Gas Standards (Natural Gas) Regulations 1999

 

Gas Standards (Natural Gas) Regulations 1999

CONTENTS

1.Citation1

2.Commencement1

3.Interpretation1

4.Standards for natural gas1

5.Odorizing natural gas3

6.Director may permit gas not to be odorized in a particular case3

Notes

 

Gas Standards Act 1972

Gas Standards (Natural Gas) Regulations 1999

1.Citation

These regulations may be cited as the Gas Standards (Natural Gas) Regulations 1999.

2.Commencement

These regulations come into operation on 1 May 1999.

3.Interpretation

In these regulations —

“gas supplier” means —

(a)an undertaker;

(b)a pipeline licensee;

(c)an operator of a reticulated gas supply system; or

(d)a person who supplies gas through a pressurized container;

“natural gas” means a hydrocarbon gas, in liquefied or vapour form, consisting mainly of methane.

4.Standards for natural gas

(1)A gas supplier must ensure that natural gas distributed to a consumer through gas mains and service lines or used for domestic purposes in compressor plants —

(a)has a Wobbe index that is not more than 51.0 and not less than 46.5;

(b)is free by normal commercial standards from dust and other solid or liquid matters, waxes, gums and gum forming constituents, aromatic hydrocarbons and radioactive components that might cause injury to or interfere with the proper operation of the equipment through which it flows;

(c)does not have a total sulphur content exceeding 50 mg per cubic metre of the gas;

(d)has a higher heating value produced by combustion of the gas of not less than 37.0 and not more than 41.0 megajoules per cubic metre of the gas;

(e)is odorized in accordance with regulation 5; and

(f)is subject to periodic sampling to determine the effectiveness of the odorizing.

(2)The gas supplier must ensure that records are kept of all sampling conducted under subregulation (1)(f).

(3)In this regulation —

“higher heating value” means the number of megajoules liberated when one cubic metre of natural gas is completely burnt in air under test conditions set down in ISO 6974 — 1984(E) for the analysis of the natural gas, using ISO 6976 — 1995(E) for the calculations from that analysis;

“ISO”, followed by a designation consisting of a number and a reference to a year, refers to the text, as from time to time amended and for the time being in force, of the document so designated, published by the International Organization for Standardization;

“Wobbe index” means the number obtained by using the following formula:

5.Odorizing natural gas

Natural gas must be odorized by the addition to the gas of an odorant, the nature and rate of which is approved from time to time by the Director so that —

(a)the gas has a distinctive, unpleasant and non‑persistent odour; and

(b)when the gas is discharged, the odour indicates throughout its discharge the presence of gas down to the lower explosive limit.

6.Director may permit gas not to be odorized in a particular case

Despite regulation 4(1)(e) the Director may, in a particular case or class of case, permit a gas supplier to distribute gas that is not odorized if —

(a)the gas is to be delivered for further processing or use; and

(b)the odorant would serve no useful purpose as a warning agent.

 

Notes

1This is a compilation of the Gas Standards (Natural Gas) Regulations 1999 and includes the amendments referred to in the following Table.

Compilation table

Citation

Gazettal

Commencement

Gas Standards (Natural Gas) Regulations 1999

27 Apr 1999 p. 1789-90

1 May 1999 (see regulation 2)