Calorific value derivation system

Abstract

A calorific value derivation system is provided with a gas supply facility having a first transmission control unit for transmitting gas component information to a center server, a center server having: an information calculation unit for calculating the gas component information of the gas supply facility, and a gas meter for calculating the gas component information of the gas supply facility; a calculation unit that calculates fuel gas heat relationship information indicating a relationship between a characteristic of the fuel gas and a heat generation amount on the basis of the fuel gas component information, and recalculates the fuel gas heat relationship information in accordance with a change in the fuel gas component information; and a second transmission control unit that transmits the gas heat relationship information to a gas meter, the gas meter having: a flow rate measurement unit that measures the flow rate of the gas on the basis of the characteristics of the gas; a heat coefficient calculation unit that calculates a heat coefficient on the basis of the gas heat relationship information; a calorific value acquisition unit that acquires instantaneous calorific values on the basis of the flow rate of the fuel gas and the calorific value coefficient, and that acquires the calorific value of the fuel gas by integrating the instantaneous calorific values at predetermined time intervals; and a third transmission control unit that transmits the flow rate and the heat generation amount to the center server.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a heat extraction system for extracting the calorific value of gas at a gas meter. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, in gas meters, there was a known heat output device that outputs the attenuation rate of ultrasonic waves, outputs the composition of the gas flowing in the gas flow path based on the output attenuation rate, and outputs the heat output of the gas based on the composition (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6586351 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, gas meters need additional features not typically included, such as the measurement of ultrasonic attenuation rates and the extraction of gas composition. This increases the cost of the gas meter and also its power consumption. Furthermore, the composition of the gas varies over time, necessitating highly accurate extraction of the gas's calorific value.

[0008] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a heat extraction system that can accurately extract heat while suppressing costs.

[0009] Solution for solving the problem

[0010] The disclosed calorific value extraction system includes a gas supply facility, a central server, and a gas meter. The system further includes: a first communication unit, located within or separately from the gas supply facility, for communicating with external systems; a second communication unit, built into or separately from the central server, for communicating with external systems; and a third communication unit, built into or separately from the gas meter, for communicating with external systems. The gas supply facility has a first transmission control unit, which controls the transmission of the composition information of the supplied gas to the central server via the first communication unit. The central server includes an information calculation unit, which calculates a representation of the gas composition information obtained via the second communication unit. The system includes: a gas calorific value information relating the characteristics of the gas to its calorific value, and a gas calorific value information recalculated based on changes in the composition of the gas; a second transmission control unit that controls the transmission of the gas calorific value information to the gas meter via a second communication unit, the gas meter comprising: a flow measurement unit that measures the flow rate of the gas based on the characteristics of the gas; a calorific value calculation unit that calculates a calorific value based on the gas calorific value information obtained via the third communication unit; a calorific value acquisition unit that acquires the instantaneous calorific value based on the gas flow rate and the calorific value, and accumulates the instantaneous calorific value at predetermined intervals to acquire the calorific value of the gas; and a third transmission control unit that controls the transmission of the flow rate and the calorific value to the central server via the third communication unit.

[0011] According to this disclosure, the gas supply facility sends gas composition information to a central server. Then, the central server's information calculation unit calculates gas calorific value information based on the gas composition information. Furthermore, the information calculation unit updates the gas calorific value information according to changes in the gas composition information. Next, the gas meter's calorific value calculation unit calculates the calorific value coefficient based on the gas calorific value information. The gas meter's calorific value acquisition unit acquires the instantaneous calorific value and accumulates it to obtain the total calorific value. Since the gas calorific value information, calculated based on the gas composition information sent from the gas supply facility, is sent from the central server to the gas meter, it is not necessary to add a gas composition extraction function to the gas meter as in the past. This suppresses or prevents increases in the cost of the gas meter and its power consumption. Furthermore, since the central server updates the gas calorific value information according to changes in the gas composition information and sends it to the gas meter, the calorific value of the gas can be extracted with high accuracy even if the gas composition varies over time. Therefore, high-accuracy calorific value extraction is possible while suppressing costs.

[0012] In the above disclosure, the gas meter may also include: a first gas meter disposed in a first supply path; a second gas meter disposed in the first supply path at a position downstream of the first gas meter; and a third gas meter disposed in a second supply path branching off from the portion downstream of the first gas meter in the first supply path. The central server further includes a proportional allocation acquisition unit, which acquires the heat generated by proportionally allocating the heat generated received from the first gas meter based on the ratio of the cumulative value of the flow received from the second gas meter to the cumulative value of the flow received from the third gas meter, and uses the heat generated from the other portion as the heat generated at the third gas meter.

[0013] Based on the above structure, in a configuration where a first gas meter is installed and multiple gas meters (a second gas meter and a third gas meter) are installed downstream of the first gas meter, the heat output of the second and third gas meters can be obtained simply by acquiring the heat output of the first gas meter. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the heat output of the second and third gas meters located at the end separately, thereby reducing costs.

[0014] In the above disclosure, the gas supply facility may also include a first gas supply facility and a second gas supply facility as multiple gas supply facilities supplying gas to one gas meter. The central server further comprises: an information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the characteristics of the gas based on the composition information of the gas supplied by the first gas supply facility as first information, and acquires information related to the characteristics of the gas based on the composition information of the gas supplied by the second gas supply facility as second information; and a discrimination unit that receives information related to the characteristics of the gas related to the gas supplied to the gas meter via a second communication unit as reference information, and determines which gas supply facility, the first gas supply facility or the second gas supply facility, supplies the gas to the gas meter based on a comparison of the reference information with the first information and a comparison of the reference information with the second information. The second transmission control unit, based on the discrimination result of the discrimination unit, sends one of the gas heat relationship information related to the gas supplied by the first gas supply facility and the gas heat relationship information related to the gas supplied by the second gas supply facility to the gas meter.

[0015] According to the above structure, the discrimination unit determines, based on a comparison of reference information with first information and a comparison of the reference information with second information, which gas supply facility, either the first or the second, supplies the gas to the gas meter. Then, the second transmission control unit, based on the discrimination unit's determination result, sends one of the gas calorific value relationships—one related to the gas supplied by the first gas supply facility and the other related to the gas supplied by the second gas supply facility—to the gas meter. Thus, the gas meter can obtain the gas calorific value relationship information corresponding to the currently supplied gas and can also calculate the calorific value with high accuracy.

[0016] The effects of the invention

[0017] According to this disclosure, a heat extraction system can be provided that can extract heat with high precision while suppressing costs. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a heat removal system according to one embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information about the composition of natural gas.

[0020] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of information related to the heat relationship of gas.

[0021] Figure 4 It is shown by Figure 1 The flowchart shows the process of heat removal from the system.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a heat removal system according to one embodiment.

[0023] Figure 6 It is shown by Figure 5 The flowchart shows the process of heat removal from the system.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a heat removal system according to one embodiment.

[0025] Figure 8 (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the first information. Figure 8 (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the second information. Figure 8 (c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of basic information.

[0026] Figure 9 It is shown by Figure 7The flowchart shows the process of heat removal from the system. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The heat dissipation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The heat dissipation system described below is merely one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiment, and additions, deletions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0028] (First Implementation)

[0029] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the heat dissipation system 100 according to this embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the heat removal system 100 includes a gas supply facility 10, a central server 20, and a gas meter 30. The gas meter 30 can be installed corresponding to each residential unit's needs. Furthermore, in Figure 1 The example shows a gas meter 30 and a gas supply facility 10, but in the heat output system 100, there may be more than two gas meters 30 and gas supply facilities 10.

[0030] The gas supply facility 10 includes a first transmission unit 11 (equivalent to a first transmission control unit), a first communication unit 12, and a composition measurement unit 13. The central server 20 includes a second communication unit 21, an information calculation unit 22, a second transmission unit 23 (equivalent to a second transmission control unit), and a storage unit 24. The gas meter 30 includes, for example, an ultrasonic flow measurement unit 31, a third communication unit 32, a calorific value calculation unit 33, a calorific value acquisition unit 34, a third transmission unit 35 (equivalent to a third transmission control unit), and a storage unit 36. Gas supplied from the gas supply facility 10 flows to the flow measurement unit 31 of the gas meter 30 via a first supply path 50. Furthermore, the first transmitting unit 11 of the gas supply facility 10, the information calculation unit 22 and the second transmitting unit 23 of the central server 20, and the heat coefficient calculation unit 33, heat generation acquisition unit 34, and the third transmitting unit 35 of the gas meter 30 are functionally implemented using a microcontroller or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). This microcontroller includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory storing programs (ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory)). The proportional allocation acquisition unit 25, the information acquisition unit 26, and the discrimination unit 27, described later, are also implemented in this way. Additionally, various types of memory or hard disks can be used as storage units 24 and 36.

[0031] The components will now be described. The first communication unit 12 of the gas supply facility 10 communicates with the outside world. Specifically, the first communication unit 12 wirelessly communicates with the second communication unit 21 of the central server 20. The wireless communication method between the first communication unit 12 and the second communication unit 21 can be, for example, using a communication network such as the Internet, LAN, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area Network), or Wi-Fi. Furthermore, the wireless communication method between the second communication unit 21 and the third communication unit 32 of the gas meter 30 is the same as described above.

[0032] The composition measuring unit 13 measures the composition of the gas supplied to the gas meter 30. The composition measuring unit 13 measures the composition of the gas periodically. For example, the composition measuring unit 13 measures the composition of the gas every hour. The composition measuring unit 13 obtains... Figure 2 The composition information I1 of the gas shown is as described. (e.g.) Figure 2 As shown, the composition information I1 of the gas is information in which each of the multiple components contained in the gas accounts for a certain percentage of the total volume. Figure 2 The gas composition information I1 includes composition information at 12 o'clock and 13 o'clock. Furthermore, the gas composition information I1 can also include composition information at irregular intervals.

[0033] The first transmitting unit 11 controls the transmission of the gas composition information I1 to the central server 20 via the first communication unit 12. In this case, the first transmitting unit 11 periodically transmits the gas composition information I1 to the central server 20. For example, the first transmitting unit 11 transmits the gas composition information I1 to the central server 20 every hour.

[0034] The second communication unit 21 of the central server 20 communicates wirelessly with the first communication unit 12 of the gas supply facility 10. The information calculation unit 22 calculates gas calorific value information I2, representing the relationship between the characteristics of the gas and its calorific value, based on the gas composition information I1 obtained via the second communication unit 21. Figure 3 ).like Figure 3As shown, the gas heat relationship information I2 indicates, for example, that the larger the propagation time value, the greater the heat generation. The information calculation unit 22, using a known method, calculates the gas heat relationship information I2 based on the gas molecular information (based on the gas composition information I1), using the propagation time of ultrasound at a temperature of 0 degrees and a pressure of 1 atm as information related to the gas characteristics, and calculates the gas heat relationship information I2 representing the relationship between the calculated propagation time and the gas heat generation. Furthermore, the information calculation unit 22 recalculates the gas heat relationship information I2 based on changes in the gas composition information I1. That is, the information calculation unit 22 updates the gas heat relationship information I2. In this case, it is also possible to... Figure 2 The gas heat relationship information I2 is updated when at least one of the components in the gas composition information I1 changes by ±1% by volume. Alternatively, the gas heat relationship information I2 can be updated when a change of ±1% occurs during the propagation time.

[0035] The second transmitting unit 23 controls the transmission of gas heat relationship information I2 to the gas meter 30 via the second communication unit 21. The storage unit 24 stores gas composition information I1, gas heat relationship information I2, the cumulative value of gas flow rate at the gas meter 30, and the cumulative value of gas calorific value at the gas meter 30, etc.

[0036] The third communication unit 32 of the gas meter 30 communicates wirelessly with the second communication unit 21 of the central server 20. Alternatively, the third communication unit 32 of the gas meter 30 can also communicate wiredly with the second communication unit 21 of the central server 20.

[0037] The flow measurement unit 31 measures the flow rate of the gas based on the characteristics of the gas. Specifically, the flow measurement unit 31 is an ultrasonic flow measurement unit that calculates the gas velocity based on the propagation time of the ultrasonic waves. The flow measurement unit 31 calculates the gas flow rate based on the gas velocity and using a known formula.

[0038] The heat coefficient calculation unit 33 calculates the heat coefficient based on the aforementioned gas heat relationship information I2 obtained via the third communication unit 32. In this regard, the heat coefficient is calculated by considering the heat (per 1m³) 3 The calorific value of the gas is obtained by multiplying the energy (also known as the calorific value) by the gas flow rate (volume). The calorific value calculation unit 33 obtains the calorific value based on the gas calorific value relationship information I2 sent from the central server 20, according to the propagation time, and calculates the calorific value based on the calorific value and the flow rate.

[0039] The calorific value acquisition unit 34 acquires the calorific value at predetermined intervals based on the gas flow rate (instantaneous flow rate) and the calorific value coefficient, and uses this as the instantaneous calorific value. Specifically, the calorific value acquisition unit 34 acquires the instantaneous calorific value by multiplying the instantaneous gas flow rate by the calorific value coefficient. Alternatively, the calorific value acquisition unit 34 can also acquire the instantaneous calorific value from a table representing the relationship between instantaneous flow rate and calorific value coefficient that is pre-stored in the storage unit 36. Furthermore, the calorific value acquisition unit 34 acquires the gas calorific value as a cumulative value by accumulating the instantaneous calorific value at predetermined intervals.

[0040] The third transmitting unit 35 controls the transmission of the obtained flow rate and calorific value, as described above, to the central server 20 via the third communication unit 32. The storage unit 36 ​​stores the instantaneous flow rate, calorific value, instantaneous calorific value, and cumulative calorific value of the gas.

[0041] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the process performed by the heat removal system 100. (Example) Figure 4 As shown, the composition measuring unit 13 of the gas supply facility 10 measures the composition of the gas and acquires the gas composition information I1 (step S1). Then, the first transmitting unit 11 sends the gas composition information I1 to the central server 20 (step S2).

[0042] Next, the information calculation unit 22 of the central server 20 calculates the gas heat relationship information I2 based on the acquired gas composition information I1 (step S3). Then, the second sending unit 23 sends the gas heat relationship information I2 to the gas meter 30 (step S4).

[0043] The flow measurement unit 31 of the gas meter 30 measures the flow rate of the gas (step S5). Next, the calorific value acquisition unit 34 acquires the calorific value at predetermined intervals based on the gas flow rate (instantaneous flow rate) and the calorific value coefficient as the instantaneous calorific value, and accumulates the instantaneous calorific value at predetermined intervals to obtain the cumulative value of the calorific value (step S6).

[0044] Next, the third sending unit 35 sends the acquired flow rate and heat generation to the central server 20 (step S7). Then, the storage unit 24 of the central server 20 stores the cumulative value of the gas flow rate and the cumulative value of the gas heat generation at each gas meter 30 (step S8).

[0045] As described above, in the calorific value extraction system 100 according to this embodiment, the gas supply facility 10 sends gas composition information I1 to the central server 20. Then, the information calculation unit 22 of the central server 20 calculates gas calorific value relationship information I2 based on the gas composition information I1. In addition, the information calculation unit 22 updates the gas calorific value relationship information I2 according to changes in the gas composition information I1. Next, the calorific value coefficient calculation unit 33 of the gas meter 30 calculates the calorific value coefficient based on the gas calorific value relationship information I2. Then, the calorific value acquisition unit 34 acquires the instantaneous calorific value and acquires the calorific value obtained by accumulating the instantaneous calorific value. In this way, since the gas calorific value relationship information I2 calculated based on the gas composition information I1 sent from the gas supply facility 10 is sent from the central server 20 to the gas meter 30, it is not necessary to add a gas composition extraction function to the gas meter 30 as in the past. As a result, it is possible to suppress or prevent the increase in cost of the gas meter 30 and the increase in power consumption of the gas meter 30. Furthermore, the central server 20 updates the gas calorific value information I2 based on changes in the gas composition information I1 and sends it to the gas meter 30. Therefore, even if the gas composition varies over time, the calorific value of the gas can be derived with high accuracy. Moreover, although the information calculation unit 22 updates the gas calorific value information I2 based on changes in the gas composition information I1 as described above, if gas pressure variations are also considered, the calorific value of the gas can be derived with even higher accuracy.

[0046] (Second Implementation)

[0047] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating the heat dissipation system 200 according to the second embodiment. Figure 5 In the middle, regarding the above Figure 1 The same constituent elements are labeled with the same reference numerals, and descriptions are omitted unless otherwise specified.

[0048] like Figure 5 As shown, the heat output system 200 differs from the heat output system 100 of the first embodiment in that it includes: a gas meter 130 disposed in the first supply path 50; a gas meter 131 disposed in the first supply path 50 at a position downstream of the gas meter 130; and a gas meter 132 disposed in a second supply path 51 branching off from the portion of the first supply path 50 downstream of the gas meter 130. Another difference is that the central server 20A has a proportional allocation acquisition unit 25. Furthermore, gas meter 130 corresponds to the first gas meter, gas meter 131 corresponds to the second gas meter, and gas meter 132 corresponds to the third gas meter.

[0049] Gas meter 130 acquires the cumulative value of the calorific value of the gas in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Gas meters 131 and 132 may not acquire their own cumulative calorific value. The proportional allocation acquisition unit 25 receives the cumulative value of the gas flow rate from gas meter 131, the cumulative value of the gas flow rate from gas meter 132, and the cumulative value of the calorific value from gas meter 130. Then, the proportional allocation acquisition unit 25 acquires the calorific value obtained by proportionally allocating the calorific value received from gas meter 130 based on the ratio of the cumulative value of the flow rate received from gas meter 131 to the cumulative value of the flow rate received from gas meter 132, and uses the calorific value of the other portion as the calorific value at gas meter 131. For example, when the cumulative heat generation from gas meter 130 is set to 10, and the ratio of the cumulative flow rate received from gas meter 131 to the cumulative flow rate received from gas meter 132 is set to 4:1, the proportional allocation acquisition unit 25 acquires 8 heat generation at gas meter 131 and 2 heat generation at gas meter 132. Furthermore, the storage unit 24 stores the heat generation data acquired by the proportional allocation acquisition unit 25 from gas meters 130, 131, and 132, respectively. Additionally, there may be three or more gas meters located downstream of gas meter 130.

[0050] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the process performed by the heat removal system 200. (Example) Figure 6 As shown, the composition measuring unit 13 of the gas supply facility 10 measures the composition of the gas and acquires the gas composition information I1 (step S11). Then, the first transmitting unit 11 sends the gas composition information I1 to the central server 20A (step S12).

[0051] Next, the information calculation unit 22 of the central server 20A calculates the gas heat relationship information I2 based on the acquired gas composition information I1 (step S13). Then, the second sending unit 23 sends the gas heat relationship information I2 to the gas meter 130 (step S14).

[0052] The flow measurement units 31 of gas meters 130, 131, and 132 measure the flow rate of the gas (step S15). Next, the heat generation acquisition unit 34 of gas meter 130 acquires the heat generation at predetermined intervals based on the gas flow rate (instantaneous flow rate) and the heat coefficient as instantaneous heat generation, and accumulates the instantaneous heat generation at predetermined intervals to obtain the cumulative value of heat generation (step S16).

[0053] Next, the third transmitting unit 35 of gas meter 130 sends the acquired flow rate and calorific value to the central server 20A, and the third transmitting units 35 of gas meters 131 and 132 send the acquired flow rate to the central server 20A (step S17). Then, the proportional allocation acquiring unit 25 of the central server 20A, based on the ratio of the cumulative value of the flow rate received from gas meter 131 to the cumulative value of the flow rate received from gas meter 132, proportionally allocates the calorific value received from gas meter 130 to the calorific value at gas meter 131 and gas meter 132. Then, the storage unit 24 stores the cumulative value of the gas flow rate at gas meters 131 and 132 and the proportionally allocated calorific value (step S18).

[0054] Thus, according to the second embodiment, in a structure where a gas meter 130 is installed and multiple gas meters 30 (gas meters 131 and gas meters 132) are installed downstream of the gas meter 130, the calorific value of each gas meter 131 and gas meter 132 can be obtained simply by acquiring the cumulative value of the calorific value at the gas meter 130 and the cumulative value of the flow rate at the gas meters 131 and 132. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate the calorific value separately for the gas meters 131 and 132 located at the end, thereby reducing costs.

[0055] (Third Implementation)

[0056] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating the heat dissipation system 300 according to the third embodiment. Additionally, Figure 8 (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the first information If1, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the second information If2, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the basic information Ifb. Furthermore, in Figure 7 In the middle, regarding the above Figure 1 The same constituent elements are labeled with the same reference numerals, and descriptions are omitted unless otherwise specified.

[0057] like Figure 7 As shown, the calorific value removal system 300 differs from the calorific value removal system 100 of the first embodiment in that it has multiple gas supply facilities 10 that supply gas to a gas meter 30, and a central server 20B with an information acquisition unit 26 and a discrimination unit 27. Figure 7In this system, there are multiple gas supply facilities 10, including a first gas supply facility 110 and a second gas supply facility 111. Alternatively, there may be three or more gas supply facilities 10. The first gas supply facility 110 is connected to the gas meter 30 via a first supply path 50. The second gas supply facility 111 is connected to the first supply path 50 via a second supply path 52. Thus, the second gas supply facility 111 is interconnected with the gas meter 30 via the second supply path 52 and a portion of the first supply path 50. In this way, two gas supply facilities 10 are connected to one gas meter 30.

[0058] The central server 20B has an information acquisition unit 26 and a discrimination unit 27. The information acquisition unit 26 calculates information related to the characteristics of the gas, such as the propagation time of ultrasonic waves at a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius and a pressure of 1 atm, based on the gas composition information I1 transmitted from the first gas supply facility 110. Figure 8 The time-varying changes shown in (a) are used as the first information If1. Additionally, the information acquisition unit 26 calculates the propagation time of the ultrasonic waves at a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius based on the gas composition information I1 transmitted from the second gas supply facility 111, as information related to the characteristics of the gas, and acquires the propagation time as shown in (a). Figure 8 The time-varying changes shown in (b) are used as the second information If2.

[0059] The discrimination unit 27 acquires the time-varying propagation time of information related to gas characteristics transmitted from the gas meter 30 as reference information Ifb. Then, based on a comparison of the reference information Ifb with first information If1 and a comparison of the reference information Ifb with second information If2, the discrimination unit 27 determines which of the first and second gas supply facilities, 110 and 11, the gas supplied to the gas meter 30 is from. In this case, Figure 8 The first information of (a) If1 and Figure 8 In the second information If2 of (b), with Figure 8 The basic information Ifb of (c) is consistent with the first information If1. Therefore, the discrimination unit 27 outputs the first gas supply facility 110 as the discrimination result.

[0060] Based on the determination result of the determination unit 27, the second sending unit 23 sends one of the gas heat relationship information I2, namely the gas heat relationship information I2 involving the gas supplied by the first gas supply facility 110 and the gas heat relationship information I2 involving the gas supplied by the second gas supply facility 111, to the gas meter 30. If... Figure 8For example, the second transmitting unit 23 sends the gas heat relationship information I2 related to the first gas supply facility 110 to the gas meter 30. Furthermore, there may be two or more central servers 20B.

[0061] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the process performed by the heat removal system 300. (Example) Figure 9 As shown, the composition measuring unit 13 of either gas supply facility 110 or 111 measures the composition of the gas and acquires the composition information I1 (step S21). Then, the first transmitting unit 11 sends the composition information I1 to the central server 20B (step S22).

[0062] Next, the information calculation unit 22 of the central server 20B calculates the gas heat relationship information I2 based on the acquired composition information I1 (step S23). Then, the second sending unit 23 sends the gas heat relationship information I2 to the gas meter 30 (step S24).

[0063] The flow measurement unit 31 of the gas meter 30 measures the flow rate of the gas (step S25). Next, the calorific value acquisition unit 34 acquires the calorific value at predetermined intervals based on the gas flow rate (instantaneous flow rate) and the calorific value coefficient as the instantaneous calorific value, and accumulates the instantaneous calorific value at predetermined intervals to obtain the cumulative value of the calorific value (step S26).

[0064] Next, the third sending unit 35 sends the acquired flow rate and heat generation to the central server 20B (step S27). Then, the discrimination unit 27 determines the gas supply facility 10 as the supply source based on a comparison between the reference information Ifb acquired as described above and the first information If1 acquired by the information acquisition unit 26, and a comparison between the reference information Ifb and the second information If2 acquired by the information acquisition unit 26 (step S28). Then, if the gas heat generation relationship information I2 related to the supply source in the discrimination result of the discrimination unit 27 differs from the gas heat generation relationship information I2 sent in step S24, the second sending unit 23 sends the gas heat generation relationship information I2 related to the discrimination result as update information to the gas meter 30 again (step S29).

[0065] Thus, according to the third embodiment, the discrimination unit 27 determines, based on a comparison of reference information Ifb with first information If1 and a comparison of reference information Ifb with second information If2, which gas supply facility, the first gas supply facility 110 or the second gas supply facility 111, supplies the gas to the gas meter 30. Then, the second sending unit 23, based on the discrimination result of the discrimination unit 27, sends one of the gas heat relationship information I2 related to the gas supplied by the first gas supply facility 110 and the gas heat relationship information I2 related to the gas supplied by the second gas supply facility 111 to the gas meter 30. Therefore, the gas meter 30 can obtain the gas heat relationship information I2 corresponding to the currently supplied gas and can also calculate the calorific value with high accuracy.

[0066] Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, as described below.

[0067] In the above embodiments, a third communication unit 32 is built into the gas meter 30, but this is not a limitation; the third communication unit 32 may also be installed independently of the gas meter 30. Furthermore, a first communication unit 12 is built into the gas supply facility 10, but the first communication unit 12 may also be installed independently of the gas supply facility 10. Additionally, a second communication unit 21 is built into the central server 20, but the second communication unit 21 may also be installed independently of the central server 20.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the gas heat relationship information I2 shows the correlation between the heat generation and the ultrasonic wave propagation time, which is information related to the characteristics of the gas. However, it is not limited to this. Other information related to the characteristics of the gas, such as the absorption rate of light waves, can also be used.

[0069] In addition, in the above embodiment, an ultrasonic flow measurement unit is used as the flow measurement unit 31, but it is not limited to this. Other types of flow measurement units, such as differential pressure flow meters and thermal flow meters, can also be used.

[0070] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0071] 10 Gas supply facilities

[0072] 11 First Sending Section

[0073] 12 First Ministry of Communications

[0074] 13. Composition Measurement Department

[0075] 20, 20A, 20B Central Servers

[0076] 21 Second Ministry of Communications

[0077] 22 Information Computing Department

[0078] 23 Second Sending Unit

[0079] 24 Storage Department

[0080] 25. Proportional allocation of acquisition department

[0081] 26. Information Acquisition Department

[0082] 27. Discriminant Department

[0083] 30 Gas Meters

[0084] 31 Flow Measurement Department

[0085] 32 Third Ministry of Communications

[0086] 33. Heat coefficient calculation department

[0087] 34 Heat Generation Acquisition Section

[0088] 35 Third Sending Department

[0089] 36 Storage Department

[0090] 50 First Supply Path

[0091] 51 Second Supply Path

[0092] 52 Second Supply Path

[0093] 100 Heat Dissipation System

[0094] 110 First Gas Supply Facility

[0095] 111 Second Gas Supply Facility

[0096] Gas meters 130, 131, and 132

[0097] I1 Composition information of fuel gas

[0098] Information on the relationship between I2 gas heat and heat.

Claims

1. A calorific value removal system, comprising gas supply facilities, a central server, and a gas meter, wherein the calorific value removal system further comprises: A first communication unit, which is located within or separately from the gas supply facility, is used for communicating with the outside. a second communication unit, which is built in the center server or provided separately from the center server, for communicating with the outside; as well as The third communication unit, which is either built into the gas meter or separately from the gas meter, is used for communication with external devices. The gas supply facility includes a first transmission control unit, which controls the transmission of the composition information of the supplied gas to the central server via a first communication unit. The central server has: The information calculation unit calculates gas heat relationship information representing the relationship between the characteristics of the gas and its calorific value based on the gas composition information obtained via the second communication unit, and recalculates the gas heat relationship information according to changes in the gas composition information. as well as The second transmission control unit controls the transmission of the gas heat relationship information to the gas meter via the second communication unit. The gas meter has the following features: A flow measurement unit that measures the flow rate of the gas based on the characteristics of the gas; The heat coefficient calculation unit calculates the heat coefficient based on the gas heat relationship information obtained via the third communication unit; The calorific value acquisition unit acquires the instantaneous calorific value based on the flow rate of the gas and the calorific value coefficient, and accumulates the instantaneous calorific value at predetermined intervals to acquire the calorific value of the gas. as well as The third transmission control unit controls the transmission of the flow rate and the heat generation to the central server via the third communication unit.

2. The heat removal system according to claim 1, wherein, The gas meter includes: The first gas meter is installed in the first supply path; A second gas meter is disposed downstream of the first gas meter in the first supply path; and The third gas meter is installed in the second supply path, which branches off from the first supply path downstream of the first gas meter. The central server also has a proportional allocation acquisition unit, which acquires the heat generated by proportionally allocating the heat generated received from the first gas meter based on the ratio of the cumulative value of the flow received from the second gas meter to the cumulative value of the flow received from the third gas meter, and uses the heat generated from the other party as the heat generated at the third gas meter.

3. The heat dissipation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The gas supply facilities include a first gas supply facility and a second gas supply facility as a plurality of gas supply facilities supplying gas to one of the gas meters. The central server also has: The information acquisition unit acquires information relating to the characteristics of the gas based on the composition information of the gas supplied by the first gas supply facility as first information, and acquires information relating to the characteristics of the gas based on the composition information of the gas supplied by the second gas supply facility as second information. as well as The discrimination unit receives information related to the characteristics of the gas supplied to the gas meter via the second communication unit as reference information. Based on a comparison of the reference information with the first information and a comparison of the reference information with the second information, it determines which of the first and second gas supply facilities the gas supplied to the gas meter originates from. The second transmission control unit, based on the determination result of the determination unit, sends one of the gas heat relationship information related to the gas supplied by the first gas supply facility and the gas heat relationship information related to the gas supplied by the second gas supply facility to the gas meter.

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