Modeling of the flow comparator as calibration device for high pressure natural gas flow metering in Modelica

The German national metrological institute, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, is developing a new concept a for a volumetric primary standard to calibrate high pressure gas flow meters. The TUHH is supporting these Research & Development activities with its competence to elaborate computational models for detailed analysis of complex electromechanical systems including fluid flow aspects. The new primary standard is called Flow Comparator and uses an actively driven piston prover to measure the gas flow rate using the time the piston needs to displace a defined enclosed volume of gas in a cylinder. A computational model is developed in Modelica (R) to investigate the Flow Comparator's dynamic behavior and interaction with other components in the loop. The validation of the developed model shows good compliance with measured piston velocity and differential pressure at the piston. The model is used to optimize the frequency inverter's control voltage trajectory to increase the available calibration time.