Effects Of Atmospheric Pressure On Gas Measurement

By Denis Rutherford, Schneider Electric Telemetry & Remote SCADA Solutions

This white paper from Schneider Electric, Telemetry & Remote SCADA Solutions discusses the differences between gauge and absolute pressure sensors, methods of determining the atmospheric pressure at a location, and effects of atmospheric pressure on measurement accuracy.

One of the often overlooked or misunderstood parameters in upstream gas measurement is the atmospheric pressure input. To correctly configure any Electronic Flow Measurement (EFM) device to calculate a corrected volume, the static pressure at the meter run must be an input to the calculations as an “absolute” pressure value. Since the absolute pressure is defined as the sum of the gauge and atmospheric pressures at the site, proper EFM setup requires that the atmospheric pressure be accurately determined for each metering location. This paper discusses the differences between gauge and absolute pressure sensors, methods of determining the atmospheric pressure at a location, and effects on measurement accuracy.