The options below are starting points, not interchangeable substitutes. Each must pass the flow, fluid, installation and approval checks later in this guide.
| Application | Technologies to consider | What should drive the choice |
|---|---|---|
| Individual house or apartment | Single-jet, multijet, positive displacement, inline ultrasonic | Low-flow performance, peak demand, approved orientation, drinking-water suitability and reading access |
| Apartment block, hotel, school or hospital inlet | Woltman, compound, inline ultrasonic, electromagnetic | Wide difference between overnight and peak flow; acceptable pressure loss; maintenance access |
| Tenant billing across a building | Suitable domestic/submeters with pulse, M-Bus, wireless M-Bus, Modbus or radio | Exact meter-to-tenant mapping, local/remote reconciliation, approved billing use and ongoing data costs |
| Utility district or network zone | Electromagnetic, inline ultrasonic, suitable bulk mechanical | Night flow, bidirectional requirements, battery/power, flooded chambers and synchronized data |
| Borewell or groundwater abstraction | Electromagnetic, inline ultrasonic, suitable bulk mechanical | Sand, pump conditions, full pipe, logging and the actual requirements of the permission/tender |
| Clean-water irrigation | Propeller, Woltman, irrigation-specific mechanical, electromagnetic, ultrasonic | Intermittent pumping, debris, power availability, seasonal storage and low pressure loss |
| Raw water, canal abstraction or silt-bearing water | Suitable electromagnetic or irrigation-specific meter; suitable ultrasonic after assessment | Particle size, loading, abrasion, entrained air and maintenance conditions |
| STP/ETP discharge in a full pipe | Suitable electromagnetic; application-qualified ultrasonic | Conductivity, solids, coatings, chemicals, full-pipe condition and reporting requirements |
| Gravity sewer, open drain or partly full outlet | Area–velocity, flume/weir with level measurement, specialist partly filled pipe meter | Changing wetted area, backwater, sediment and channel geometry |
| RO permeate, demineralized or ultrapure water | Suitable ultrasonic, Coriolis or another qualified low-conductivity technology | Actual minimum conductivity, cleanliness and wetted-material requirements |
| Factory process or batching | Electromagnetic, turbine, positive displacement, ultrasonic or Coriolis as appropriate | Repeatability, response, minimum batch size, fluid properties and control integration |
| Hot-water consumption | Temperature-rated mechanical or static water meter | Maximum water temperature, pressure, seals and approved hot-water performance |
| Chilled-water or heating energy billing | Complete thermal energy/BTU meter | Flow plus matched temperature sensors and an energy calculator; fluid composition |
| Cooling-tower makeup and blowdown | Suitable mechanical, electromagnetic or ultrasonic | Different duties at each point; treatment chemicals, fouling and conductivity |
| Temporary audit or retrofit without cutting a pipe | Clamp-on ultrasonic | Pipe dimensions/material, acoustic condition, full pipe and access for sensor mounting |
| Fire service or combined domestic/fire supply | Purpose-designed, project-accepted fire-service or combined arrangement | Emergency hydraulic capacity, pressure loss, approval and low-flow requirements |
| Food, pharmaceutical or hygienic process water | Hygienic electromagnetic, ultrasonic, Coriolis or specialist design | Drainability, cleanability, materials, cleaning cycles and process qualification |
| Seawater, brine or aggressive water | Material-qualified electromagnetic, ultrasonic or specialist process meter | Corrosion, lining/electrode/seal compatibility, temperature and deposits |
This application matrix is an editorial synthesis of measuring principles and selection constraints. It is not a claim that every product in a technology family is suitable for every listed application.