The Metrology for Biomethane project of the EMPIR programme

A growing number of European biomethane producers inject their gas into natural gas infrastructures. Defining standardised measurement techniques is essential for ensuring the quality and purity of this renewable gas.

Defining pertinent standards

Biomethane production is expanding rapidly in Europe. But before it can be injected into transportation and distribution networks, biomethane must comply with the same quality standards that apply to classic natural gas. To ensure that this is the case, it is essential to employ standardised measurement techniques, which use common standards to evaluate:

• the natural gas parameters (flow rate, calorific value, etc.),
• the gas purity and presence of impurities,
• the presence of compounds that may have a significant impact (material, sanitary, environmental).

Current techniques developed for natural gas are either poorly adapted to the compounds that are potentially present in biomethane, or too costly. That is why we need to develop new techniques.

New methods for characterising biomethane

The "Metrology for Biomethane" project of the EMPIR programme (European Metrology Program for Innovation & Research) led by EURAMET (European Association of National Metrology Institutes) aims to develop new techniques to measure the level of various compounds – compounds that may have an impact over a certain concentration – before injection of the biomethane into the network.

This European project brings together over ten partners: R&D laboratories and national metrology organisations in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Italy – and France.

The 3-year project (running from 2017-2020) has a total budget of €2 million, financed by the European Union.

RICE, a major participant in the project

The project was divided into a dozen lots, each focusing on specific compounds or families of compounds. RICE, the consortium’s only R&D laboratory run by a gas operator, lends its industrial and operational knowledge, as well as its "laboratory" expertise. RICE will be specifically in charge of:

• defining the standard techniques for a family of compounds (amines)
• coordinating the entire working package, or “adapting standard techniques into routine techniques” (meaning field measurements)
• defining routine techniques for 3 compounds or families (amines, ammonia, terpenes).

To learn more

• Your contact at RICE Christophe Tastard