Investigation of the causes for the measurement differences between the natural gas measurement systems of a gas distribution company and of a consumer

[摘要] This paper presents the methodology used, the checked items and the results obtained in an investigation carried out to identify the causes that generated substantial differences between the natural gas volumes measured by two measuring systems, one from a gas distribution company and another from its industrial consumer, both installed in series in a gas pipeline. The investigation showed that the measurement of the volume of gas performed by the gas distributor metering system was influenced by an erroneous measurement of the gas temperature since it was affected by a complex thermodynamic process involving cooling by the Joule-Thomson effect caused by a pressure reducing valve and heating by heat exchange through the pipe walls.

[发布机构] IPT-Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas, Centro de Metrologia Mecânica, Elétrica e de Fluidos-CTMetro, Av. Prof. Almeida Prado, 532, Butantã, São Paulo; 05508-901, Brazil^1

[效力级别] 力学 [学科分类] 力学，机械学

[关键词] Complex thermodynamics;Gas distribution company;Gas distributor;Industrial consumers;Joule-Thomson effect;Measuring systems;Metering systems;Pressure reducing valves