Skip to main content
CHEMUK Expo 2026 logo over a wide-angle UK exhibition hall scene, with Nixon Flowmeters Stand F14 and the show date 20-21 May at the NEC Birmingham

Chemical Industry Flow Meters at CHEMUK 2026: A Specifier's Guide to Stand F14

Chemical processing changes the rules for flow measurement. The fluid is rarely friendly: acids, caustics, solvents, hypochlorite, slurries, hot condensate or hazardous monomers move through the same plant on the same shift, and a single wrong specification can cost a meter, a batch, or a shutdown. CHEMUK Expo 2026 at the NEC Birmingham on 20-21 May is the one event in the UK calendar where the people who specify chemical industry flow meters and the people who build them are in the same hall at the same time.

This guide sets out how Nixon Flowmeters and our Spanish manufacturing partner Tecfluid approach chemical applications, what visitors will see on Stand F14, and how to compress weeks of specification email into a twenty-minute conversation on the day.

Why Chemical Industry Flow Measurement Is Different

Three things separate a chemical plant from a typical water duty: aggressive process fluids, hazardous-area requirements, and an installed base where any new meter has to fit between two existing flanges, often without a process shutdown to commission it.

The questions a chemical specifier asks first are not the same as those asked on a clean water duty:

  • Is every wetted part compatible with the chemical, including the gasket and the electrode or float?
  • Does the meter hold its accuracy at part-load, in batch dosing, and in dirty service?
  • Is the meter approved for the zone it will live in (ATEX, IECEx) and rated for the temperature swing the line actually sees?
  • Can it be serviced in place, or does the line have to be drained and broken to recalibrate?

No single flow meter technology answers all four for every chemical application. Selecting the right one is about matching the technology to the duty rather than picking a familiar brand and hoping.

Mapping Flow Meter Technology to Chemical Applications

The Nixon and TechFluid range covers every mainstream flow meter technology used in chemical processing. The short version of the application map is below; the long version is what we discuss on the stand.

Electromagnetic Flow Meters for Conductive Chemicals

For water-based acids, alkalis, hypochlorite, brine and most aqueous chemical streams, an electromagnetic flow meter is usually the right answer. There are no moving parts and no obstruction, the liner can be specified in PTFE or PFA for aggressive service, and accuracy holds across a wide turn-down. TechFluid's range of mag meters, available with PTFE liners and Hastelloy or tantalum electrodes, will be on Stand F14 alongside the Nixon-supported electronics options.

Turbine and Gas Turbine Meters for Clean Low-Viscosity Streams

Solvents, fuels, gases and clean low-viscosity chemicals are often best served by a turbine meter. Nixon's NT industrial turbine range has been in continuous UK service since the early 1980s, and the new NTG gas turbine uses the same external body with internals redesigned for gases. Stainless and exotic-alloy options handle the corrosive duties.

Variable Area Flow Meters and Rotameters for Local Indication

Where a plant operator needs to see flow at a glance, on a panel or at a dosing skid, a variable area flow meter remains the simplest answer. Nixon supply six different rotameter and VA flow meter ranges covering glass tube, metal tube and plastic tube constructions, including PTFE-lined options for hydrochloric acid and hypochlorite duties. See the related rotameter selection guide for the long form.

Low Flow and Chemical Dosing Meters

Chemical dosing is its own discipline. The flow rates are low, the pulsation from a diaphragm pump is severe, and the chemical is usually corrosive. A standard turbine or magnetic meter is rarely the right tool. Pelton wheel low flow meters and dedicated dosing-rated VA meters are: see the chemical dosing flow meter article for what to specify and what to avoid.

Ultrasonic and Doppler for Retrofits and Difficult Fluids

When the line cannot be cut, a clamp-on transit time ultrasonic meter measures clean liquids without breaking the pipe. When the fluid carries solids or gas bubbles, transit time gives up and a Doppler meter takes over. The differences are explained in the Doppler flow meter guide; both technologies are on the stand.

Positive Displacement for Viscous and Batch Duties

Polymers, adhesives, fuel oils and viscous additives are the classic duty for an oval gear or positive displacement flow meter. Accuracy is high, repeatability is excellent at low flow, and the meter is unaffected by viscosity. Background in the oval gear flow meter article.

Material Compatibility: The First Question, Not the Last

The most common chemical industry flow meter failure we see is not an electronics fault. It is a wetted part that should never have been put in front of the process fluid. PTFE lining, PFA lining, Hastelloy electrodes, tantalum, ceramic and engineered polymer floats all exist for a reason. Bringing a chemical compatibility question to Stand F14, with the actual fluid, concentration and temperature, will get a faster and more honest answer than a datasheet exchange.

UK Compliance and Hazardous-Area Approvals

Chemical sites in the UK rarely allow a meter through procurement without ATEX or IECEx documentation, full material certification, and in some cases SIL ratings. Both Nixon and TechFluid carry the relevant approvals across the ranges that matter for chemical processing. The team on Stand F14 can walk through approval paperwork in real time, including for the NT and NTG turbine ranges and the TechFluid magnetic and Coriolis meters.

What CHEMUK 2026 Visitors Will Find on Stand F14

Stand F14 is a working specifier's stand, not a marketing display. Expect to find:

  • Sample meters from the turbine, electromagnetic, ultrasonic, variable area and positive displacement ranges
  • The Nixon NT industrial turbine and the new NTG gas turbine, side by side
  • TechFluid sanitary and industrial magnetic flow meters with PTFE-lined options
  • Application literature for chemical processing, water and wastewater, food and beverage, HVAC and energy
  • David Nixon (Owner) and Mark Stone (General Manager) on the stand for both days, alongside engineers from TechFluid Spain

Visitors talk to the people who specify these meters every working day. There is no hired stand team and no scripted demo loop.

Planning a Stand F14 Visit

CHEMUK Expo 2026 runs at the NEC Birmingham on 20 and 21 May 2026. Entry is free for qualifying trade visitors and the floor plan is published on the official CHEMUK Expo website.

To make a visit count, send the Nixon team a couple of lines in advance about the application you want to discuss: the fluid, the line size, the flow range and any approvals required. The right sample meters and the right person will be on the stand when you arrive, and a twenty-minute slot will go further than a half-hour walk-up.

Register for CHEMUK 2026 as a Nixon Guest

Nixon Flowmeters has a small allocation of complimentary visitor passes for CHEMUK 2026. Use the link below to register as our guest; it takes under a minute and gives you full two-day access to the show floor, conference theatres and exhibitor list.

Register for CHEMUK 2026 as a Nixon Flowmeters guest

Then drop us a line with the application you have in mind and we will be ready on Stand F14, CHEMUK Expo 2026, NEC Birmingham, 20-21 May.