Nowadays, in the italian distribution networks almost totally diaphragm gas meters are installed and it is quite usual to find very old meters still operating, because of the lack of a strict law regarding their legal duration until 2009, when finally a maximum legal duration of 15 years have been fixed [1]. The italian Authority for natural gas (AEEG) recently issued the mandatory resolution 155/08 [2] regarding the gradual substitution of all the old domestic gas meters installed in the italian distribution networks, in order to guarantee strict metrological performance for the consumers (also by correcting in the new models of gas meters the measured volumes with the operative gas temperature). In such a wide market (only in Italy about 20 millions domestic gas meter are installed) the reduction of costs and the development of new components and materials in the gas meters are continously pursued both by meters manufacturers and gas city companies. Furthermore, the very old gas meters installed (before 1990) were manufactured with animal diaphragms, and it is common opinion that this can induce significant errors because of the decay of the performance of the diaphragm itself. In recent years (after 1990) the animal diaphragms have been replaced by synthetic ones, expected to be more resistant and reliable. In this background, in order to better plan the substitution operations (involving about 350,000 gas meters only in Genoa up to 2016) in function of drift, age and installation of the meters and to properly define right customer policies, Genova Reti Gas commissioned to LAMI, the industrial measurement laboratory of the University of Cassino, and to Palmer, the Scientific Park of Southern Lazio, a detailed analysis of the gas meters installed in the gas city network of Genoa, by performing several performance tests [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Futhermore, the attention to unaccounted for gas (UAG) is nowadays continuously increasing both at transport and at distribution level and to this aim the knowledge of the metrological performance of the meters play a very critical role [8, 9]
Analysis of the metrological performance of diaphragm gas meters in a city distribution network
D'ALESSIO, Raffaele;DELL'ISOLA, Marco;FICCO, Giorgio;VIGO, Paolo;VIOLA, Agostino
2012-01-01
Abstract
Nowadays, in the italian distribution networks almost totally diaphragm gas meters are installed and it is quite usual to find very old meters still operating, because of the lack of a strict law regarding their legal duration until 2009, when finally a maximum legal duration of 15 years have been fixed [1]. The italian Authority for natural gas (AEEG) recently issued the mandatory resolution 155/08 [2] regarding the gradual substitution of all the old domestic gas meters installed in the italian distribution networks, in order to guarantee strict metrological performance for the consumers (also by correcting in the new models of gas meters the measured volumes with the operative gas temperature). In such a wide market (only in Italy about 20 millions domestic gas meter are installed) the reduction of costs and the development of new components and materials in the gas meters are continously pursued both by meters manufacturers and gas city companies. Furthermore, the very old gas meters installed (before 1990) were manufactured with animal diaphragms, and it is common opinion that this can induce significant errors because of the decay of the performance of the diaphragm itself. In recent years (after 1990) the animal diaphragms have been replaced by synthetic ones, expected to be more resistant and reliable. In this background, in order to better plan the substitution operations (involving about 350,000 gas meters only in Genoa up to 2016) in function of drift, age and installation of the meters and to properly define right customer policies, Genova Reti Gas commissioned to LAMI, the industrial measurement laboratory of the University of Cassino, and to Palmer, the Scientific Park of Southern Lazio, a detailed analysis of the gas meters installed in the gas city network of Genoa, by performing several performance tests [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Futhermore, the attention to unaccounted for gas (UAG) is nowadays continuously increasing both at transport and at distribution level and to this aim the knowledge of the metrological performance of the meters play a very critical role [8, 9]I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
