Kelton supports drive to Net Zero with wet gas metering expertise

GLOUCESTER, UK, 12 February 2024 - Leading energy industry consultancy firm Kelton is using its wet gas metering expertise to support the global energy sector with its hydrocarbon and net zero eclectic wet gas metering challenges. 

Kelton chairs two wet gas metering committees, has staff with extensive wet gas meter experience, and offers a wet gas meter training course. 

A wet gas is any gas with a small amount of liquid present. The net zero future looks set to facilitate a new drive for wet gas metering technologies – perhaps not in new designs but certainly in new, interesting and challenging applications. Interest and needs are coming from multiple net zero areas. 

The drive to net zero has many technical challenges, but the engineering technology of the existing energy sector is well placed to solve various net zero technical requirements.  

One such challenge is the control of net zero systems such as geothermal steam power production, wet hydrogen extraction from cavern storage and carbon capture and storage (CC&S). Operators of each of these net zero endeavours encounter wet gas flow which are notoriously challenging to meter. 

Richard Steven, principal measurement consultant at Kirton said: “Over three decades of research, development and experience wet natural gas meter technology has gradually moved from experimental prototypes to accepted commodity products. 

“Today industry tends to take a pragmatic view of wet natural gas metering and accepts wet natural gas meters are more complex, more expensive and less accurate than their single phase counterparts. The various wet gas meter designs all have particular limitations dependent on the physical principles employed and the flow conditions being metered, and yet they are still in many cases indispensable. Operators must have an idea of what is flowing if they aspire to make the process as efficient and safe as possible. 

“As wet gas metering forms a crucial part of the drive towards net zero, as a company we feel it is only right that we share our expertise in this complex area to help the industry and we invite interested parties to join our training course which will equip them with the knowledge they need.”

At a 2023 committee meeting chaired by Kelton, there were requests from Europe to discuss how to approach wet hydrogen metering when extracting stored hydrogen from wells. 

Meanwhile, the UK’s National Gas Transmission is initiating a program to investigate “Hydrogen & Carbon Dryness Management” as periodic wet hydrogen and wet CO2 flows are inevitable in large pipelines over time, and equipment to monitor, meter, and rectify this situation is essential. 

The Icelandic power company Landsvirkjun is also actively testing wet steam meters to help control their geothermal fields, and Carbon Capture and Storage practitioners are investigating CO2 metering, including gas meter diagnostic systems to identify and meter wet CO2 if and when the situation arises. 

Richard added: “We are now seeing big players within the industry starting to take note of the importance of wet gas metering, so we feel that now is the time to use the knowledge we have to help those who need it as they work to meet their crucial net zero targets.”

ENDS