Beckett CG50 Estimating Rate, Clocking a Gas Meter, Uncorrected Flow Rate, Pressure Correction

Section: Start the Burner

Estimating Rate

Manifold to Furnace Pressure information can be used to estimate the burner’s firing rate when it is not possible to clock a meter for the rate.

To estimate the burner’s firing rate:

○Measure the furnace pressure over fire

○Measure the manifold pressure (at the manifold pressure test connection).

○Subtract the furnace pressure from the manifold pressure

○Compare the result to the data in Figures 14A, 14B, or 14C as appropriate for your burner.

Clocking a Gas Meter

Before you clock the meter you must make sure that the burner is operating at a steady rate, and that it is the only thing that is using gas that would flow through the meter.

Uncorrected Flow Rate

○Locate the dial that moves the fastest and determine how many cubic feet are represented by one revolution of its dial.

○Use your watch for timing and observe how many cubic feet are used in one minute.

○Multiply by 60

Example: The dial is a one cubic foot dial, and goes around 7 ½ times in one minute. That gives 7.5 cubic feet per minute. Multiply by 60 to get 450 cubic feet per hour (CFH) as your uncorrected flow rate.

Pressure Correction

Gas is compressible, the higher the pressure on it, the smaller the number of cubic feet it occupies. To correct for that you will need to know the gas pressure at the meter.

○If there’s a gauge at the meter, read it while the gas is flowing. (If not, measure the gas pressure in the line downstream of the meter before any valves or regulators, with no gas flowing.)

○Convert the gas pressure to PSI if you measure it in any other units. (1 PSI = 27.7 inches water column)

○Add 14.7 to the meter pressure, divide their sum by 14.7, and multiply that result times the uncorrected flow rate to obtain the pressure corrected flow rate.

Example: The meter in the example above is operating at 14” WC.

14 / 27.7 = 0.5 PSI at the gauge; 14.7 + 0.5 =15.2; 15.2 / 14.7 = 1.034 correction factor;

1.034 x 450 = 465 CFH corrected for pressure

Temperature Correction

Gas volume also changes with the temperature of the gas. Most gas meters are temperature compensated. They say so on the face of the index and don’t require temperature correction. The temperature we correct to is 60° F. That’s close to the temperature of the ground, so usually it’s not necessary to correct for temperature from underground lines.

○Measure the gas temperature at the meter.

○Add 460 to the gas temperature and divide 520 by the result to obtain the correction factor.

○Multiply the pressure corrected flow rate times the temperature correction factor.

Example: The meter in the example is connected to an above ground line on a hot day and shows 100° F gas temperature. 460 + 100 = 560; 520 / 560 = 0.929; 465 x 0.929 = 432 CFH corrected for pressure and temperature. This figure is often called SCFH (for standard cubic feet per hour).

BTU’s and MBH

Natural Gas

The BTU content of natural gas varies from one location to another, and even from day to day at a fixed location. For firing estimates it is usually assumed to be 1000 BTU’s per standard cubic foot.

To calculate BTU/Hr firing rates multiply SCFH times 1000.

Example: 432 SCFH x 1000 = 432,000 BTU/Hr. MBH stands for thousands of BTU’s per hour. Since

1 cubic foot of natural gas contains 1000 BTU, 1 MBH equals 1 SCFH of gas flow.

Example: 432 SCFH = 1,080 MBH

LP (Liquified Petroleum) Gas

The BTU content of LP gas varies with the relative quantities of propane and butane in each delivery of gas and changes as liquid level in the tank falls. For firing estimates it is usually assumed to be 2,500 BTUs per standard cubic foot.

To calculate BTU/Hr firing rates multiply SCFH times 2,500.

Example: 432 SCFH x 2500 = 1,080,000 BTU/Hr. MBH stands for thousands of BTU’s per hour. Since 1 cubic foot of propane gas contains 2,500 BTU, 1 MBH equals 0.4 SCFH of gas flow.

Example: 432 SCFH = 1,080 MBH

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