The concept of a virtual point of commercial accounting of natural gas energy and the algorithm for its software implementation

Abstract

The issue of the quality of natural gas, including the development of tools and methods for measuring the energy of gas, is still relevant. The current «Rules for the supply of natural gas» regulate the procedure for paying consumers for natural gas, which must be carried out in cubic meters, reduced to standard conditions and expressed in energy units. According to the adopted regulatory documents, the 2021–2022 heating season should be the last one when the calculation for consumed natural gas should be made according to metric indicators. However, with the introduction of martial law in Ukraine, this period has been extended until May 1, following the date of termination or cancellation of martial law in Ukraine. At present, the natural gas metering system is not ready for the introduction of energy measurement units, especially in the domestic sector. As of today, about 10 million household gas meters with mechanical reading devices have been installed in Ukraine, most of which do not even have natural gas temperature compensation devices. Therefore, it is technically impossible to upgrade these meters to convert them to gas metering in energy units. Along with this, today there are also no domestic means of accounting for natural gas in energy units. The purpose of this work is to develop alternative approaches to the introduction of accounting for natural gas in energy units in Ukraine. The concept of a virtual point of commercial metering of natural gas energy is proposed, implemented as a software application that is part of the information and communication system, which in turn contains databases on the daily values of the natural gas combustion heat in different regions of Ukraine, the value of the ambient air temperature and data. on the heights of settlements above sea level in which gas is accounted for. An algorithm for the software implementation of a virtual point of commercial metering of natural gas energy has been developed. The estimation of metrological characteristics of determination of energy of natural gas by the offered method is carried out.