Mobil unit provides fast and accurate Btu measurements

Journal Article · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Pipe Line Industry; (United States)

OSTI ID:6090886

Lansing, J ^[1]

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1. Southern California Gas Co., Los Angeles, CA (US)

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) provides service to more than four million customers in a 23,000-plus square mile area. Some 95% of these customers fall under the residential category and the remaining customers are industrial and commercial. To ensure Btu value received from the supplier and delivered to the user is accounted for properly, SoCalGas has divided its service area into 47 districts according to the gas Btu content. The company obtains the information by collecting approximately 200 sample cylinders each week from field monitoring points and transporting them to one of four laboratories for analysis. For collecting the information from each lab site, SoCalGas uses a computerized Gas Quality Measurement System (GQMS) that utilizes a Hewlett-Packard 1000 computer. Information on all the gas sample analysis is transmitted each day to the company's measurement office. About two- thirds of the lab work is performed in Los Angeles and the remaining at three satellite laboratories. Sample points are strategically located to monitor gas entering each district. By measuring gas volumes at these key points, a volume- weighted average can be determined and the customers' monthly bills then can be adjusted for gas energy content by this volume-weighted four-week average. The engineering department uses sample-cylinder analysis data to establish and maintain correct Btu boundaries. However, the time it takes for this information to be processed makes it difficult for engineering to process the data.

• OSTI ID: 6090886
• Journal Information: Pipe Line Industry; (United States), Journal Name: Pipe Line Industry; (United States) Vol. 74:5; ISSN 0032-0145; ISSN PLINA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
032000 -- Natural Gas-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
033000* -- Natural Gas-- Properties & Composition
42 ENGINEERING
420205 -- Engineering-- Transport & Storage Facilities-- (1980-)
ACCURACY
CALIFORNIA
CALORIFIC VALUE
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
CONTROL
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION IX
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
HIGH BTU GAS
MEASURING METHODS
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
NORTH AMERICA
QUALITY CONTROL
SAMPLING
USA