CO2 Effects on Caldon Ultrasonic Meters

This document outlines the effects of CO2 on Caldon ultrasonic meters and includes assessments of
the required amplification (gain), the expected signal-to-noise ratio and the influence on
measurement uncertainty for two specific sets of application conditions.

Background - Absorption of Ultrasound in CO2

Of all of the components typically found in natural gas in significant quantities, carbon dioxide is the
most problematic for ultrasonic gas flow meters. This is because CO2 has an attenuating effect on
ultrasonic waves owing to its molecular structure. The particular effect is termed absorption owing
to molecular or thermal relaxation and has been studied extensively for CO2.

The influence of this form of absorption of ultrasound is dependent on the quantity of CO 2 present,
the gas pressure and the frequency of the ultrasonic waves. In studies of the effect the absorption is
typically presented in the form of a ‘relaxation peak’ where the attenuation coefficient multiplied by
wavelength is plotted versus ultrasonic frequency over pressure. Figure 1 shows such a plot for two
gas mixtures, in one case almost pure CO2, and the other almost pure methane. This data was
obtained data obtained using transducers spanning a range of frequencies from ~ 90 kHz to 1 MHz.

Figure 1 Experimental CO2 and Methane absorption data

The solid lines shown on the graph above are theoretical models compared to the experimental
data. For Cameron’s CO2 application calculator tool we utilise an absorption curve with a peak 
value of 0.13 for pure CO2, adapted slightly to more closely match the experimental data.
The CO2 absorption calculation is only one component of Cameron’s ultrasonic gas meter calculation
tool, as application calculations have to include the meter size/geometry (in particular the path
length between transducers) and a number of other factors that contribute to the strength of the
received signals, including:

 Transducer transmission loss (gas density and sound velocity dependent)

 Signal spreading loss (path length and sound velocity dependent)
 Signal ‘smearing’ loss (dependent on flow velocity and sound velocity, but only important at
high velocities/high Mach numbers)

However, in the context of this discussion, the CO2 absorption term is the most important. To show
the importance of the effect of pressure on CO2 absorption, rather than use the traditional
presentation used in Figure1 we can to plot the absorption versus pressure for a fixed transducer
frequency. This presentation is shown in Figure 2 below as absorption in units of decibels per inch
for pure CO2 at an operating frequency of 200 kHz, the standard frequency used in Caldon gas meter
transducers.

20

18

16

14
Attenuation (dB/inch)

12

10

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Pressure (bar)

Figure 2 Absorption versus pressure for pure CO2

Requirements for Proper Operation of Caldon Gas Meters

In order that Caldon gas meters are able to properly receive and measure the transmitted signals,
there are requirements in terms of minimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and maximum amplification
(gain) that can be supplied by the electronics. The requirements are set as a minimum SNR of 10
and a maximum gain of 70 dB. In the calculation tool, warnings levels are shown for gain > 64 dB
and SNR < 20.

Once the SNR values have been calculated it is also possible to evaluate the measurement
uncertainty. Full details of these calculations are proprietary to Cameron, but example calculations
are provided below to illustrate the effects of CO2 on meter performance for specific application
conditions.
Gain Calculations and Meter Size Effects

The primary requirement for operation of the meter is that it can supply sufficient amplification to
obtain the correct amplitude of signal prior to the next stage of signal processing. As the long paths
nearer the centre of the pipe are most affected by absorption effects, the additional gain required
for the long paths when CO2 is present is higher than that required for the short paths. Therefore
only the long paths are studied here.

Figures 3 below shows the expected Gain for a 12 inch meter size at 20, 40 and 60 bar, in the
absence of CO2 (this example is calculated with conservative assumptions for pure methane). It can
be observed that even without CO2 present, higher gain is required at lower pressures, owing to the
lower density of the gas and the impact of density on transducer transmission losses when the signal
is entering and leaving the gas.

80

70

60
Long path gain (dB)

50

40

30 20 bar result
40 bar result
20 60 bar result
High gain warning
10
Gain Limit

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Flow velocity (m/s)

Figure 3 Gain vs Flow Velocity, 12-inch meter (long path) at three pressures (zero CO2)

Figure 4 shows the gain vs velocity plot for the same 12-inch meter but this time with 10 % CO 2. It
can be observed that although the gain has increased slightly for the 20 bar result, it is still below the
warning limit. This shows that for a relatively small meter, the influence of CO2 is not very important
until the CO2 content reaches a high level.
 80

70

60
Long path gain (dB)
50

40

30 20 bar result
40 bar result
20 60 bar result
High gain warning
10
Gain Limit

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Flow velocity (m/s)

Figure 4 Gain vs Flow Velocity, 12-inch meter (long path) at three pressures (10% CO2)

Now when we look at a larger sized meter we can see how the combined effects of CO 2 content and
pressure are more signficant. Figure 5 shows the gain versus flow velocity for a 24-inch meter at the
same pressures and level of CO2 content as shown in Figure 4. It can be observed that in the case of
this larger meter, the addition of 10 % CO2 has pushed the required gain over the limit for the 20 bar
pressure case. The gain values at 40 and 60 bar pressure are however still below the warning limit.

80

70

60
Long path gain (dB)

50

40

30 20 bar result
40 bar result
20 60 bar result
High gain warning
10
Gain Limit

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Flow velocity (m/s)

Figure 5 Gain vs Flow Velocity, 24-inch meter (long path) at three pressures (10% CO2)
Application Calculations

8” Meter, 79 bar, 6.64 % CO2

Figures 6a and 6b below show the gain and SNR calculated for the long paths in an 8-inch meter at
an application condition of 79 bar (abs) with 6.64 % CO2. It can be observed that the gain is well
below the warning limit and that the SNR is well above the minimum requirement. Also shown in
Figure 6c is the calculated estimate of the additional component of uncertainty required to account
for these particular application conditions. It can be observed that the influence on the
measurement uncertainty is minimal for velocities in the practical range of interest.

10000
80

70
1000
60
Long path gain (dB)

50 Long path SNR

100
40

30

20 10
Application Conditions
High gain warning Application Conditions
10 Low SNR warning
Gain Limit
SNR limit
0 1
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Flow velocity (m/s) Flow velocity (m/s)

Figure 6a Figure 6b

0.10%

0.08%
for application conditions
Uncertainty contribution

0.06%

0.04%

0.02%

0.00%
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Flow velocity (m/s)

Figure 6c
12” Meter, 61 bar, 5.36 % CO2

Figures 7a and 7b below show the gain and SNR calculated for the long paths in a 12-inch meter at
an application condition of 61 bar (abs) with 5.36 % CO2. It can be observed that the gain is well
below the limit and that the SNR is well above the minimum requirement. Also shown in Figure 7c is
the calculated estimate of the additional component of uncertainty required to account for these
particular application conditions. It can be observed that the influence on the measurement
uncertainty is minimal for velocities in the practical range of interest.

1000
80

70

60
100
Long path gain (dB)

Long path SNR

50

40

30 Application Conditions 10

20 High gain warning Application Conditions

Low SNR warning
10 Gain Limit SNR limit

0 1
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Flow velocity (m/s) Flow velocity (m/s)

Figure 7a Figure 7b

0.10%

0.08%
for application conditions
Uncertainty contribution

0.06%

0.04%

0.02%

0.00%
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Flow velocity (m/s)

Figure 7c