Measuring methane in natural gas, biogas, biomethane upgrading, co-generation, environmental monitoring and pollution control systems

The ST80 Series Thermal Mass Flow Meter from Fluid Components International (FCI) offers a perfect solution for technicians and engineers within the oil/gas production and storage, methane-fueled electric power co-generation systems, and pollution control sectors for the measurement of methane (CH4) and obtaining emissions data to conform to new environmental regulations and reporting requisites.

Methane stays in the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas for 9 – 15 years according to worldwide regulatory bodies. It is more than twenty times more efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 100 year period. Methane comes from a wide range of man-made and natural sources such as natural gas and petroleum systems, wastewater treatment plants, coal mining and various industrial combustion processes. Methane is the primary component of natural gas, as well as being an important energy source around the world. Across the world regulators are now looking at ways to reduce methane emissions, especially following on from the recent COP26 Meeting.

Adaptive Sensor TechnologyTM (ASTTM) is an important development for thermal mass flow meters, used in methane applications, such as the ST80. ASTTM is FCI’s patented hybrid sensor drive which combines industry proven constant power (CP) and constant temperature (CT) thermal dispersion sensing technologies in the same device. Owners of this instrument have a rugged, open and simple to clean instrument with a no moving parts sensor design suited to the harshest conditions industry has to offer. Safe deployment in hazardous gas processing zones is assured as the ST80 has Div.1/Zone 1 approval. This instrument also holds an independent, third-party evaluated SIL compliance.

Operators of the ST80 have a choice of four different precision flow sensor element designs to achieve best performance, this includes FCI’s new wet gas solution. The Wet Gas MASSter™ sensor was developed for the ST80 Series and optimises the sensor head design and installation to avert condensation, entrained moisture or rain from contacting the thermowells, so precise and efficient measurements are provided in all conditions. 

FCI’s ST80 Series Flow Meters work well in pipe diameters from 1 - 99 inches (25 - 2500 mm) and air/gas temperatures of up to 850°F/454°C.   The device’s accuracy is ±1% of reading, ±0.5% of full scale with repeatability of ±0.5% of reading with flow rates from 0.25 up to 1000 SFPS (0.07 to 305 NMPS) and 100:1 turndown.

This instrument offers many output and user interface options with almost all control system and/or set up or configuration devices. Standard outputs include dual, NAMUR NE43 compliant 4-20 mA analogue outputs, HART Version 7, Modbus 485 and a USB port. Foundation Fieldbus or PROFIBUS PA or DP can be added optionally, as can the backlit LCD display which provides digital and bar graph flow-rate readouts as well as temperature, totalised flow, alarms, diagnostics feedback, and a user-defined label/tag field.

The transmitter is housed in a NEMA 4X/IP67 rated enclosure, selectable for NPT or metric conduit port threading; aluminum and stainless steel versions are available. The transmitter can be positioned up to 1000 feet/305 metres away from the flow element