The viscometer is an instrument used to evaluate the viscosity of fluid when it is stagnant. One flow condition can be measured at a time by one viscometer. In operation, either fluid remains stationary and object moves around it, or the object remains stationary and the fluid moves past it. Drag caused by relative motion of the fluid and the surface is the measure of viscosity. In line process viscometers are widely used across industries such as chemicals, petroleum, food and beverage and pharmaceuticals. Conventional commercial instruments like rotational, vibrating and tube viscometers can suffer from poor lifetime or insufficient performance in harsh applications. To, stabilize the refining process in-line process viscometers are beneficial. It is accurate and reliable during operation.
Expansion of refining industry capacities owing to growing energy needs followed by regulatory emission norms in the oil and gas sector are key factors driving the global in-line process viscometer market demand. Real-time monitoring of ILPV helps manufacturers to monitor the quality of product and meet regulatory standards. In oil drilling & fracturing fluids, they are gaining importance owing to their capability to measure the viscosity of the fluid pumped into the wellbore accurately. Also, injecting incorrect viscosity fluid can lead to massive losses and thereby increase the project cost of drilling.
ILPV are easy to set up and to reduce operational costs single or multiple units can be installed to keep track on the viscosity at regular intervals without delay. This feature has helped in the growth of global In Line Process Viscometer (ILPV) Market size. Automated manufacturing process are implemented in refineries producing lubricants and oils and other fluid-based segments on account of automatically adjusting course condition to maintain balance and continuous measurement function is anticipated to promote demand for in-line viscometers.
There are many players in this industry, and this increases competition which may hinder the market trend for the price of ILPV. Also, the inability of the refinery to perform under multi-channel flow system and reversible flow may adversely affect the market growth. Furthermore, lack of facility to measure the multidirectional flow along with the ongoing price war is expected to remain a key challenge for market participants. The technology of ILPV depends on upon the viscosity of different fuels in various industries. Key technology includes Acoustic wave, Coriolis, Rotational, Vibration, Dynamic fluid pressure, Oscillation and moving the piston. Foods, oil, shampoo, paper, coatings, refineries, chemicals, inks, and as lubricants are applications for the vibrational viscometer.
Torsional oscillatory viscometer’s primary application includes oil refining industries, petrochemical, asphalt, polymer, and adhesives. Rising demand for automotive and petroleum applications for acoustic wave viscometer can instigate market demand. Applications based on end-use industry and oil and gas industry to measure the viscosity of fluid accurately to minimize the cost and meet the regulation standards. Pharmaceutical industries, food, and beverage, petroleum, automobile and chemical industries are the key applications. Petroleum industry dominated the In Line Process Viscometer (ILPV) Market as of 2013 regarding revenue. The pharmaceutical industry is expanding and stringent government regulations in this industry to improve the sector is expected to boost the ILPV demand.
APAC dominated the regional market with demand from China and in In Line Process Viscometer (ILPV) Market size. The presence of chemical industries and refineries and consumption due to large population size has influenced the growth of the market. Pharmaceutical and food and beverage industry applications in the U.S are expected to grow faster. Dynamic pressure and Acoustic wave are majorly used technologies in the MEA region.
Top four companies including Cambridge Viscosity, proRheo GmbH, Anton Paar and Brookfield Engineering Laboratories Inc. highly fragmented the global market for less than 30% of the total demand. Other key companies include Vectron International, Inc., Brabender Gmbh & Co. Kg, Vaf Instruments, Mat Mess- &Analysetechnik, Orb Instruments Inc., Marimex America Llc, and Norcross.
