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Worldwide Survey of Flowmeter Users, 2nd Edition Overview
As part of the research for
this study, Flow Research, together with Venture Development Corporation,
conducted an extensive survey of end-users, engineering firms, OEMs, and
systems integrators. The
purpose of the survey was to answer some important questions about their
use of flowmeters. Companies from a wide range of industries were included in
the survey, including companies from both process and non-process
industries. The questionnaire included a number of questions about their
current use of flowmeters, and about planned purchases.
Some questions were purely factual, while others were designed to
reveal the underlying reasons for purchasing decisions.
The
purpose of this survey is to provide a planning tool for flowmeter
suppliers and users. The
survey presents the views of the participants about their flowmeters, and
about their suppliers. It
seeks to determine what kinds of flowmeters participants are using and
what kinds they plan to use in the future.
Prior
to conducting the user survey, Flow Research contacted major flowmeter
suppliers to ask for their input about what questions to ask in the
survey. In particular, suppliers were asked to list any subjects they
would like to see addressed in the user survey. Follow-up phone interviews were conducted with suppliers to
get more detailed answers with respect to the survey.
The
following are some of the issues the flowmeter user survey addresses:
· Installed base of flowmeters by type
· What applications flowmeters are used for by type of meter
· Purchasing expectations for flowmeters
· What features users are looking for in new flowmeters
· Approvals required on flowmeters
· Use of flowmeters for liquid, gas, and steam
· Importance of accuracy, reliability, price, and repeatability in flowmeter selection
· Types of output signals flowmeters have
· Communication protocols on flowmeters
·
Expectations for future use of
communication protocols
In addition to the main body of the questionnaire, which asks questions that apply to all types of flowmeters, there were several sections of the user survey that ask questions specific to particular types of flowmeters. There is a section of the questionnaire devoted to each of the following types of flowmeters:
· Magnetic
· Vortex
· Differential Pressure (DP) and Primary Elements