultrasonic and Coriolis meters, especially in larger pipe sizes, although suppliers report increasing difficulty competing with ultrasonic and magnetic flowmeters in these line sizes. The price of turbine meters may also compare favorably to differential pressure (DP) flowmeters, especially in cases where one turbine flowmeter can replace several DP flowmeters. Users who are already familiar with turbine technology and do not want to spend the extra money required to invest in a new technology are likely to stay with turbine flowmeters.
History of Turbine Flowmeters Turbine flowmeters have been around for many years. The ancient Greeks ground their flour using horizontal turbine wheels, and the word “turbine” is derived from a Latin word that means “spinning thing.” In more modern times, the generally accepted view places the invention of the first turbine meter to 1790 by Reinhard Woltman, a German engineer who studied the loss of energy in open canals and published several works on hydraulic engineering. Today’s bulk meters, used to measure water flow in large quantities, are still called Woltman flowmeters. It wasn’t until World War II and later, however, that turbine meters began being used in industrial environments. Today, there are at least eight distinct types of turbine flowmeters, but they all use a rotor that spins in proportion to flowrate
Suppliers report that some customers are choosing electronic multipath ultrasonic meters over mechanically-based turbine meters as they are viewed as needing less maintenance and having non-intrusive designs. However, the higher costs of these meters and the high costs to calibrate them, combined with some uncertainty of their in-service accuracy and performance, is helping turbine meters hold their own in a competitive environment. Product improvements such as dual rotor designs offer improved accuracy and flow range, less pressure drop, and reduced flow swirl effects.
