What I’ve Learned in Working with the Gas Utilities
I have provided the gas utilities with professional engineering services for the last 25 years. Working in the gas meter shop was very enlightening. I discovered important things that the natural gas customers don’t know and apparently don’t care to discover. However, as technology has developed, the utilities work hard to keep up in providing accurate supply and delivery for safe customer natural gas usage. To keep up the utility engineers have improved the purchasing specifications when they buy from the pressure regulator manufacturer or vendor. However, for the most part the utility meter shops depend on the suppliers to provide accurate and safe pressure regulators that meet their specifications. Many utilities built their own testing devices just to confirm that they meet the specifications or maybe just to set the set point at just a bit higher to assure that the user gets their money worth. Typically, the test devices used are water manometers to measure and set the delivery pressure. The test technicians often blew the water out of the manometer, and they had to “fix the problem” and get on with the testing. I think the manometer issue and higher delivery pressures has led many utilities to want to improve their in-testing process, particularly because pressure regulators now include the internal relief mechanism to relieve the delivery pressure if something gets lodged in the regulator and tends to over pressure delivery to the gas customer. This over pressure can cause severe damage to the customer’s facility and the utility is technically liable. So, the utilities are moving to provide meter shop in-testing to assure and document that internal relief works. About 15 years ago, my client Pacific Gas& Electric, asked me to upgrade and automate their meter shop pressure regulator in-testing process. That enable me to realize the importance of the meter shop in-testing process. Over the years I have improved the design of the Regulator Testing Machine (RTM) and have provided it to many utilities in the United States and Canada.My goal is to share what I have learned from the gas utilities and be ready to provide my expertise in support of accurate and safe meter set operation. Please let me know any questions you may have. Next month I will explore why utilities vary greatly in thinking that in-testing is the thing to do.
Peter Klock, P.E., Chief Engineer, ESC Engineering Services Co., Inc., (6750) 722-0176