Accuracy guarantee for determining the calorific value for dual gas sources

Abstract

The gas mixing process can severely affect determination of the caloric value, which is a crucial step in natural gas energy metering. According to the technological process in a dual gas source distribution station, the mixing process of two natural gases with different components in manifold and T-pipe models was simulated through a computational fluid dynamics model. The mix efficiency and the calorific value of the two models were researched and compared. The results reveal that the quality of the gas mixture in the T-pipe model is poorer than that in the manifold model. Therefore, only the mix efficiency in the manifold model was optimized by adding a mixer. Employing an SK-type static mixer upstream of the straight pipe can greatly reduce the required length of straight pipe and significantly improve the quality of the gas mixture. These results can provide design references for the calorific value measurement for dual gas sources.