DNV GL awards industry-first fiscal metering technology qualification to Emerson
Emerson’s Daniel 3415 and 3416 dual-configuration gas ultrasonic meters have received the industry’s first technology qualification (TQ) from DNV GL for fiscal gas meters.
The TQ is a risk-based assessment that evaluates meter performance in real-life operational environments to ensure the technology meets the highest fiscal measurement standards.
The certification programme verifies the meters’ ability to meet the industry’s fiscal and contractual requirements when operating under field conditions where dust, liquids, build-up, drift, and pulsations are common.
It also authenticates the ability of the meter’s advanced diagnostics to detect and compensate for process disturbances and provide early warning of fouling to ensure greater meter integrity and measurement accuracy.
Furthermore, the TQ confirms the robustness and reliability of the meters in minimising financial risk and provides evidence to support extending calibration intervals to reduce operating costs.
“Current international gas measurement standards for fiscal flowmeters focus only on the design and installation of the meters and don’t cover meter performance under field conditions,” said DNV GL’s oil and gas senior VP, Liv Hovem.
“DNV GL’s TQ puts meter performance claims to the test and provides evidence of the impact of actual operating conditions on meter health and measurement accuracy of gas sales. This evidence helps metering system operators mitigate financial risk and improve the reliability of their metering stations in satisfying fiscal and custody transfer contractual agreements,” she added.
The Daniel 3415 and 3416 meters, which are already certified to the OIML R137 1&2 Accuracy Class 0.5, are the only ultrasonic meters on the market at the moment that have undergone DNV GL’s field testing and demonstrated field robustness, Emerson says.
“Detecting dirt build-up and small amounts of liquid or contamination at the bottom of the meter can be challenging for direct-path meter designs,” said Rob Sedlak, general manager of Daniel ultrasonic meters at Emerson Automation Solutions.
“Having reflective path technology and direct path measurement combined in one ultrasonic flowmeter body, as is the case in the 3415 and 3416 meters, enables natural gas operators to detect process upsets long before measurement is impaired and replace complex, frequent inspection procedures with condition-based maintenance practices.”
The DNV GL assessment process is built upon scientific research and is recognised by regulators, insurers, and major clients throughout the world.
The process is widely accepted and applied to new fit-for-purpose technologies.
