CiDRA Oilsands announced an agreement with Expro Meters that will allow the Companies to partner in the sales of both passive and active sonar flow systems and services. The agreement will cover all of Western Canada, and focus on the oil sands and heavy oil industries, where the combined technologies, known for their reliability and performance, will help support customer’s enhanced production and cost reduction initiatives.

CiDRA and Expro Meters have been working with the sonar-based technology since 2000. CiDRA introduced sonar-based flow measurement technology to the oil and gas industry with the deployment of the first down hole, fiber optic multiphase sonar flow meter in 2000. The passive system, SONARtrac® flow meter, was introduced in 2003 as the first-generation clamp-on sonar meter, well-suited for measuring flow in difficult slurry and other liquid flow applications. In 2009, Expro Meters introduced ActiveSONAR™, the second generation clamp-on sonar meter. The ActiveSONAR meter is well suited for gas and gas condensate wells in heavy schedule pipes. With this agreement, both CiDRA and Expro Meters will address the wide range of flow line conditions encountered in oilsands applications.

Operating in the oilsands industry for 10 years, CiDRA has successfully launched a series of innovative products and services, based on SONARtrac® and SMARTring® technologies, that have been tailored to meet the unique challenges of its customers involved in mineable oilsands operations. These solutions help enable customers increase plant and process predictability, reduce process variability and enhance resource sustainability.

"We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Expro Meters in Western Canada," said John Viega, president of CiDRA Oilsands, "the addition of the active meter to our ‘solutions’ toolbox will allow us to address a broader range of our customer’s flow and measurement challenges."

"CiDRA is a recognized provider of innovative, reliable, high-quality products and services to the oilsands industry in Western Canada. CiDRA has extensive reach throughout the region, and they have a track record of responding to and exceeding customers’ needs by offering innovative technical solutions. Additionally, CiDRA’s vast experience with SONAR metering technology makes them a uniquely qualified partner for us", said Patrick Curry, General Manager for Expro Meters.