According to a new market study from Flow Research, the market for Coriolis flowmeters totaled $1.3 billion in 2013, and is projected to grow to almost $2.0 billion by 2018. A 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 suddenly a need and demand to measure greenhouse gases in applications that formerly may have gone unnoticed. Many of these applications present opportunities for thermal flowmeters, which are mainly used to measure gas flow.
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 U.S. 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 the introduction of Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS).
In response to CEMS 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.
While the need for CEMS is ongoing, the 21st century has brought new environmental awareness and requirements. Scientific thinking has evolved substantially in the past ten years. While global warming and the need to reduce carbon emissions were once viewed as scientific theory, they are now widely accepted as scientific fact. And in the U.S., the government has made a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emission 80% by 2050. This administration is also pledging to make the U.S. a leader in climate change.
It is not just the U.S. working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Accord, an international treaty designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions internationally, resulted in the creation of several mechanisms that require measurement of greenhouse gases. These include Certified Emission Reductions (CER), which allow carbon emitters to gain credits for carbon emitted elsewhere. Another program is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows countries to invest in sustainable development projects that reduce emissions in developing countries.
“There are currently many new applications for thermal flowmeters,” said Dr. Jesse Yoder, president of Flow Research. “These include measurement and recovery of landfill gas, biomass gasification, measuring and monitoring of flare gas flow, and recovery of methane from coal mines. These and other greenhouse gas-related applications will help propel the thermal flowmeter market into significant growth over the next several years.”
The thermal flowmeter market size and forecasts are part of a new research study from Flow Research, Volume X: The World Market for Flowmeters, 5th Edition. This study includes 12 flowmeter types, and covers both new-technology and traditional technology flowmeters. Thermal flowmeters are included among the new-technology flowmeters.
Source: Flow Research
