Ultrasonic Flow Meters- Hiring versus Buying

When deciding whether to hire or buy flow meters and flow measurement equipment, the first considerations would be the capital investment and the expected duration of product use.

Bell Flow Systems offer the rental of flow meters, not only to help assist with the decision, but also to make flow measurement devices more accessible. We have offered this function for numerous years supporting our clients with their flow measurement needs, however have seen our Portable Ultrasonic Flow meters prove the most popular. These include the Portaflow 330, DXN Hybrid from Dynasonics and BFU-100 H

What is an ultrasonic flow meter?

Ultrasonic flowmeters use sound waves to determine the velocity of a fluid passing through a pipe. Over the last 15 years ultrasonic flow meters have become more popular throughout the water, food, chemical, process and building services industries. This is because of their ability to measure in-situ flow rates from outside the pipework with optimum accuracy.  For example we offer the DXN from Dynasonics, which is a portable ultrasonic flow meter, that is easy to install by clamping non-invasive ultrasonic sensors onto the outside of the pipe.

Ultrasonic flowmeters usually have high turndown rates, not susceptible to system pressure and have good repeatability with high accuracy. As they do not obstruct flow they can be utilised in applications that need to be sanitary or those that use corrosive and abrasive liquids. 

Why hire an Ultrasonic meter?

Hiring equipment is often a better option from a budgetary perspective. With increasing restrictions on capital budgets the demand for hire has grown significantly over recent years.

Where capital outlay of permanent flow meter installations might not be justified, the cost of hire from Bell Flow Systems’ rental stock is just a fraction of the purchasing price. Hiring also allows a company to try before they buy to ensure that an informed decision is made. With our ultrasonic meters (as well as a few other models) the price of the flow meter can usually be offset as we include the first week’s hire as a part-payment for the instrument.

Cost is not the only benefit to hiring flow equipment, all products within Bell Flow Systems’ rental stock are pre-configured and arrive with a calibration certificate. These confirm that the meter is suited to the application you need and that it is delivered ready to use. There are no ongoing maintenance or calibration costs required with a flow meter that has been hired either, as we take care of that for you. We also have a free technical phone support available, should any issues arise or the user needs advice.

What other flow meters are available?

Bell Flow System’s rental flow meters include an extensive range of flow measurement technologies. This means we can meet flow monitoring requirements across various applications, industries and sectors. For example:

Electromagnetic flow meters are also available to hire, with no moving parts these are even suitable for applications with high solids content.

We can also provide stainless steel turbines for clean water and light oils.

Macnaught’s renowned oval gear meters that can handle viscous oils and chemicals using the positive displacement principle.

Flow meters for hydraulic oil and compressed air are also available to hire, such as the Hedland range which features over 15,000 models of variable area flow meters.

Other flow monitoring accessories such as displays, GPRS/Wi-Fi data loggers and batch controllers are available to rent.

Whether a meter is needed to monitor a process, flow usage or to measure volumetric flow, Bell Flow System has a meter option suitable for virtually any application and in most cases can be delivered the next day. Having extensive product knowledge and a broad range of metering and instrumentation products at their disposal, Bell Flow Systems can provide premium flow measurement advice to meet short or long-term flow monitoring requirements to those who choose to hire or buy.

Please contact us at mail@bellflowsystems.co.uk or call us on 01280 817304 for more information.