Economic Analysis of the Transformation of Natural Gas Meters in Smart Cities

Abstract

With the start of natural gas use in Türkiye, mechanical diaphragm meters were first used to measure consumption and are still widely used in Türkiye. However, mechanical failures, pressure losses and time-dependent aging occur in mechanical diaphragm meters due to friction inside the meter. This situation causes pressure losses and increased energy consumption during gas transmission and indirectly increases carbon emissions. However, since ultrasonic meters do not contain moving mechanical parts, they consume less energy and have a longer life. This feature reduces the carbon footprint that occurs during the production and operation process. In recent years, energy management, efficient use of resources and sustainability have come to the fore in smart cities around the world.  A smart city is an urban area that uses different types of electronic IoT sensors to collect data and then uses the information obtained from this data to manage assets, resources and services efficiently. It is known that the initial investment costs of smart ultrasonic meters are higher than mechanical diaphragm meters. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse which of the mechanical diaphragm and smart ultrasonic meters is more economical, taking into account the initial investment costs and other factors. This study aims to compare the two meter types by examining initial investment, operational costs, and economic performance over their lifecycle. The evaluation is based on (PV), (FV), (BCR) methodologies. Findings indicate that, despite their higher upfront costs, smart ultrasonic meters are economically more viable in the long term due to lower operational expenses and longer lifespan. According to the literature research, it has been understood that there is no study on the contribution of natural gas meters to the economy if used in Turkey. With the development of smart cities, it has been determined what the economic impact of the transition to smart ultrasonic meters will be in Turkey.