Metering Stations in Distributio

n
CMS (Consumer Meter Station) supplies gas to con
sumers at the desired pressure.
Regulators

ON/OFF VALVE

Meters
ON/OFF VALVE

Pressure
Gauge

Regulators
• Different Methods used for Gas Measurement:
• Fixed Factor Measurement: A very precise regulator is installed u
pstream of the meter which ensures fixed pressure to the meter
all times. The temperature of gas is normally measured by the P/
T recorder in the close vicinity of the CMS
• Important Guidelines:
• Regulator should have minimum droop (pilot operated)
• Regulator should be properly sealed
• Regulator should be adjusted at low flows i.e. within the c
apacity of the regulator at operating conditions.
• Restricting orifice should be used at the downstream of t
he meter to avoid overloading of the meter/sudden jerk t
o the meter.
Measurement Techniques in Gas Industry

• Fixed Factor Billing:

Precise Re
gulator

Gas Flow
• High Pressure Measurement: By the use of volume correctors / P/T recorders
• The inlet pressure (metering pressure) is usually not fixed
• Fluctuating line pressure enters into the meter (metering pess
.)
• The volume corrector or P/T recorder on the meter senses /re
cords instantaneous line pressure and flowing temperature (E
VCs only) and applies corresponding conversion factor autom
atically / manually in case of P/T recorders to compute stand
ard volume at the base conditions.
• The capacity of the meter enhances with increase in metering
pressure.
• If the line pressure is more than the MAOP of the meter / vol
ume corrector, a suitable regulator should be installed upstre
am of the meter to set the pressure within the MAOP.
• Important Guidelines:
• Monthly volume correction ratio report must be prepared to
check the performance of volume corrector.
• Monthly downloads of EVCs should be taken to check / a
nalyze the data and any alarm conditions.
During site inspections, it is a good practice to note correct
ed and uncorrected readings at an interval of ½ to 1 hou
r and compute the metering pressure applied by the volu
me correctors which should be cross checked with physic
al metering pressure.
• The pressure gauges to note inlet/delivering pressure sho
uld be installed downstream of the meter
• In case of P/T recorders the monthly calibration of P/T rec
orders must be performed and consumer/his representati
ve’s endorsement must be taken. This will help in resolvin
g any billing disputes at the later stages.