In the dynamic world of industrial gas supply, accuracy and reliability are paramount. We recently explored a transformative solution implemented by a leading gas plant provider that delivered remarkable results for a Taiwanese multinational company. This company supplies industrial gases to various sectors, including medical, chemical, and electronic fabrication, and operates in over eighty countries.
The Application
Gas plants are critical to ensuring the consistent supply of essential gases like nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, helium, and carbon dioxide. Accurate flow measurement within these plants is vital not only for optimizing operations but also for maintaining safety and compliance standards, especially in high-purity applications like semiconductor manufacturing.
The Challenge
The company offers customized onsite gas generation solutions that deliver bulk volumes of industrial gases, such as nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, to a variety of industries. These offerings include full-service installation, operation, and maintenance of the gas supply system.
The end user required a highly accurate flow meter capable of maintaining precision across varying flow rates. The main priorities were to achieve accurate readings in both high and low flow conditions, reduce shutdown frequency, and increase overall production uptime. They also needed a consistent flowmeter type that could be applied uniformly throughout the production line.
At the time, the facility was using diaphragm gas meters and thermal mass flow meters, both of which produced unsatisfactory results. Thermal mass flow meters required gas-specific calibration and were only suitable for clean, non-abrasive media with known thermal properties. These devices also came with high capital expenditures. Diaphragm gas meters, which use mechanical components, required regular maintenance and were generally limited to smaller pipes operating at low flow rates and pressures.
As a result, the plant experienced significant downtime due to the need for annual audits and calibrations. These limitations prevented the implementation of predictive maintenance strategies and restricted the range and flexibility of their flow measurement process.
The Solution
To address these issues, Emerson provided a solution using a combination of the Rosemount™ 3051SMV MultiVariable™ Transmitter and the Rosemount™ 3051SFC Compact Orifice Flow Meter, designed to deliver high flow measurement accuracy, including temperature-compensated flow. This setup supported predictive maintenance strategies by eliminating the need for frequent manual calibration and costly annual gas audits.
Optimized for variable flow applications across both high and low flow conditions, the solution also removed the need to stack transmitters, simplifying the installation. The 3051SMV was utilized as a pay meter for billing transactions between the gas plant and the end user. As a mass flowmeter, it offered online calibration capabilities—performed annually without interrupting the gas supply—and proved to be a cost-effective and scalable choice.
Each gas line in the facility transported different gases—including nitrogen (N₂), oxygen (O₂), hydrogen (H₂), helium (He), and carbon dioxide (CO₂)—across various pipe sizes. This complexity previously required frequent calibration and equipment replacement. In high-purity applications like semiconductor manufacturing, any disassembly of the flow meter also triggered an N₂ purging process, adding further cost and downtime.
The Rosemount™ 3051S MultiVariable™ Transmitter simplified operations by enabling measurement of multiple variables using a single model number. This not only reduced the need for stacked transmitters and extra wiring, but also minimized pipe penetrations and connection systems—key for cost-efficiency and maintaining gas purity.
Depending on process needs, the system could be equipped with a compact orifice plate, 4-hole conditioning orifice plate, or averaging pitot tube. These options provided reliable measurements across closed-loop control, general process monitoring, and custody transfer applications. Emerson’s time-tested orifice technologies followed well-established manufacturing standards and were proven to perform under a wide range of installation and process conditions.
Following the success of the initial deployment, the customer expanded implementation, replacing 40 to 60 sets of older metering systems with Emerson’s solution over the course of two to three years. This upgrade—initiated by one of the largest semiconductor plants in Taiwan—marked a full-scale shift from conventional gas meters to Emerson’s 1595 DP Flow technology and Rosemount™ 3051S MultiVariable™ Transmitter.
The Results
The implementation resulted in significantly improved measurement accuracy across both high and low flow conditions. The customer achieved mass flow rate accuracy of up to ±1.0%, which enabled online calibration for the pay meter application—removing the need for costly shutdowns during annual audits.
With enhanced data accuracy and sensor stability, the solution contributed to better decision-making and helped prevent unplanned downtime. By enabling predictive maintenance and streamlining gas flow operations, the Emerson system supported the customer’s goals for safety, reliability, and continuous plant uptime.
Customer Experience
“The Rosemount™ 3051S MultiVariable™ Transmitter, fully assembled with the 1595 Conditioning Orifice Plate, helped improve operational certainty across key parameters such as safety and reliability—while enabling us to move toward predictive maintenance.” – A large Semiconductor Plant in Taiwan
Conclusion
This case study highlights how Emerson’s advanced flow measurement solutions can address the complex challenges faced by industrial gas providers. By deploying the Rosemount™ 3051S MultiVariable™ Transmitter and 1595 Conditioning Orifice Plate, the customer streamlined operations, improved billing accuracy, and moved confidently toward predictive maintenance. For industries where gas purity, process stability, and cost efficiency are mission-critical, Emerson’s technologies offer a proven path forward.
For more information, visit:
- Emerson.com/Rosemount3051SMultiVariableTransmitter
- Emerson.com/Rosemount3051SFCCompactOrificeFlowMeter
- Emerson.com/Rosemount1595ConditioningOrificePlate
