The Project - Biomethane to Grid Telemetry

The downturn in the supply of natural gas in the UK has encouraged the growth of other systems that can produce gas suitable for use within the gas grid.  There is currently a large number of biomethane systems in development or under construction within the UK, further encouraged by subsidies from the government.

A key feature of the monitoring system at a biomethane site is that it needs to combine information from a number of specialist systems, such as gas quality, odorant control and valve shutdown systems.  In some cases, the monitoring system also needs to handle quality feedback from the downstream site at which the biomethane gas enters the grid, to ensure it remains in tolerance.

Flexible and versatile support for diverse technical solutions

The DB1 RTU was installed at the very first biomethane site in the UK, at Didcot sewage works.  It is now the standard RTU being used by National Grid and Scotia Gas Networks on their biomethane sites.  It offers the flexibility to be compatible with various systems found at these sites, as well as providing the option of GPRS links to the remote monitoring point.

Client Problem

• New development sites requiring an experienced understanding of telemetry
• A wide range of systems to be integrated
• A standardised package required to allow rapid deployment

Brightwell Solution

• DB1 RTU at biomethane site communicating with other specialised systems
• Optional GPRS point to point link to another DB1 RTU that monitors the gas quality sat the point at which the gas enters the network
• Proven solution used by all UKgas networks
• Flexible, simple development of site configurations