acing: 0px; font: 12px/18px Arial; text-transform: none; color: rgb(0,0,0); text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; widows: auto; webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px"> September 19, 2013 - The worldwide market for oilfield multiphase flow metering solutions (MPFM) will grow robustly this year and even more so over the next five years according to a new ARC Advisory Group study.

According to Senior Analyst Tim Shea, the principal author of ARC’s “Oilfield Multiphase Flow Metering Solutions Global Market Research Study”, “The market for multiphase flow metering solutions (MPFM) will grow robustly across all project location segments, but subsea and onshore segments will experience the fastest growth. The need for subsea designed MPFM solutions is very strong as many projects are not feasible without deploying these specially engineered units. Hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling is taking place at a torrid pace in North America and more users are realizing the need for and benefits from continuous real-time multiphase flow measurements.
 
Benefits of MPFMs Impact Broad Base of Applications
The major applications for which MPFM solutions have been effective in handling include reservoir monitoring, reservoir management, production allocation, well testing, and well monitoring as well as artificial lift and multiphase pumping optimization. ARC is forecasting robust growth across all the applications as demand for MPFM is strong and the need is very real. Users deploying MPFMs obtain a much better understanding of the reservoir and flow conditions, can access real-time well testing and well monitoring data which enables reservoir engineers to develop a better understanding of changes in the overall reservoir and make any necessary adjustments accordingly for better production plans, and also provide monitoring and control functionality within pumping systems.

Radioactive MPFM Solutions Seeing Greatest Traction
The market for MPFM solutions is comprised of two main categories of technologies — those that are radioactive based units and those that are non-radioactive. The share of radioactive based MPFM solutions, which are technically able to handle a broader base of applications, comprised the larger share of shipments while non-radioactive based MPFM solutions comprised the remainder. ARC is forecasting robust growth for both non-radioactive and radioactive based MPFM units as the demand for MPFM solutions is strong and broad based across a number of different regions, countries, well types, oil reservoirs, and gas formations.

Worldwide Adoption Seen, but “Golden Triangle” Robust
Not surprisingly, some of the greatest concentrations of MPFM unit deployments in subsea and offshore projects resides in “The Golden Triangle” spanning the Gulf of Mexico from the West Coast of Africa and across to the coast of South America, primarily Brazil. ARC forecasts the fastest growth coming from new wells being drilled in Latin America and in Asia, with China leading the way as companies seek to exploit China’s vast estimated shale oil and gas potential and increasing offshore activity in the South China Sea. Increasingly robust adoption is also being forecast for onshore projects in North America, as more wells benefit from multiphase flow measurements.

About ARC Advisory Group:
ARC Advisory Group is the leading market research and advisory firm for industry and infrastructure. Business and IT executives around the world depend on ARC for coverage of technology from automation and business systems to product and asset lifecycle management, supply chain management, logistics, operations management, controls and control elements. ARC is the “go-to” market research and technology analysis firm for their companies. ARC analysts have the industry knowledge and first-hand experience to help clients find the best answers.