At the Emerson Exchange 2025 Conference, Emerson’s Fabian Reichwald presented, Save Costs and Time with Flexim Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flow Meters. Here is his presentation abstract.
Due to its practical advantages, non-intrusive flow measurement with clamp-on ultrasonic technology has evolved from a niche technology to a standard procedure used in many industries worldwide. Non-intrusive means no opening of pipework, so full system availability is given at all times. The wear-free design also enables enormous cost advantage over the entire life cycle. Generally, there is no risk of leakage of hazardous media. Flexim has decisively driven this development forward as a pioneer. In our presentation, we will give an introduction to the technical basics of measurement technology as well as an overview of our product portfolio. The focus will be on demonstrating the practical benefits in terms of time and cost savings in specific application examples from various industries.
Fabian opened his presentation by explaining how ultrasonic sensors work. A pair of sensors acts alternately as transmitter and receiver. The ultrasonic signal passed between the sensors is accelerated in the direction of the flow and braked against the flow. The time difference between the signals is proportional to the flow velocity. From this time difference, the volume flow is calculated based on the pipe parameters.
The instrumentation includes transducers and a transmitter.
The Flexim solution can measure flow for liquids, gases, and steam. Liquids in pipes from 0.24 inches to 256 inches and gases from 0.28” to 63”. Almost all pipe materials are suitable for Flexim application, including metals, alloys, plastics, glass, and more.
Precision for liquid measurement is 0.15% with an uncertainty of +/-1%, and for gas measurement, the same precision with +/-2%.
Minimum pipe pressure for gases is 44 psi, with no limit on maximum pressure, since the transducers are externally clamped on. The standard transducer can handle temperature ranges from -40°F to 266°F. The high-temperature transmitter can handle temperatures up to 392°F. The Flexim WaveInjector handles a temperature range from -310°F to 1166°F.
The Flexim Transmitter series includes the 4 series, 5 series, 6 series, 7 series, and 8 series. The FLUXUS 7series is designed for stationary liquids, flow & gas flow measurement.
These transmitters are used in a wide range of industries and applications:
- Chemical industry
- Petrochemical industry
- Oil and gas industry
- Pharmaceutical industry
- Manufacturing industries
- Building technology/energy management
The FLUXUS 5series is a compact stationary meter for dedicated applications such as water & wastewater, thermal energy, semiconductor clean rooms, compressed air and technical gases, saturated stem volume and mass flow measurement.
The FLUXUS 8series are high performance flow transmitter for FM Class 1, Division 1 and ATEX/IECEx zone 1 hazardous zones for liquid, gases applications.
The FLUXUS 6series 601 and 608 models are non-intrusive multi-purpose portable meters. The FLUXUS 4series model 401 meter is a portable and robust non-intrusive flowmeter for water applications.
Fabian shared numerous applications including:
- Semiconductor fab cooling water monitoring
- High-pressure mass flow measurement for ethylene
- Heat exchanger temporary and permanent performance monitoring
- Sour gas volume & mass flow measurement
Clamp-on ultrasonic flow meter is a great solution for abrasive and dangerous media, cryogenic or high-temperature applications, very high-pressure media. They help improve operational safety performance.
Visit the Flexim section on Emerson.com for more information on the leading non-intrusive, clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters for liquids, gases, and steam.
