Got anything (of a non-commercial nature) you'd like our members to know about? Send it in!
Free Access To Classic Techincal Papers
What Is Your ISA Membership Status
Too Many National ISA Emails?
Total Automation Business in the Process Industries to Exceed $58 Billion
Strong Growth for Coriolis Flowmeters
Ultrasonic Flowmeter Becomes "Technology of Choice" Driving Robust Market Growth
Free Access To Classic Technical Papers
ISA Publications staff has developed a member benefit that is ready to be launched and publicized. The benefit is free access for members to "classic" technical papers. The classic papers are those papers that were published 4 or more years ago. In 2004, that means the papers with copyrights of 1999, 1998, and 1997 would be freely available (1997 was the first year that we started substantially publishing our papers online).
Staff think that this resource of technical information will be of value to members since many of our applications papers have a long useful life. And, by drawing attention to the technical paper library on our web site, hopefully we can also entice more members to consider the annual subscription service to the more recent papers - at $88/year it is a great value that more members may discover.
We would be happy to hear any comments or suggestions you have. But please get them out on the list right away, since the new benefit is "ready to go".
Diana Bouchard
Publications Department VP
Perry Grady
Reviewed Publications Committee Chair
What Is Your ISA Membership Status
Many people join ISA and never bother to upgrade to the Senior Level. Becoming a Senior Member is the first step in becoming a Fellow. Once you have been a Senior Member for 5 years you are eligible to be nominated to become a Fellow. Being elected to Fellow is a great honor and looks great on your resume. You even receive two free tickets to the formal awards banquet at the annual ISA meeting. In this day and time, when many jobs are uncertain, adding the title of Fellow to your resume can be a distinct advantage.
Below are the requirements for Senior and Fellow Membership from the ISA web:
“Senior Member - An ISA Member or applicant who has graduated from a baccalaureate engineering or science curriculum, with at least six years of active work experience in the instrumentation, systems, and automation field (two of which shall have been in a position of responsible charge). If not a graduate, the Member/applicant must have 10 years of active work experience in the instrumentation, systems, and automation field (two of which shall have been in a position of responsible charge). Current ISA members meeting the above requirements can apply for Senior Member status now. New members must Join ISA first for only $85.00/year and then apply for Senor Member status at the appropriate time.”
“Fellow - A Senior Member elected by a majority vote of the Society's executive board who possesses outstanding and acknowledged engineering or scientific attainments; has been a Senior Member of ISA for at least five years; has been actively working in a field related to the Society's objectives for at least ten years; who has received recommendations by a minimum of five Fellows, Life Fellows, or Honorary Members; and was recommended for election by the Society Admissions Committee.”
The process of becoming a Fellow involves having someone nominate you and having a number of senior or Fellow members review your nomination and supply recommendations. In practice the nominator usually works closely with the nominated to obtain the needed technical information to support the nomination and to find the needed recommendations. I have volunteered to assist my local Baltimore Section with membership status questions and in compiling the needed paperwork to submit a Fellows nomination. Each ISA Division and Section needs to regularly remind their members of the desirability of upgrading to the Senior Level and they need to promote the nomination of people with outstanding technical accomplishments to Fellow.
Too Many National ISA E-Mails?
Do you feel you’re being bombarded with e-mails from ISA national? Does this annoy you? You actually have more control over this than you may realize. There are over 60 e-mail options (groups) that you can select from (or opt out of) at www.isa.org. Go to Me mbers and Leaders > My ISA > My Privacy Options. The choices are quite extensive (i.e., 17 choices for products and services, 21 for divisions, 17 for communities and 4 for newsletters). You are in control!
Total Automation Business in the Process Industries to Exceed $58 Billion
The process automation market, whose resilience is directly related to prosperity of the industry and the health of the economy, experienced less than mediocre growth. However, the total automation business to process industries worldwide is projected to grow at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.7 percent over the next five years. The market is forecasted to be over $58 billion in 2007, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.
With excess capacity globally across many industries, few manufacturers are building new plants now. However, with expected economic growth, this will be absorbed. “Although users will remain very conservative in their spending decisions for capital equipment, global competition will compel most manufacturers to improve their plant machinery and process to stay competitive,” according to ARC Senior Analyst Himanshu Shah (hshah@arcweb.com), the principal author of ARC’s Total Automation Business for the Process Industries Worldwide Outlook.
The process industries will recover from the recent slowdown — There are still many pockets of reliable growth in the process automation business. A myriad of process companies use legacy automation systems that do not measure up to the present-day automation requirements of process plants, particularly in the era of collaborative manufacturing. Process industries such as chemical, drug & pharmaceuticals, pulp & paper, and power have aging plants and systems that are obsolete by today’s standards. Process companies are severely challenged to improve their ROA and must utilize plant equipment effectively with modern controls for automation. As suppliers offer migration strategies and provide better interoperability through open standards, many users will embrace newer solutions with current technologies to help them compete in the global marketplace.
Suppliers exhibit a high degree of agility — To help manufacturers overcome their risk-aversion, suppliers are offering more services and broader solutions. These services offer growth opportunities in revenues. Suppliers are augmenting their deliverables, enhancing product functionalities, and offering fieldbus and wireless technologies to meet the expanding needs of users. They are also focusing on growth industries such as pharmaceuticals and food & beverage. Growth prospects in some industry segments such as refining and water & wastewater also remain better than average.
Asia and Latin America will grow briskly — The economic slowdown in the US is having a negative impact on world-wide markets. In Europe , manufacturers are continuing to be cautious as their economic strength declines. Japan continues to face the same weak economic conditions it has struggled with for several years. However, there is opportunity. Latin America represents the highest growth area for total process automation, followed by the developing region of Asia. The North American and EMA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) regions will grow at about the same average annual rate, while Japan will see the least growth during the next five years.
Additional information on this study can be found at: http://www.arcweb.com/research/auto/auto_proc.asp.
Strong Growth for Coriolis Flowmeters
The Coriolis flowmeter market continues to grow, despite the economic woes of the past several years. This is one finding in a new market study from Flow Research (www.flowresearch.com) called The World Market for Coriolis Flowmeters. Worldwide sales of Coriolis flowmeters totaled $435 million in 2002. Revenues are projected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 7.6 percent through 2007, when they are expected to reach $627 million. This makes Coriolis flowmeters the second fastest growing flowmeter, behind only ultrasonic meters.
Despite projections for strong Coriolis flowmeter growth, sales of Coriolis flowmeters were up by only six percent in 2002 from their year 2000 value. This represents an average annual growth rate of only three percent per year, which is modest growth for what is normally a fast-growing flowmeter. This shows that Coriolis flowmeters were not exempt from the effects of the economic downturn that has afflicted many of the instrumentation and process control markets over the past several years. Projections for stronger future growth for Coriolis meters are based in part on the improving economic climate.
Accuracy and reliability are still the strongest driving forces behind the worldwide Coriolis flowmeter market. While Coriolis flowmeters typically have a higher purchase price than almost any other type of flowmeter, they earn this back over time through reduced installation and maintenance costs. Unlike positive displacement and turbine meters, they do not have moving parts that are subject to wear over time, apart from their vibrating tube. And unlike pressure transmitters with orifice plates, they do not have components that can be knocked out of position or are intrusive to the flowstream in the way that orifice plates are.
Coriolis flowmeters remain the most accurate flowmeter. This is why they are often the meter of choice for custody transfer applications. A number of organizations have written standards that apply to the use of Coriolis flowmeters for custody transfer and billing applications. If end-users need or simply want very high accuracy, they will often select a Coriolis flowmeter. Coriolis flowmeters are more accurate than most other new-technology flowmeters, including magnetic, ultrasonic, and vortex.
Users also select Coriolis flowmeters when they want a mass flow measurement. This is often the case in the chemical industry, and in other process industries. Coriolis meters give a direct, rather than an inferred, mass flow measurement. In some cases, users may also select a turbine meter along with a densitometer to compute mass flow measurement. Another option is to use a multivariable differential pressure transmitter that also measures pressure and temperature and computes mass flow.
Size restrictions remain the most severe limitation of Coriolis flowmeters. Coriolis meters larger than two inches become expensive and unwieldy. While some six-inch Coriolis flowmeters are sold, move than 90 percent of all Coriolis meters sold are of size two inches or smaller. Until this size problem is solved, Coriolis flowmeters will remain more complementary to than competing with ultrasonic flowmeters. Ultrasonic flowmeters perform best in line sizes of four inches and above.
For more information contact Jesse Yoder, Flow Research; tel: 781/245-3200; e-mail: jesse@flowresearch.com.
Ultrasonic Flowmeter Becomes "Technology of Choice" Driving Robust Market Growth
The emerging adoption of ultrasonic flowmeters for custody transfer measurement of refined liquid petroleum products and natural gas will drive robust growth in the market. The worldwide ultrasonic flowmeter market is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.9 percent over the next five years. The market was nearly $406 million in 2002, and is forecasted to be a little less than $600 million by the end of 2007, according to a new study by ARC Advisory Group.
User demand for maintenance-free and high-precision flowmeters has spurred suppliers to introduce new products to industries that appreciate the value they provide, such as the oil & gas and district heating industries. “After a tarnished past, new ultrasonic flowmeters are raising the bar against which all flowmeter technologies must be judged. Ultrasonic technology will increasingly become the technology of choice, not merely an alternative to traditional flowmeter technologies,” according to ARC Research Director Wil Chin ( wchin@arcweb.com ) author of ARC’s Ultrasonic Flowmeter Worldwide Outlook. “The non-contact and non-intrusive nature of ultrasonic flow technology poses a challenge to the traditional flowmeters in process industries.” Not surprisingly, price remains a major issue exacerbated by the extended economic downturn of the past few years, according to the study.
Versatility — Ultrasonic flowmeters are available in a variety of configurations for a number of different applications and at various price levels. The multi-beam versions accurately measure fluids by minimizing the negative effects of swirl, viscosity, and other installation effects. Ultrasonic is one of the few technologies that is versatile enough to measure not only liquids and gases, but also steam. Additionally, measurement without pressure drop can save significant pumping cost in applications requiring high pressure or long transport distances. And unlike mechanical flowmeters, maintenance of these meters is greatly simplified by the virtue of no moving parts. Ultrasonic flowmeters are impervious to issues that beset traditional flow technologies, such as the inevitable wear of orifice plates and bearing and rotor failures of turbine meters.
Testimony — The recent approval of ultrasonic standards for precision ultrasonic flowmeters is setting the stage for robust growth. The American Petroleum Institute (API) draft standard for liquid hydrocarbon custody transfer applications, American Gas Association (AGA) for natural gas applications, and International Organization for Legal Metrology (OIML) for international custody transfer applications provides strong support for the expected growth in this segment.
Growth areas and challenges — While shipments to Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) lead all regions, the North American market is expected to grow slightly faster. Much of this is due to pipeline infrastructure upgrades necessary to meet increasing demand for energy in the US. Not to be overshadowed by the US, EMEA will continue to grow as significant capital is invested in Western Europe to build new infrastructure to transport petroleum and natural gas from reservoirs in Russia to populated regions. The increasing adoption of ultrasonic technology provides opportunities for both suppliers of ultrasonic and competing technology alike. According to Wil Chin, “The endorsement of ultrasonic flowmeters by users will challenge traditional and ultrasonic flowmeter suppliers to introduce new products to stay competitive with users as the ultimate benefactor.”
Further information on this study can be found at: http://www.arcweb.com/research/auto/ultra_level.asp.
ISA Presentations held at Lee College
Chuck Carter recommended Mary Cannon give a presentation to the Fieldbus Center in their female recruitment efforts. The objective was to attract the individuals to our industry or career paths.
I met with two different groups on July 6th and another group on July 7th. The information on ISA was very well received and a good dialog about careers in the field of process control and instrumentation was evident. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this group and look forward to doing more of this if the opportunity comes along. Lee College has done a lot to partner with ISA and we welcome their work with us on program such as this Adult Learning Center where perhaps we can inspire some folks to enter this growing industry.
Regards,
Mary Cannon
Tyco Flow Control
ISA Houston Section Member Director
mcannon@tycovalves.com
