Smart Gas Meters by Cavagna Group
The Cavagna Group is able to offer a complete service in the gas supply chain, in terms of gas regulation and gas metering. As a matter of fact, thanks to its affiliate Mesura Metering’s product line, Cavagna Group supplies industrial gas meters and specific gas meters for residential use.
Mesura Metering produces two kinds of domestic gas meters: the diaphragm gas meter and the ultrasonic smart meter.
Ultrasonic Smart Gas Meter: what it is and how it can help you to better your business.
Using an Ultrasonic Smart Meter instead of a mechanical gas meter, you continue to gain the benefits of using your drivers effectively and avoiding run-outs, but you add a range of other features.
- High level of accuracy. A smart gas meter measures the volume of the gas consumed in a more precise way. Thanks to it, you stop guessing and you start to know exactly how much gas has been consumed and, if the gas is flowing properly or not. With the Ultrasonic Smart Meter you see when gas (lpg or natural gas) is being used, with no doubts.
- Smart management of your sources. Being aware of the gas volumes consumed, the consumption timing and meter’s position, you can manage your gas storage and transport in a more efficient way. At the same time, the end customer will receive a complete and on time supply service with precise billings calculated on what they effectively consume.
In summary, the gas is always where it needs to be, gas companies reduce their costs and final consumers pay a decent price.
Why you should go for Prodigi Smart Gas Meter
Prodigi is the ultrasonic smart gas meter, developed completely by Cavagna Group. Based on an ultrasonic principle, Prodigi incorporates a Panasonic’s innovative high performance sensor, manufactured to measure the volume of Natural Gas and LPG. It guarantees a maximum working pressure of 0.5 bar and a maximum flow rate of 6m³/h, in accordance with EN 14236.
Cavagna’s Ultrasonic Gas Meter features
The Cavagna Group’s Ultrasonic Smart Meter is the first smart gas meter and the only one in the world MID certified, both for LPG and natural gases. Moreover, Prodigi is the only one MID certified which is compliant with all existing mixtures of LPG. Therefore, as expressed in MID certification, Prodigi is available in different “rangeability” classes: G1.6, G2.5 e G4, but also with an “extended range” of 0,016 m³ to 6 m³.
Thanks to the high sensitivity of the ultrasonic sensor installed, this particular gas meter is able to measure the gas flow regardless of the thermodynamic state of the fluid and it is able to perceive even the lowest flow rates, hence also the pilots. Since it has no moving mechanical components, it is able to guarantee a minimum pressure loss, decreasing the possibility of measuring errors.
The only moving part on an Ultrasonic Smart Meter is the remotely operated solenoid shut-off valve. This feature allows the gas company to remotely shut off the meter, without the need to send a technician on site. This function is very useful in different cases. If a customer does not pay his/her bills or in case of a disaster, you can intervene immediately, eliminating your techs need to visit a hostile site.
The valve can be shut remotely but needs to be opened locally by a technician, for safety reasons. In fact, safety inspections are always recommended (in Italy they are mandatory) to be sure there are no gas leaks before reopening the gas flow.
Another important safety component is its stainless steel body: if something goes wrong and the gas reaches the meter with insufficient reduced pressure, Prodigi does not break, at most it becomes deformed.
Prodigi communicates with you
Once information is collected in regards to the gas measured, then it is time to get the insights. To do that it is necessary that gas meters directly speak to the gas company. But how?
One of the most important aspect is about the language gas meters use to communicate to various and different cloud data systems. For this reason, a standard communication protocol has been defined. We are talking about the DLMS (Device Language Message Specification) Protocol that allows gas meters from different manufacturers to be read universally. This means all data cloud platforms using a DLMS protocol are able to remotely control the meters connected with them.
Watch out: the DLMS protocol defines the machines language, data encryption and decryption processes but it is unrelated to the communication systems through which data transmission happens. There are 2 main types of communication technologies and Cavagna Group guarantees a complete service, regardless of the communication system customers need. As declared in MID certification, our Prodigi Ultrasonic Smart Meter can be equipped both with GSM, LoRaWAN or NB-Iot technologies. In particular, it has just got the LoRaWAN certificate, issued by LoRa Alliance, both for the European and American versions. To date, Prodigi by Cavagna Group is the first and only LoRa-certified smart gas meter.
In light of Prodigi ultrasonic smart meter features and benefits as expressed above, we can happily say that Cavagna Group offers a technological advanced solution, customisable on the basis of the customer’s specific needs, aiming to guarantee the best benefits-price ratio on the market.
