krohneoptimasswaterfluxaltosonic

Krohne — straight-tube Coriolis, full-bore magmeters, LNG ultrasonics

OPTIMASS, OPTIFLUX, WATERFLUX, OPTISWIRL and ALTOSONIC — German engineering across every primary flow technology.

TaglineGerman specialist with the only single-straight-tube Coriolis (OPTIMASS), the only rectangular-cross-section magmeter (WATERFLUX), and the dominant LNG custody-transfer ultrasonic (ALTOSONIC V12).
Websitekrohne.com/en/products/flow-measurement/flowmeters
Technologies
corioliselectromagneticvortexultrasonicvariable area
Product lines
OPTIMASS (Coriolis, single straight tube)OPTIFLUX / WATERFLUX (Electromagnetic)OPTISWIRL (Vortex)ALTOSONIC (Ultrasonic, custody-transfer)H250 (Variable area)

When to choose Krohne

When unobstructed straight-tube Coriolis is required (no pressure drop, no entrapment, CIP / SIP / sterile), when retrofitting a water-utility trunk main with very short upstream straight run (WATERFLUX 3070 needs effectively zero), or when sizing custody LNG / cryogenic ultrasonic (ALTOSONIC V12 is the reference).

Krohne at a glance

Krohne is privately-held, family-owned, and the most product-distinctive of the European flow majors. Where most competitors cover every technology with a similar architecture, Krohne tends to ship a deliberately different design in each technology — and that design is often the reason to specify them.

Three obvious examples:

  • OPTIMASS 6400 is the only major-vendor production Coriolis with a single straight measuring tube. No bends, no traps, no pressure drop above an equivalent straight pipe.
  • WATERFLUX 3070 is the only widely-deployed magmeter with a rectangular cross-section primary — it removes nearly all upstream straight-run requirement and runs on internal batteries for up to 15 years (no mains needed at the bury point).
  • ALTOSONIC V12 is the 12-path ultrasonic that has become the de-facto standard for LNG custody transfer and cryogenic hydrocarbon transfer.

Coriolis — OPTIMASS

  • OPTIMASS 1400 — twin-tube workhorse, ±0.1% of rate liquid. The Krohne entry to general-process Coriolis.
  • OPTIMASS 2400 — twin-tube custody-class, ±0.05% of rate liquid, OIML R117 / MID approved.
  • OPTIMASS 6400 — single straight tube, advanced active-mass-compensation algorithm. The choice for hygienic CIP/SIP (no dead leg), high-viscosity duty, and any application where the bent-tube pressure drop or entrapment behaviour of conventional Coriolis is a problem.
  • OPTIMASS 7400 — single straight tube, even larger line sizes; the typical choice for LPG, NGL custody transfer.

Electromagnetic — OPTIFLUX / WATERFLUX

  • OPTIFLUX 1000 / 2000 / 4000 / 5000 — process magmeters in increasing duty / accuracy class. OPTIFLUX 5000 is the high-accuracy ±0.15% of rate variant.
  • WATERFLUX 3070 — battery-powered water-utility revenue magmeter. Rectangular cross-section, near-zero upstream straight run, 15-year battery life, MID R49 / OIML R49.
  • WATERFLUX 3300 — mains-powered version of the same architecture for higher-frequency logging duty.

Ultrasonic — ALTOSONIC

  • ALTOSONIC V12 — 12-path ultrasonic, the reference custody-transfer meter for LNG, cryogenic hydrocarbons and large-line liquid hydrocarbons. ±0.15% of reading uncertainty after wet calibration.
  • ALTOSONIC 5 — 5-path; the cost-effective alternative for non-custody large-line liquids.
  • OPTISONIC 3400 / 6400 — clamp-on and inline ultrasonic for general liquid duty.

When InstruSelect promotes Krohne

The selector promotes Krohne strongly when:

  • Coriolis with zero pressure drop and no bends is required (CIP / SIP / sterile services, viscous hydrocarbons, high-shear-sensitive media).
  • Magnetic flow on a water utility trunk main where upstream straight run is unavailable.
  • Custody LNG, cryogenic hydrocarbon, or large-line liquid hydrocarbon transfer — V12 is the reference.
  • The site is in mainland Europe — Krohne service density in DACH, Benelux and the Nordics is unrivalled.

For high-volume gas custody transfer the typical alternative recommendation is Daniel 3415 or Emerson; for hygienic Coriolis the comparison is usually OPTIMASS 6400 vs Promass H — see the Coriolis comparison.

Datasheet sources

Curated from public Krohne Technical Datasheets (TDs) and Installation & Operating Instructions. Verify the live datasheet for any procurement decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the OPTIMASS 6400 single-tube Coriolis as accurate as twin-tube?

Yes for liquid duty: it is quoted at ±0.1% of rate liquid mass with the standard transmitter and is OIML approved for custody at ±0.2%. The difference is that twin-tube architectures still have a marginal edge on zero-stability under aggressive thermal transients, so for the most demanding hydrogen / cryogenic duty Promass Q (E+H) or ELITE CMF (Micro Motion) twin-tube variants are still typically chosen.

What makes WATERFLUX different from a conventional magmeter?

The primary has a rectangular cross-section instead of round, which produces a flatter velocity profile and dramatically reduces upstream straight-run requirements (the published spec is 0 × DN upstream / 0 × DN downstream — although a 3 × DN / 1 × DN install is recommended best practice). The transmitter is also designed for very low power draw, allowing 10–15 year operation on internal lithium battery packs for buried installations with no mains.

Is ALTOSONIC V12 the same architecture as Daniel ultrasonic?

No — both are multipath ultrasonic but the path geometries are different. Daniel 3410 / 3415 use a 4 or 8 chordal-path arrangement; ALTOSONIC V12 uses 12 paths (six measurement, six redundant) arranged to be more tolerant of disturbed flow profile. The two are direct competitors in custody liquid hydrocarbon and LNG service.

Does Krohne integrate with Emerson DeltaV?

Yes — every Krohne transmitter ships with HART 7 and most lines support FOUNDATION fieldbus / PROFIBUS PA. DD / DTM files are available for AMS Device Manager. The integration burden is comparable to a third-party Rosemount but slightly higher than a native Emerson stack.

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