Noncombustive method of determining the calorific value of fuel gas

US6279380A · kind A · utility

Assignees

• N. V. Nederlandese Gasunie · NL
• Ruhrgas Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Petrus J. M. M. Van Wesenbeeck · Groningen, NL
• Manfred Jaeschke · Dorsten, DE
• Johannes A. Schouten · Monnickendam, NL
• Peter Schley · Essen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 20, 1999
• Grant date: Aug 28, 2001
• Expiry date: May 20, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2291/02863
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Noncombustive method of measuring the calorific value of fuel gas, wherein PA1 a) the speed of sound in the gas is determined under first and under second reference conditions and one of the parameters dielectric constant, speed of sound under third reference conditions or proportion of carbon dioxide in the fuel gas is measured and PA1 b) the calorific value is derived from these three parameters, wherein the steps a) and b) are preferably preceded by a plurality of measurement cycles in which step a) is carried out using a plurality of reference gases of known calorific value, a number corresponding to the number of measurement cycles of reference signal patterns determined from the ratio of the various measurement signals measured on the reference gases are stored with assignment to the known calorific values and the signal pattern from a future measurement cycle on fuel gas of unknown calorific value is compared with the reference signal patterns so as to assign a particular calorific value.