Flow meters for compressed air and industrial gases
Discover here our complete range of flow meters designed for compressed air and industrial gases. Our innovative solutions help you measure, monitor, and optimize your compressed air/gas usage with high accuracy and reliability. Whether for permanent installation or portable use, we have the right flow meter for your application.
The importance of compressed air and industrial gas monitoring
Save money, improve efficiency and get a worry-free night’s sleep by measuring and monitoring your compressed air and industrial gases. Compressed air and inert gases like helium, argon, nitrogen, and other, are expensive. For example, compressed air is 8-10 times more expensive than electricity, and industrial gases cost even a multitude of this. Studies have shown that the savings potential is huge: up to 50% of compressed air is spilled. And we have seen user cases of technical gas with such high savings potentials.
Pneumatic machines wear. Systems are often oversized, taking more energy than required. Leakage remains a notorious factor. By permanent monitoring, you can anticipate problems and ensure that the system is always available for your business needs. Our flow meters show you where, when and how much air or industrial gas is used. Discover large consumers, leakages, incompetent use and overdue maintenance. Use actual data to justify improvement investments and maintenance management in order to allocate cost and subsequently to save money and energy.
Personal advice
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Flow meter for industry: Our VPFlowScope Flow Meters
Are you looking for a flow meter for the measurement of industrial gases or compressed air? Our flow meters offer solutions from supply to demand side measurement, and they are designed to be easy to use, affordable and complete. The VPFlowScope flow meters are suitable for measurement of compressed air, nitrogen, CO2, oxygen, helium, argon and other industrial gases. The VPFlowScope Flow Meters all measure four principles in one: mass flow, pressure, temperature and total flow. Moreover, all our flow meters can measure bi-directional flow.
Prevent unnecessary energy loss with smart flow measurement
Smart flow measurement is key to minimizing energy loss in compressed air and gas systems. With real-time monitoring, you can immediately detect leaks, spot inefficient usage patterns, and identify unnecessarily high pressure settings. This enables you to take corrective action before small issues become costly problems. The result: lower energy consumption, reduced operational costs, a smaller carbon footprint, and a more reliable, proactive maintenance approach that keeps your system running at peak efficiency.
What is a flow meter?
A flow meter is an instrument that measures how much gas or liquid passes through a pipe over time.
In industrial plants, flow meters are used to monitor utilities such as:
- Compressed air
- Nitrogen, oxygen, argon and other technical gases
- Steam
- Cooling water
For compressed air systems specifically, a flow meter helps you understand where energy is used, wasted, or leaking. Because compressed air is one of the most expensive utilities in a factory, measuring flow is the first step toward improving efficiency, reducing downtime, and verifying savings projects.
How does a flow meter work?
A flow meter determines flow by measuring a physical effect caused by moving gas or liquid. The measurement principle depends on the technology used.
For compressed air and technical gases, the most common method is thermal mass flow measurement:
- The sensor is heated slightly above the gas temperature
- Flowing gas cools the sensor
- The cooling rate is proportional to the mass flow
- Electronics convert this into flow, consumption and total usage
Because it measures mass flow directly, the reading is independent of pressure and temperature changes, which is essential in compressed air systems where conditions vary continuously.
What are the different types of flow meters?
Different applications require different measurement principles. Below are the main types used in industry:
Thermal mass flow meters
Best suited for: compressed air & technical gases
Measures: actual consumption (mass flow)
Advantages
- No pressure/temperature compensation required afterwards
- Excellent for leak detection
- Wide turndown ratio
- Very low pressure drop
Differential pressure flow meters
Best suited for: saturated compressed air (for instance at the discharge pipe of a compressor)
Advantages
- Robust
- Proven technology
- No pressure/temperature compensation required afterwards
Limitations
- Lower accuracy at low flow
- Not ideal for leak detection
Vortex flow meters
Best suited for: steam and stable gas flows
Advantages
- Good for high temperature
- Reliable in steady conditions
Limitations
- Poor performance at low flow
- Not suitable for compressed air monitoring
Ultrasonic flow meters
Best suited for: large pipes & temporary measurements
Advantages
- Clamp-on installation
- No pressure drop
- High accuracy (if installed right)
Limitations
- Accuracy depends on installation conditions
- Less sensitive to very low flow (leaks)
- Expensive
How accurate are flow meters?
Flow meter accuracy depends on the technology, application, and installation quality.
Good industrial flow meters are designed to:
- Measure reliably across a wide range (turndown ratio)
- Detect small leaks and large demand
- Maintain stable readings over time
In practice, installation conditions (pipe disturbances, incorrect mounting, contamination) often influence accuracy more than the instrument itself.
A properly selected and installed flow meter allows you to confidently monitor consumption, detect leaks, and verify savings.
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