Monitoring and Metering Product of the Year
Company Name: Katronic Instruments Ltd.
Product Name: KATflow 150
Supporting Statement:
The KATflow 150 Advanced Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flowmeter represents Katronic Technologies’ approach to modern industrial monitoring and metering: accurate measurement, flexible configuration and straightforward installation without the need to cut into existing pipework.
Designed for permanent installation, the KATflow 150 uses non-invasive ultrasonic transit-time technology to measure liquid flow through full pipes. Its sensors are mounted externally on the pipe, allowing flow measurement to be introduced without compromising the pipeline’s integrity or unnecessarily interrupting the process.
This provides an important practical advantage for operators. Traditional invasive flow measurement can require pipework modifications and process shutdowns for installation. The KATflow 150 provides an alternative that can reduce installation complexity and disruption while delivering the continuous flow information required for monitoring, metering and process optimisation.
Advanced Monitoring Capability
One of the KATflow 150’s key strengths is its dual-channel measurement capability. The instrument can monitor two separate flows simultaneously, helping users reduce the cost and complexity associated with installing separate instruments.
Alternatively, two pairs of transducers can be installed on a single pipe. This provides additional measurement possibilities in applications where flow conditions are less than ideal. The instrument can perform calculations including sum, difference, average and maximum values, giving users greater flexibility in how measurement data is captured and interpreted.
The KATflow 150 can accommodate pipe diameters from 10 mm to 6,500 mm, enabling the same flowmeter platform to be applied across an exceptionally broad range of industrial applications.
Designed for Connected Industrial Monitoring
The KATflow 150 is more than a standalone flowmeter. A variety of process outputs and communications options allow it to be incorporated into wider monitoring, control and automation systems.
Available functionality includes current, open-collector and relay outputs together with communication options including RS485, Modbus RTU and HART-compatible output. Inputs can also be provided for temperature, pressure and density compensation.
This makes the KATflow 150 suitable not only for flow measurement but also for integration into automated process control and site monitoring infrastructure, allowing measurement data to become part of the customer’s wider operational decision-making.
An internal data logger provides further monitoring capability, allowing measurement information to be recorded and subsequently analysed.
Flow and Energy Monitoring
The versatility of the KATflow 150 extends beyond conventional flow measurement. Optional heat quantity measurement enables the instrument to support thermal energy monitoring, making it particularly valuable for applications involving heating and cooling systems.
By combining flow information with temperature measurements, users can gain greater visibility of energy movement through their systems. This can help organisations investigate system performance, identify inefficiencies and make informed decisions about energy use.
As industrial organisations face increasing pressure to understand and reduce energy consumption, accurate measurement provides the data needed to identify opportunities for improvement.
Independent MCERTS Approval
A particularly significant achievement for the KATflow 150 is its MCERTS approval for the measurement of effluent and other wastewater flows in industrial and wastewater applications.
The certification followed an extensive programme of assessment incorporating factory inspection, laboratory testing and field testing.
During field testing in a wastewater application, the KATflow 150 was compared with an existing electromagnetic flowmeter. While the instantaneous readings closely matched, analysis identified an important difference: the KATflow 150 was measuring flow bi-directionally and detected reverse flow that the reference electromagnetic meter was not recording.
This demonstrated the practical value of the KATflow 150’s measurement capability and the importance of accurately understanding what is happening within a process rather than simply collecting a flow reading.
MCERTS certification provides independent reinforcement of the KATflow 150’s performance and suitability for demanding environmental monitoring applications.
Versatility Across Industry
The KATflow 150 has been designed to address monitoring requirements across a broad range of sectors.
Applications include water and wastewater, manufacturing and process industries, building services, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and general industry. Typical uses range from effluent metering and automated process control to cooling-water monitoring, fuel and oil consumption measurement and thermal energy monitoring.
This versatility is supported by the modular nature of the product. Different transducers, inputs, outputs and communication options allow the KATflow 150 to be configured around individual customer and application requirements rather than forcing users into a single standard configuration.
Practical Technology with Operational Benefits
Despite its advanced measurement capability, usability remains central to the KATflow 150.
Katronic’s Audible Positioning Assistant supports correct positioning of the ultrasonic sensors, while the Quick Setup menu helps users configure the instrument. These features are designed to make sophisticated ultrasonic measurement technology easier to install and operate.
This combination of advanced measurement capability and practical usability is particularly important in industrial environments, where reliable data must be accompanied by equipment that engineers and operators can deploy effectively.
Why the KATflow 150 Stands Out
The KATflow 150 brings together the qualities expected from a modern monitoring and metering product: non-invasive measurement, dual-channel capability, extensive configuration options, data logging, process-system connectivity, thermal energy measurement and independent MCERTS approval.
Most importantly, these capabilities provide practical benefits. Customers can introduce sophisticated flow monitoring without cutting into pipework, integrate measurement information into existing control systems, monitor two flows from a single instrument and collect data that can support process, energy and resource optimisation.
By combining specialist ultrasonic measurement technology with flexibility, usability and independently assessed performance, the KATflow 150 demonstrates how modern metering technology can provide organisations with better information while reducing the disruption associated with obtaining it.
For these reasons, the KATflow 150 represents a compelling candidate for Monitoring and Metering Product of the Year.
Entry ID: 7843