Project introduction

As natural gas resources in the EU are declining, various forms of diversification in the natural gas supply are taking place. Governments in the EU, gas producers and transporters support the 'greening of gas' by the introduction of, for example, biogas, hydrogen-enriched natural gas, coal bed methane and coal mine methane into existing gas networks.

This project will put in place the necessary metrology infrastructure to enable the 'interchangeability' of energy gases so that gaseous fuels from non-conventional sources can access gas networks across the EU. (Gases are interchangeable when they may be substituted for each other without affecting the operation of gas burning appliances or equipment.) This will enable gas producers and transporters to make informed commercial, environmental and safety decisions based on comparable measurements of the energy content and other physical properties of the fuels.

The project will also address the need for measurements of the carbon content of alternative fuel gases, such as refinery gas and syngas that principally arise as by-products of coke and petroleum production. These are required for efficient trade within the scope of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

NPL is coordinating the project, which is being funded by the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP).

EMRP - The European Metrology Research Programme

The European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) is a metrology-focused European programme of coordinated R&D that facilitates closer integration of national research programmes. The EMRP is jointly supported by the European Commission and the participating countries within the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET e.V.) and aims to ensure collaboration between National Measurement Institutes (NMIs), reducing duplication and increasing impact. See the EMRP website for further information.

Project structure

The work in the project is organised into the work packages shown below:

Work package	Title	Lead NMI
WP1	New methods for the measurement of the composition of non-conventional gases	NPL
WP2	Direct measurement of the calorific value of non-conventional gases	LNE
WP3	New primary and reference humidity facilities	MIKES
WP4	Evaluation and comparison of novel and existing techniquesfor humidity sensing in energy gases	PTB
WP5	Creating Impact	NPL
WP6	Management and Coordination	NPL

 

Click here for a more detailed overview of the work packages

Project outputs

Outputs from the project (reports, presentations, technical highlights, etc.) will be made available on this page as the project progresses.

Project partners

The 15 NMIs participating in the project are:

●  BAM		Germany
●  BRML INM		Romania
●  CEM		Spain
●  CMI		Czech Republic
●  INRIM		Italy
●  INTA		Spain
●  LNE		France
●  MIKES		Finland
●  MKEH		Hungary
●  NPL		United Kingdom
●  PTB		Germany
●  SMU		Slovak Republic
●  SP		Sweden
●  VSL		The Netherlands
●  TUBITAK UME		Turkey

One un-funded partner is also participating in the project:

●  BEV / E+E

Austria

Contact us

For further information on the EMRP Characterisation of Energy Gases project, please contact the project co-ordinator:

Dr Dai Jones
Tel: +44 20 8943 8540
Email: dai.jones@npl.co.uk