Biogas becomes natural gas

Before biogas can be fed into the natural gas grid it has to be indistinguishable from natural gas. There are certain technical boundary requirements that have to be observed when bio in is fed into a natural gas grid. The calorific value has to correspond to that of the natural gas in the transmission grid. Only then is it suitable for the various natural gas applications, all of which are exactly adjusted to the local gas quality. The spectrum ranges from natural gas heating in homes via industrial applications with complex production processes through to use in gas engines for the stationary generation of electricity and heat or as drive energy for vehicles.

Natural gas is the standard.

The technology reacts very sensitively to any fluctuations in the quality of the natural gas in all of these cases. Fluctuations in the quality would affect the efficiency of the plants and machinery and unnecessarily pollute the environment. Safety could also be jeopardised if gas is not fully combusted, for example, and carbon monoxide is produced. The Wobbe index of the mixture of biogas and natural gas may fluctuate by +0.7/-1.4 (nominal value 15 kWh/m3) for H-gas and by +0.6/-1.4 (nominal value 12.4 kWh/m3) for L-gas according to the DVGW rules.

Fairness in the settlement of accounts is guaranteed.

Irrespective of possible technical problems, an uncontrollable mixture of gases with different energy contents in a distribution grid cannot be reconciled with the calibration law. The settlement calorific value may only fluctuate by 1 percent. The calibration law stipulates an assignment of the calorific value of the supplied gas to each specific user so as to protect consumers. This is the only way to ensure a fair settlement of accounts so that every natural gas customer only pays for the energy amount they have actually received.

Mixing makes biogas compatible with plants and machinery and the calibration law.

We have developed a technical solution together with the Gaswärmeinstitut (GWI), Essen, that makes the biogas generated in an eco-friendly way compatible with natural gas in our market area. You can obtain further information on achieving L-gas and H-gas quality from our contact partner in grid sales. Please contact us.