Ukrainian UGS facilities are being equipped with flow chromatographs for automatic measurement of gas quality

Modern flow chromatographs and moisture meters have started to be installed at five underground gas storage facilities in Ukraine. The new equipment will improve the process of measuring gas physical and chemical parameters, automate it, allow to more accurately determine the volumes of gas withdrawn or pumped from/into the gas storage. The cost of the current stage of the project is over UAH 90 million without VAT. In the future, such equipment will be installed on all Ukrainian underground storage facilities. 

The use of such chromatographs is an important step in ensuring the independent operation of SSO and TSO and meets the requirements of the UGS Code of Ukraine. 

Nowadays, the UGS laboratory employees check the quality of gas pumped into the UGS facilities and supplied therefrom. On average, they take gas samples once a day and conduct research on its physicochemical parameters. Instead, the new flow chromatographs in combination with moisture meters will be able to perform this operation automatically, in a constant mode, with fixing of the corresponding data at least once an hour. 

This year work on the installation of new equipment has begun at the Krasnopopivske, Oparske, Chervonopartyzanske, Bilche-Volytsko-Uherske and Solokhivske UGS facilities. Next year, similar equipment will be installed at the Dashavske and Uherske UGS facilities. 

“Installation of chromatographs at the underground gas storage facilities is important for us in several ways. On the one hand, next year Ukraine plans to switch to gas metering in energy units. Therefore, more attention will be paid to the quality of gas, its calorific value, and other physicochemical parameters.  The new equipment significantly increases the efficiency of control and speed of data processing.  At the same time, chromatographs and equipment of new gas metering points are being installed in accordance with the UGS Code of Ukraine, and meet EU gas market standards.  Also, this project is an essential component of a ten-year program to modernize equipment and automate production processes at underground storage facilities,” – commented Serhiy Pereloma, Acting General Director of Ukrtransgaz.