New Ultrasonic Flowmeter for the Hydrocarbon Industry  

Siemens Industry Automation Division (Germany) has developed a new ultrasonic flowmeter for the hydrocarbon industry. The Sitrans FUT1010 features the nearly maintenance-free TransLoc mounting system that allows the transducers to be mounted on the outside of the pipe, preventing contact with the medium. This approach, which only Siemens offers, allows the externally mounted transducers to be calibrated for greater accuracy. It also has the additional benefit that it alleviates clogging of cavities by high paraffin liquids, which is typically seen in conventional flowmeters used in hydrocarbon applications. TransLoc also ensures less maintenance and downtime, leading to low cost of ownership and improved return on investment (ROI).

The combination of Wide Beam ultrasonic transit time flow technology with the delivery of the entire meter run, including the segments for upstream, downstream and the flow conditioner, can be calibrated to American Petroleum Institute (API) and American Gas Association (AGA) specifications. It also ensures that the Sitrans FUT1010 achieves highly accurate flow measurement.

Sitrans FUT1010 is available in two versions: one for gas and one for liquids measuring viscosities up to 2800 cSt (centistokes). Its versatility makes it very suitable for up-, mid- and downstream measurement tasks, such as check metering, process control and underground storage surveillance. Since it can be installed on small as well as large pipes it is suitable for nearly any application, including custody transfer applications that require laboratory calibration.