Smart gas metering just got smarter

Omron and ST Microelectronics announced that they’ve developed a MEMS-based gas flow sensor built-in correction for gas composition differences—an industry first.


Gas metering is going the way of electricity-consumption measuring, moving from mechanical to smart electronic meters with automatic reading capabilities. What this means relative to this announcement is clear when considering there are more than 400 million mechanical gas meters worldwide—and replacement by most gas providers is imminent. The solution enables smart gas meters that are smaller, less costly, and more power efficient so that utilities and end users should save money as a result.

OMRON’s MEMS thermal flow transducer is combined with ST’s high-performance analog front-end IC, resulting in high-precision gas flow-rate measurement with excellent reproducibility. The meters based on this solution will not need to be configured for a particular type of gas at shipment or installation. They are intrinsically compensated for temperature and pressure variations and a built-in circuit compensates for variation of multiple gas composition. Samples will be available in Q4.

For more information visit OMRON Corporation.