A CATALYTIC COMBUSTION GAS ENERGY METER

A CATALYTIC COMBUSTION FLOW CALORIMETER FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF NATURAL GAS ENERGY CONTENT WILL BE DEVELOPED AND TESTED. THIS NEW CALORIMETER (GAS ENERGY METER) WILL BE DESIGNED TO BE A PROTOTYPE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AN INSTRUMENT SUITABLE FOR REMOTE INSTALLATION, AS ACCURATE AS PRESENT LABORATORY CALORIMETERS, OPERABLE CONTINUOUSLY FOR PRECISE ACCOUNTING AT CUSTODY TRANSFER POINTS, AND LOW IN COST. PRESENTLY THERE ARE NO EXISTING INSTRUMENTS CAPABLE OF MAKING REAL-TIME AND CONTINUOUS BTU MEASUREMENTS IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT AT REMOTE SITES. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES A VERY REAL AND SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM FOR THE GAS INDUSTRY AND ALL CONSUMERS OF NATURAL GAS. THE NEED FOR A LOW COST FIELD-DEPLOYABLE GAS ENERGY METER HAS DEVELOPED FROM THE SHIFT OF GAS BILLING FROM A VOLUME TO AN ENERGY BASIS AND MORE RECENTLY BY THE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION'S RULING THAT GAS PIPELINES SHOULD BE REGULATED AS COMMON CARRIERS. THE PROGRAM OBJECTIVE IS TO PRODUCE A LABORATORY PROTOTYPE INSTRUMENT THAT WILL DEMONSTRATE THE ADVANTAGES OF THE ENERGY METER DESIGN. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS OBJECTIVE THE FOLLOWING FIVE TASKS WILL BE COMPLETED: (1) DEVELOP A CATALYTIC COMBUSTION REACTOR, (2) DESIGN A GAS CALORIMETER FLOW CELL EMPLOYING THE CATALYTIC REACTOR, (3) DESIGN A MICROPROCESSOR CONTROL AND DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR THE CALORIMETER, (4) TEST THE COMPLETE GAS CALORIMETER SYSTEM AND DEVELOP APPROPRIATE OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES, AND (5) CONSTRUCT A PROTOTYPE GAS CALORIMETER FOR TESTING.