CNG Custody Transfer Tracking & Data Management
When you move compressed natural gas (CNG) from one owner to another, every standard cubic foot is revenue. CNG custody transfer is not just about putting a “high-accuracy” CNG meter in the line—it’s about proving, day after day, that your numbers are right.
This application note explains how Clipper Controls helps design CNG custody transfer metering systems that combine:
- Custody-grade CNG flow measurement
- Proper pressure and temperature compensation
- Robust flow conditioning
- PLC/HMI-based tracking and batching
- Clean signal handoff to SCADA and business systems
So you get a measurement and data trail that commercial teams, auditors, and regulators can trust.
👉 Talk to a CNG custody transfer specialist about your metering run, tracking requirements, and audit-ready data trail.
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Where CNG custody transfer happens
CNG custody transfer typically occurs when:
- CNG is transferred from producers to midstream operators
- CNG is loaded into trailers or tube skids for over-the-road delivery
- CNG is delivered to industrial end users or satellite stations
In each case, you need more than a CNG meter:
- Accurate primary measurement of CNG flow, pressure, and temperature
- Consistent, documented corrections to standard conditions
- Traceable totals that match invoices and contracts
- Signal ownership and integrity when multiple stakeholders rely on the same measurements
Clipper Controls helps you design this entire chain—not just select a meter from a catalog.
Why CNG projects are moving from turbine to ultrasonic
In many new-build gas custody-transfer applications, especially on larger lines, multipath ultrasonic meters are increasingly selected over turbine meters because they deliver:
- No moving parts – no turbine blades to wear, foul, or stick
- Low pressure drop – preserving valuable pressure across the metering run
- Deep diagnostics – multipath data provides insight into profile, fouling, and meter health
Turbine meters remain widely used—particularly in legacy metering runs and smaller lines—but when you’re designing a new CNG custody transfer metering system, multipath ultrasonic technology often becomes the preferred choice for long-term reliability and defensible accuracy. In some projects, particularly where existing standards or site preferences favor differential-pressure metering, a venturi tube with DP and temperature measurement may be selected instead of, or alongside, ultrasonic metering.
This shift matters when buyers, sellers, or auditors question your data. Better diagnostics and fewer mechanical failure modes make it easier to show exactly how your CNG custody transfer numbers were produced.
Measurement layer: CNG custody transfer starts at the meter run
The foundation of any CNG custody transfer tracking and data management strategy is a properly engineered meter run. Depending on your metering philosophy, this may be a multipath ultrasonic CNG meter or a venturi tube with differential pressure and temperature measurement. Clipper Controls supports you from specification through startup.
Custody-grade CNG flow measurement – Panametrics Sentinel
For many new-build custody-grade gas applications, Panametrics Sentinel multipath ultrasonic flowmeters are the centerpiece of the CNG metering run:
- Multipath ultrasonic measurement for high-accuracy CNG flow
- Averaging of the velocity profile to handle real-world piping effects
- Built-in diagnostics to monitor signal strength, profile asymmetry, and meter health
- Digital outputs and communications for easy integration with PLCs and flow computers
For CNG custody transfer, Panametrics Sentinel gives you the accuracy and diagnostic depth needed to defend your numbers when contracts, audits, or disputes arise.
Custody-grade CNG flow measurement – Wyatt Engineering Venturi + SOR + Moore Industries
In some CNG custody-transfer projects—especially where plant standards favor differential-pressure (DP) metering or where you are upgrading an existing DP run—a Wyatt Engineering venturi tube with SOR Controls Group transmitters and Moore Industries temperature instrumentation provides a robust alternative to ultrasonic metering.
A Wyatt Engineering venturi tube gives you:
- A proven, fully mechanical primary element with no moving parts
- Low permanent pressure loss compared to many other DP devices
- Stable, predictable discharge coefficients for CNG custody-transfer calculations
- A well-defined meter run that can be sized and documented to recognized engineering practices
Paired with the right transmitters, the venturi approach becomes a custody-grade CNG metering solution:
- SOR Controls Group differential pressure transmitter across the venturi to measure DP proportional to flow
- SOR line pressure transmitter for static pressure compensation and over-pressure monitoring
- Moore Industries temperature transmitter (head-mount or rail-mount) to bring process temperature into the custody-transfer calculation
- Optional Moore Industries signal conditioning to isolate, split, or convert signals for fiscal vs. operations paths
In the Toshiba PLC or flow computer, these signals are combined using the venturi sizing data to calculate:
- Standard-volume CNG flow (SCFH/SCFM) based on DP, pressure, temperature, and gas properties
- Running and batch totals that align with custody-transfer contracts and invoice units
This venturi-based approach is especially attractive when:
- You want to reuse existing DP-based engineering standards or metering practices
- Low pressure drop is important, but a full ultrasonic meter is not required or practical
- You prefer a primary element that is mechanically simple and easy to document for auditors and regulators
Supporting gas measurement – Kurz Instruments
Kurz Instruments adds options where mass-based gas tracking or non-custody measurements are needed around your CNG system, such as:
- Mass flow monitoring on compressor discharge or suction lines
- Internal performance tracking for blowers, heaters, or process gas lines
- CNG load tracking where thermal mass is an acceptable technology
Kurz instruments aren’t always the primary custody-transfer meter, but they can play a key role in the surrounding CNG flow measurement and efficiency story.
Pressure, temperature, and auxiliary signals
Even the best CNG custody transfer flowmeter needs supporting instrumentation:
- Pressure transmitters for line pressure, over-pressure protection, and compensation
- Temperature transmitters to correct CNG volume to standard conditions
- Valve status and run/bypass feedback so you know exactly how the metering run was configured when totals were recorded
Clipper Controls helps you select transmitters and auxiliary devices that match process conditions and contract requirements.
Flow conditioning: getting the profile right
For custody transfer, you are effectively buying a meter + piping system, not just a meter.
- Flow Optimizers flow conditioning hardware helps:
- Create a stable, repeatable velocity profile at the meter
- Reduce the impact of elbows, tees, reducers, and other upstream disturbances
- Keep the meter operating within its published accuracy in a real-world layout
This is especially important for multipath ultrasonic CNG flowmeters, which can use diagnostic data to confirm that the profile is within expected limits.
Control & tracking layer: turning signals into trusted totals
Once the CNG custody transfer meter run is in place, the next step is turning measurements into traceable totals and presenting them in a way that operators, accounting, and customers can all understand.
Toshiba PLCs & HMIs – the local custody-transfer engine
Toshiba PLC and HMI platforms provide the on-skid or local control layer for CNG custody transfer tracking:
- Collect flow, pressure, and temperature signals from the meter run
- Execute contract-specific logic:
- Batch totals per trailer, tube skid, or delivery point
- Shift- or day-based closing totals
- Contract-specific rounding, thresholds, or alarms
- Present intuitive HMI screens for:
- Active transfers and historical batches
- Running totals and alarm conditions
- Operator notes or reason codes (e.g., meter bypassed, calibration in progress)
The same PLC/HMI layer can securely transfer validated totals to:
- Plant SCADA
- Data historians
- Customer or enterprise systems used for billing and reconciliation
You’re not locked into a proprietary enterprise platform—the Toshiba layer focuses on reliable custody-transfer logic and clean data handoff.
Signal integrity & clean splits: Moore Industries
In many CNG custody-transfer installations, more than one group needs access to the same signals. Operations, accounting, and third-party auditors may all look at the same flow, pressure, and temperature data.
Moore Industries interface hardware is used to maintain signal integrity while serving all of them:
- Signal isolators and splitters provide multiple isolated copies of custody-transfer signals
- Separation between:
- The “fiscal” signal path used for custody transfer, reporting, and billing
- The “operations” path used for control loops, alarms, and optimization
- Safety-rated I/O where SIL or functional-safety requirements apply
This approach helps protect the integrity of your CNG custody transfer metering data—even when the operations side is evolving, tuning, or adding new loads.
What to define in your CNG custody-transfer project
To get a clean design and accurate budget for a CNG custody transfer tracking and data management solution, it helps to define a few key elements up front:
Process conditions
Line size, pressure, and temperature range
Gas composition and contaminants (moisture, particulates, etc.)
Normal, minimum, and peak flow rates; required turndown
Metering philosophy
New build vs. upgrade of a legacy turbine run
Preference for multipath ultrasonic vs. turbine or other technologies
Required uncertainty and applicable standards or contract language
Control and tracking requirements
Number of accounts, contracts, trailers, or delivery points to track
Batch-based vs. continuous custody transfer
Local vs. remote operator interfaces and acknowledgment needs
Data handoff and reporting
Which systems must receive custody-transfer totals (SCADA, historian, ERP, customer systems)
Cybersecurity and isolation requirements between domains
Required reports (daily closes, batch tickets, monthly summaries, audit trails)
Clipper Controls can help translate these requirements into a practical combination of Panametrics, Wyatt Engineering, SOR Controls Group, Kurz, Flow Optimizers, Toshiba, and Moore Industries products that fit your actual field layout and project constraints.
Work with a CNG custody transfer specialist
If you’re planning a new CNG custody transfer metering system or modernizing an older turbine-based run, Clipper Controls can help you:
- Evaluate ultrasonic vs. turbine options for your CNG service
- Design meter runs with the right flow conditioning and diagnostics
- Specify PLC/HMI logic for batches, contracts, and audit-ready totals
- Integrate custody-transfer data cleanly into your existing control and business systems
👉 Ready to improve your CNG custody transfer tracking and data management?
Contact Clipper Controls or call (844) 880-2469 to discuss your application with a specialist.
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