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Vortex Meter Introduction and Methodology
This study analyzes the vortex flowmeter market worldwide. Flow Research
and Ducker Worldwide conducted the study. This study includes a
technology and product analysis, market share and market size data, and
also provides in-depth segmentation of the market by various product and
geographic categories. It also includes detailed market growth
projections through 2005 for vortex flowmeters. Detailed market
strategies are provided for suppliers.
The methodology for this study consists of a “bottom-up” approach.
Flow-Ducker Research obtained detailed information about the sales
volume of vortex flowmeter suppliers. This information was then compiled
into a picture of the total market. Most of the information for this
study was obtained through interviews with the suppliers.
The results of this research are being published as a separate study,
called Worldwide Survey of Flowmeter Users. Goals of the survey were to
get an understanding of installed base, to find out user purchasing
plans, and to determine what problems users are having with their vortex
flowmeters. Other goals included detecting regional differences in
worldwide flowmeters, and providing confirming evidence for the supplier
data. These goals were achieved.
While the end-user survey is being published as a separate study, the
results were available during the forecasting for this study. Of
particular interest were the information on flowmeter installed base,
user purchasing plans, and comments about communication protocols. This
information was taken into account in forecasting growth rates for
different types of vortex flowmeters.
Worldflow™
The purpose of Worldflow™ is to give a complete definition and analysis
of the worldwide flowmeter market, including all technologies. Some
companies approach this subject by doing one study at a time, over a
period of months or years. This approach makes it difficult to obtain
meaningful comparisons of market size and market shares across
technologies. In some cases, inconsistent definitions and terminology is
used. Differences in the scope of geographic regions, definitions of
“smart”, data gathering methodologies, and ways of dividing up the
flowmeter market can create major problems in comparing data. In
addition, writing one study at a time inevitably means that studies
being compared cover different time periods.
Worldflow™ addresses these issues by creating a systematic complete
intellectual framework in terms of which to view the worldwide flowmeter
market. Worldflow™ uses a consistent set of definitions of flowmeter
types, “smart” flowmeters, and geographic regions throughout. We do not
claim to have discovered the best possible set of definitions of terms
or of geographic regions. What we do claim is to have used a consistent
set of definitions of terms and geographic regions throughout these
studies. In addition, we have, as much as possible, clearly stated our
definitions, so that anyone using a different set of definitions can
make the appropriate adjustments. This chapter contains a complete
definition of the geographic regions used in these studies, complete
with maps to make the regions more easily visualized and understood.
Besides developing a consistent framework in terms of which to view the
worldwide flowmeter market, Flow Research has utilized the philosophy of
viewpoint pluralism to provide a more complete understanding of the
flowmeter market. The philosophy of viewpoint pluralism can be stated
very simply: Our knowledge of any subject or object is proportional to
the quantity and quality of the points of view we have of the subject or
object. When the subject is the worldwide flowmeter market, this means
looking at the worldwide flowmeter market from a variety of
perspectives, or points of view.
The Importance of Cross-Technology Research
Rather than sequentially issuing a series of studies on the new
technology flowmeter market, Flow Research has spent a full year
analyzing this market. As a result, we are able to provide a complete
snapshot of the entire new technology flowmeter market as it stood in
the year 2000. We are also able to find analogies and parallels among
different technologies that would not likely occur to anyone who takes
the “one study at a time” approach. For example, there is a parallel in
application between AC magnetic flowmeters and Doppler ultrasonic
flowmeters. And it is very interesting to compare the degree to which
smart devices have taken over the Coriolis flowmeter market, compared to
the slow penetration of smart devices in the ultrasonic market.
Looking at all the flowmeters together makes it possible to determine
which flowmeters are replacing others and which flowmeters are being
replaced. Another goal of these studies is to find out how fast each
type of flowmeter is growing. By applying a consistent set of
definitions and methodologies to accurately determine the market size in
the base year for each type of flowmeter, forecasts can be generated
that can meaningfully be compared with each other. This is also much
more difficult to do when dealing with studies written at different
times and, often, by different companies using different methodologies.
Cross-technology research gives suppliers a better handle on the
flowmeter market because it shows the strengths and weaknesses of each
technology. Because each technology is looked at from a regional and a
worldwide perspective, suppliers can more easily determine geographic
regions that are more receptive to certain technologies. Certain driving
forces like the desire for accuracy and the desire for reliability cut
across all the flowmeter markets. Others apply mainly to one or several
technologies. Looking at each type of flowmeter in the context of the
others provides additional knowledge and insight.
Suppliers can be understood much better when looked at from a
cross-technology perspective. Only by looking at the entire flowmeter
product line can the strength of a supplier be understood. When looked
at in this perspective, companies such as Rosemount, Krohne, Endress &
Hauser, ABB, and Foxboro stand out as broad-line suppliers of
instrumentation. Others such as Controlotron and Panametrics may have
excellent technologies, but they still supply only one type of flowmeter.
More customers today are moving towards broad-line suppliers because of
the convenience of one-stop shopping.
A worldwide cross-technology analysis that takes geographic regions into
account is also very instructive. Our end-user survey found that
magnetic flowmeters have a much larger installed base in Europe than the
United States. In looking at the three leading suppliers of magnetic
flowmeters, it is very interesting, then, that all three are based in
Europe. The location of manufacturing sites is important because it
gives companies an advantage in delivery time, cost of delivery, and
service over companies that are competing from other regions. A
cross-technology approach to different geographic regions shows which
types of flowmeters are growing and at what rate in each region.
The Flow-Ducker Research end-user survey also takes a cross-technology
approach. This survey includes flowmeter users from North America,
Europe, and Asia. It includes all types of flowmeters. This survey
reveals helps analyze the installed base of flowmeters by type for each
geographic region. It also provides a basis for comparing user
perceptions of each type of flowmeter. In addition, it greatly
strengthens the forecasting process because users are asked to project
future purchases for each type of meter.
This study includes the following product categories:
Smart vortex flowmeters are discussed in more detail in the next
section. Smart vortex flowmeters are microprocessor-based, and use some
type of communication protocol to enable the flowmeter to communicate
with other devices. Communication protocols included in this study
include HART, Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus, Serial, and Other. Most
Other protocols are proprietary in nature.
Conventional vortex flowmeters normally have a 4-20 mA output, and do
not have the capability of remote configuration or communication. There
has been a very strong trend towards smart instrumentation, including
smart vortex flowmeters, over the past five years. While a number of
companies still offer conventional products, it is very likely that the
number of conventional vortex flowmeters will decline rapidly over the
next five years. The presence of Foundation Fieldbus and Profibus, and
the need for instruments with self-diagnostic capability, will reduce
the number of customers who are willing to specify conventional
instruments.
Mounting Type
There are three mounting methods for vortex flowmeters:
Wafer meters come without flanges. They are sometimes called “sandwich”
style flowmeters. Wafer flowmeters are usually less expensive than
flanged meters, but are typically less secure than flanged meters.
Flanged flowmeters come with flanges mounted on both ends of the
flowmeter. Flanged meters are more secure than wafer meters because they
are less subject to leaks, and are more secure. They are typically more
expensive than wafer meters, however.
The “Other” category is mainly used to refer to insertion-style meters.
Insertion meters are used for larger flowmeters, such as meters for line
sizes of three inches and up. Insertion flowmeters are so-called because
they are inserted into the pipe. They are typically less expensive than
wafer and flanged meters because they do not include a flowtube.
Fluid Types
Vortex meters can be used to measure flow of the following fluid types:
Vortex flowmeters are the most versatile flowmeter among the new
technology meters. They can measure liquids, gases, and steams. Gas flow
measurement is still a relatively new application for Coriolis meters,
and the use of Coriolis meters to measure steam flow is just beginning
to occur. While ultrasonic meters have been used for a number of years
to measure gas flow, steam flow is a very new application for them.
Magnetic flowmeters cannot be used to measure either gas flow or steam
flow. Magnetic flowmeters cannot be used to measure nonconductive
liquids, such as hydrocarbons. Multivariable differential pressure
flowmeters can be used to measure liquid, gas, and steam. However, most
multivariable DP flowmeters have substantially greater pressure drop
than vortex meters, due to the presence of a primary element.
Liquid flow applications outnumber gas and steam applications for vortex
meters. While steam is an ideal application for vortex meters, the steam
flow measurement market is neither as large or as fast growing as the
gas flow measurement market. Gas flow measurement is an area with great
potential for vortex meters. This is true whether vortex meters are ever
approved for custody transfer or not. There are many applications for
process gases and even natural gas that vortex meters can be used for,
apart from custody transfer.
Smart Flowmeters
The term ‘smart’ as it is used in this study means “microprocessor based
and capable of remote two-way communication.” Being microprocessor-based
is a necessary condition for instrument to be smart. In terms of the
human analogy that the term ‘smart’ makes use of, a microprocessor in an
instrument is like a brain. It allows the instrument to process
information, and may also be the basis for self-diagnostic capabilities.
The requirement of being capable of remote two-way communication rules
out instruments that can only be programmed or calibrated locally, at
the device itself. In effect, this requirement means that the device
must be intelligent enough to be able to communicate with another device
outside itself. This could be a personal computer, a laptop computer, or
a handheld communicator.
In this study, five different means are considered for remote two-way
communication. These are as follows:
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Serial Ports
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Proprietary Protocols
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HART
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Foundation Fieldbus
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Profibus
These five types of protocols are considered in the next section.
Communication Protocols
Both Foundation Fieldbus and
Profibus are forms of fieldbus. Forms of bi-directional, multiplayer
digital communication, including those developed by the Fieldbus
Foundation, the ISA SP50 Committee, and the Profibus User Organization,
are included in the term ‘fieldbus’ as used in this study.
Serial Communication
Smart Vortex flowmeters that have serial
communication provide two-way communication with the flowmeter via an
RS-232 or RS-485 connection. Flowmeters that have an RS-232 or RS-485
port to send files to a printer, but do not provide for two-way
communication, are not considered smart. Smart flowmeters can be
interrogated and programmed remotely from a laptop, personal computer,
or handheld device. Some software programs can also do data analysis.
The idea of smart instrumentation is often associated with a
paradigm of a network of instruments that are digitally integrated with
a distributed control system (DCS). The proprietary protocols that have
been developed, including DE (Honeywell), FoxCom (Foxboro), and Brain
(Yokogawa), were developed to fit this paradigm. Serial communication
does not fit this paradigm. Hence flowmeters that use serial
communication can be considered “less smart” than those that rely on
proprietary protocols, HART, Foundation Fieldbus, or Profibus.
Serial communications are typically implemented with a Recommended
Standard (RS). The Electronic Industries Association (EIA) sets these
standards in most cases. In most cases, the standard, defines connector
pin-out, signal levels, maximum bandwidth, drive capabilities,
handshaking signals, and electrical characteristics of the serial lines.
RS-232 is probably the most widely used communication standard.
Variations of RS-232 are RS-232C and EIA-232.
RS-485 ports have
the capability of being connected in a multi-drop bus and selectively
polled. The electrical characteristics of RS-485 ports allow for 332
drivers and 32 receivers to be connected to a single line. These
features make RS-485 ports ideal for multi-drop or network environments.
They also distinguish RS-485 ports, which are addressable, from RS-232
ports, which are point-to-point.
Proprietary Protocols
Proprietary communication protocols were developed by the distributed
control system (DCS) suppliers to provide secure, high-speed, digital
communication between their field devices and the control room. Examples
of proprietary protocol’s include Foxboro’s FoxCom, Yokogawa’s Brain,
Honeywell’s DE (Digitally Enhanced), and Endress & Hauser’s Intensor.
Proprietary protocols got the movement started towards standardization
of communication protocols via fieldbus. Users soon realized that, as
long as they were using a DCS from a particular vendor, they would be
unable to use field devices from another supplier so long as they wanted
to communicate with those field devices from the control room.
Proprietary protocols have advantages, including security and high-speed
communication. However, the days of proprietary communication protocols
are numbered. Now that HART, Foundation Fieldbus, and Profibus products
are available, users have little incentive to select proprietary
protocols. Instead, they have an incentive not to select them, so they
can use instruments from more than a single vendor in the plant. While
some companies are still shipping instruments with proprietary
protocols, these protocols are rapidly disappearing as Foundation
Fieldbus and Profibus begin to achieve wider market acceptance.
HART
The term ‘HART’ stands for Highway Addressable
Remote Transducer. Fisher-Rosemount developed HART in 1984. The HART
protocol makes use of the Bell 202 Frequency Shift Keying (FSK)
standard. HART superimposes a digital signal over a 4-20 mA signal,
thereby providing for bi-directional remote digital communication with
field devices. Contained in the signal is information about the process
and diagnostic information that could not be included in a 4-20 mA
signal. Information about the value of the process variables can be
included in a HART signal. A handheld device called a HART communicator,
a personal computer, or a DCS are used to communicate with field
devices, using HART. HART allows a host application to get two or more
digital updates each second from a field device. It does not interfere
with the 4-20 mA signal.
In 1993, the HART Communication
Foundation (HCF) (www.hartcomm.org) was established to support and
coordinate the application of the HART protocol. The HCF replaced the
Hart User Group that served this function previously. The HCF is still
an active organization today, with over 130 members. Many Vortex
flowmeter suppliers are members of the HCF, including Micro Motion (now
part of Emerson Process Management), Endress & Hauser, Krohne, Danfoss,
ABB, and Yokogawa.
Many companies are using the HART protocol as
a stepping-stone to fieldbus. Using HART, companies can take advantage
of the advanced diagnostic capabilities offered by HART-compatible
devices without committing the additional resources to installing a
fieldbus network.
As of December 2000, the Device Description
Library, owned by the HCF, includes device descriptions for more than
200 devices from 69 manufacturers. Currently HART installations account
for 10 million nodes, and are projected to double to 20 million by 2006
(see “Around the Loop” in Control magazine, May 2001). HART has
benefited greatly from the delay in getting Foundation Fieldbus products
approved and ready to ship. HART has become the de facto protocol for
smart field devices. While some HART users will eventually upgrade to
Foundation Fieldbus or Profibus, HART provides a comfortable plateau for
many users while they wait for fieldbus protocol issues to be sorted
out.
Foundation Fieldbus and Profibus
Foundation Fieldbus
is a communication protocol that was developed as a result of the merger
of WorldFIP and ISP (InterOperable Systems Project) in the mid-1990s.
Both WorldFIP and ISP represented groups of very powerful companies that
seemed destined to compete with each other. Clustered around WorldFIP
were Honeywell, Allen-Bradley, Elsag Bailey, and Square D. Clustered
around ISP were Rosemount, Fisher Controls, Siemens, and Yokogawa. Both
groups decided it would be in their best interest to cooperate to form a
joint communication protocol. The formation of the Fieldbus Foundation
was announced in June 1994.
At the same time the Fieldbus
Foundation was being formed, members of the Profibus Users Group took
over the work of the ISP. The Process Automation (PA) protocol for
intrinsically safe applications was also added to the Profibus group of
protocols. Sponsored by Siemens, Profibus attempted to bring out
products earlier than the Fieldbus Foundation and also have them
commercially installed earlier. Profibus has had good success in Europe,
but not as much success in North America or Asia.
The Flow-Ducker
Research survey of flowmeter users shows strong penetration of flow
users by HART. For example, 36 percent of North American users say they
are using HART, and 12 percent of European users. Among Asian users, 14
percent are using HART. There was little enthusiasm for Foundation
Fieldbus among European users, however. Only two percent of European
users indicated an intention to buy Foundation Fieldbus products in the
future, while 13 percent reported that there are already using Profibus.
In North America, three percent of users reported using Profibus, while
13 percent said they intent to buy Foundation Fieldbus products in the
future. In Asia, no users reported using Profibus, while nine percent
said they intend to buy Foundation Fieldbus products in the future.
Based on this data, it is clear that European users feel much more
inclined to use Profibus than Foundation Fieldbus as things stand now.
This could change, however, as a larger number of Foundation Fieldbus
products are released. It does seem that North American and Asian users
are more ready to adopt Foundation Fieldbus products. Whatever happens,
one thing has been true all along. It is taking longer than anyone
expected for these protocols to be incorporated into products, and it
will most likely take longer than anyone expected for Foundation
Fieldbus and Profibus protocols to be adopted by users. Figure 2-4 shows
the communication protocols offered for Vortex flowmeters by suppliers.
Figure 2-5 shows the new technology flowmeters approved by the Fieldbus
Foundation as Foundation Fieldbus products as of August 2001. This list
does not include pressure transmitters.
Specifications for
Vortex flowmeters include the following:
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Applications
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Diameter Range
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Connection Type
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Flow Range
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Temperature Range
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Approvals
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Pressure Range
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Measuring Tube Material
Information listed in the specification tables was taken from product
brochures, data sheets, and websites. The specifications listed by
companies were not tested or verified independently. In some cases,
certain product information was not available, so those categories were
left blank. We would like to thank the many vortex flowmeter suppliers
who helped provide information for the specification tables.
We
believe that providing this type of detailed product information is
extremely valuable, and provides a very effective means of comparing the
products offered by different suppliers. While much of this information
is publicly available, it has not previously been available in a single
location. Even though some information is publicly available, it may not
be accessible. Some companies have websites that are written in the
native language of the country where they are located, and the
information on these websites is not accessible to people who do not
speak that language.
Flow Research believes that Chapter Three
represents a complete look at most of the vortex flowmeters manufactured
worldwide as of August 2001. However, this information will change as
new products are added and as new specifications are introduced. For
this reason, Flow Research is beginning a new service called the Living
Database. The Living Database will take the Chapter Three information
from each worldwide flowmeter study, merge them all together, and make
them searchable. This will allow users, for example, to type in
specifications for a flowmeter and search the Living Database for
flowmeters that meet those specs. The Living Database will return any
flowmeters worldwide that meet any desired specs, along with product
descriptions, specifications, photos, and supplier information.
New Technology Flowmeters
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Traditional Technology Flowmeters
Coriolis
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Differential Pressure (DP)
Magnetic
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Open Channel
Ultrasonic
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Positive Displacement
Vortex
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Thermal
Multivariable Differential Pressure
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Turbine
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Variable Area
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Other
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