AUTOMATED NATURAL GAS VOLUME MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

One of the main problems in the gas supply industry remains the insufficient accuracy in determining the volumes of consumed gas. On the one hand, this is due to the use of faulty or outdated measuring equipment in metering stations, and on the other hand, the operating conditions of metering stations do not always meet the requirements of technical documentation. In particular, the absence of automated data collection and processing systems from metering stations complicates, and sometimes prevents, the monitoring of actual natural gas consumption. Therefore, the task of creating automated gas volume measurement complexes remains relevant.
 The aim of this work is to substantiate the structure and elements of such a complex.
 The article presents a generalized structure of a gas metering station based on an automated measurement complex. One of the key elements of complex, ensuring the quality and accuracy of measurements, is the gas flow converter under working conditions.
 The authors have analyzed the methods of gas flow measurement that have gained the widest popularity in measurement practice and the possibilities of using devices based on them, considering the peculiarities of the operational use of the complex. In turn, the operating conditions are determined by internal technological, external mechanical, and design factors.
 A separate issue in the creation of an automated complex is the application of interfaces for data exchange with other systems or remote data transmission. The paper formulates requirements for the functionality of the electronic computing unit and its software, which, in addition to polling, registration, indication, and calculations, include self-diagnostics.
 The application of the complex will significantly improve the quality of natural gas metering and contribute to increased resource utilization efficiency, gas consumption forecasting, loss reduction, prevention of possible emergency situations, and more, based on the collection, processing, and analysis of measurement data.