Positive Displacement Flowmeter Market Still Alive and Well

Wakefield, MA - The worldwide market for positive displacement flowmeters will decline slowly over the next few years, according to a new market study from Flow Research and Drucker Worldwide

By Control Engineering Staff September 16, 2002

Wakefield, MA – The worldwide market for positive displacement flowmeters will decline slowly over the next few years, according to a new market study from Flow Research and Drucker Worldwide . The study entitled ”The World Market for Positive Displacement Flowmeters” finds that positive displacement flowmeters are growing in some segments and declining in others.

The study projects that worldwide positive displacement flowmeter revenues will decline from $520 million in 2001 to $452 million in 2006. This represents a compound annual growth rate of -2.7%. Commercial and industrial flowmeters are included, but not residential meters.

Positive displacement flowmeters are a traditional-technology flowmeter. These types of flowmeters were introduced before 1950, and in many cases rely on mechanical means or moving parts to make the flow measurement. Other traditional technology flowmeters include differential pressure, turbine, open channel, and variable area meters. Traditional-technology flowmeters face competition from new-technology meters, including Coriolis, magnetic, ultrasonic, and vortex meters, for some applications.

While new-technology meters are reducing sales of positive displacement (PD) flow-meters, PD meters are still the best solution for some applications. In particular, they are especially good for measuring fluids with low flowrates, and for high viscosity liquids. ”The World Market for Positive Displacement Flowmeters” analyzes the use of PD meters in municipal water, gas, oil, and industrial liquid measurement. The study was released early in September 2002.

Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Dick Johnson, senior editor
djohnson@reedbusiness.com