With the rise of Europe’s sustainable economy, dedicated gas networks for carbon capture & storage and
hydrogen transport are being developed. In part, they consist of repurposed natural gas grids. Gas flow primary
standards that can provide directly traceable and accurate measurements at representative process conditions
applicable to the gas grid are scarce due to their cost intensity, and have historically developed only for natural gas. VSL’s high-pressure natural gas flow primary standard was established more than two decades ago to provide traceability at pressures up to 64 bar(a) and flow rates up to 230 m3 nearly pure CO2/h.
Recently, the usage of the standard for -gas was assessed. This paper will present the main operational and metrological requirements set when upgrading VSL’s high-pressure natural gas flow primary standard for use with CO2-gas and hydrogen blends with natural gas. Practical methods for fulfilling these requirements are presented and illustrated with examples. These findings will stimulate the development of primary gas flow standards and the realisation of direct traceability for the diverse set of energy transition gases.
