SmartGasNet - Metrology for smart metering in gas networks

Partial replacement of natural gas with renewable alternatives is essential to mitigate climate change. There is an urgent need to fast forward the clean transition by upscaling biomethane and hydrogen utilisation within the European infrastructure. However, the introduction of these renewable gases in gas grids gives rise to increasing fluctuations in gas flow rates and properties. Priorities in this transition include dealing with safety aspects, gas allocation and fair billing. Gas grids will have more points where gas is fed in, leading to greater dynamics in supply and demand, as well as in gas properties. Knowing measurement uncertainty in gas grids is key to assessing and managing risks regarding safety, economy and the supply of gas within the applicable specifications. Met4H2 (see website and Zenodo repository) started to investigate the dependency of fiscal metering measurements, since these are not mutually independent, due to changes in the grid. MetroPEMS also revealed that quantification of totalised volume or mass in the presence of dynamic flow changes is challenging. Therefore, it is essential to adapt the current evaluation of measurement uncertainty to the conditions of the future gas network. The SmartGasNet project will provide the necessary methods, algorithms, models, datasets and good practice guides to enable gas grid operators to adapt their data processing for fiscal metering, custody transfer and billing. This measurement infrastructure for gas supply will support the envisaged increase in the use of renewable energy gases.