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Measurement Intelligence Insights
Technical articles, industry analysis, and practical guidance on flow measurement, uncertainty analysis, and metering compliance — from the IMS team and guest experts.
The Importance of Uncertainty Analysis in Flow Measurement
Flow measurement serves as a crucial function across industries like water treatment and oil & gas. Uncertainty in these measurements can lead to significant consequences — from financial losses to regulatory penalties.
UnsplashA Practical Guide to AGA-7 Compliance for Natural Gas Metering
AGA Report No. 7 sets the standard for turbine meter measurement of natural gas. We break down key requirements, common compliance pitfalls, and how automated software validation simplifies the audit process.
Custody Transfer Accuracy: What 0.1% Really Costs
At scale, a 0.1% measurement error in custody transfer becomes a multi-million dollar annual discrepancy. We examine the math behind measurement error accumulation.
GUM Framework Explained: From Theory to Industrial Practice
The Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) is the global standard for uncertainty analysis. We walk through a practical application for a real-world flow measurement scenario.
AWWA M6 Meter Testing: Building a Compliant Validation Program
Municipal water authorities face increasing regulatory scrutiny over meter accuracy. We outline how to structure a compliant AWWA M6 testing program and how automation reduces testing burden by up to 60%.
Multiphase Meter Validation: Why Spreadsheets Break Down at Scale
A single multiphase meter is easy to validate by hand. A fleet of them, each drifting differently as water cut and GVF change, is not. Here's where manual spreadsheet models actually fail.
Non-Revenue Water: How Meter Uncertainty Hides in Plain Sight
Utilities chase non-revenue water losses through leak detection and billing audits, but a meaningful share of 'lost' water is actually a measurement problem, not a leak.
Fuel Flow Measurement Uncertainty in Power Generation: A Practical Primer
Heat rate calculations, emissions reporting, and fuel accounting all depend on the same upstream number: fuel flow. Small uncertainty there propagates into all three.
Measuring Hazardous Fluids: Flow Metering Uncertainty in SIL-Rated Systems
Safety-instrumented flow measurement has to satisfy IEC 61511 first and metrology second — but the two aren't actually in tension if the uncertainty budget is built correctly.
Why Thermodynamic Modeling Changes the Uncertainty Conversation
Traditional uncertainty analysis treats fluid behavior as a minor correction term. For multiphase systems, it's most of the story — and the reason budgets built without it don't hold up.
ISO/IEC 17025 and the Traceability Chain Behind a Defensible Flow Calibration
A calibration certificate is only as strong as the chain of comparisons behind it. We look at what ISO/IEC 17025 actually requires from that chain — and why most disputes trace back to a broken link, not a bad meter.
Coriolis Custody Transfer in Chemical Processing: Why Density Uncertainty Isn't Constant Across a Blend
Coriolis meters are prized in chemical processing because they measure mass and density directly. That directness hides a common assumption — that the meter's density uncertainty holds steady across the whole product range — which doesn't survive contact with a real blend.
Wet Gas Metering and API MPMS Chapter 20.3: Where the Uncertainty Budget Actually Lives
Wet gas is its own measurement regime, not a diluted version of multiphase or dry gas metering. API MPMS Chapter 20.3 exists because treating it as either one produces an uncertainty budget that doesn't match reality.