AN ESTIMATE OF THE RISKS OF THE CONSUMER AND SUPPLIER OF ENERGY CARRIERS THERMAL MEASUREMENTS

Formulation of the Problem. The importance of the problem of energy conservation for the Russian Federation has been pointed out in a number of government resolutions (see, for example, [1]). This has stimulated the appearance on the Russian market of a wide range of both domestic and foreign instruments for measuring the supply and consumption of energy carriers and thermal energy. The uncontrolled and, in a number of cases, the incorrect use of flow meters, instead of leading to the expected economy in energy resources, may produce the opposite effect [2]. The procedure for making measurements, and the technology for checking measuring instruments, are quite strictly regulated (see, for example, [3, 4]), and measurements are made discretely under fixed conditions, which differ from the working conditions of the instruments. The difference function of a comparison of the readings of a standard instrument with the instrument being checked in the period between its measurements in the course of carrying out periodic checks and comparisons, naturally, is not tracked by the standardization or metrology center. The responsibility for the accuracy of any measurements made in fact rests on the owners of the measuring instrument, which in practice, for many reasons, is not maintained, in particular, due to the above-mentioned difference between the working conditions and the checking conditions. In this paper, we consider the main factors which, if taken into account, should reduce the risk of the owners of measuring instruments. Here the term “risk” will be used as a measure of the estimate of the loss due to inaccuracy in computing the energy carrier or the heat carrier.