BS 8609:2014

Provides methods for the calculation of the carbon dioxide emission factor of natural gases, natural gas substitutes and other combustible gaseous fuels, when the composition of the gas by mole fraction is known.

This British Standard gives methods for the calculation of the carbon dioxide emission factor of natural gases, natural gas substitutes and other combustible gaseous fuels, when the composition of the gas by mole fraction is known. The method provides for the calculation of the carbon dioxide emission factor at the commonly used reference conditions of temperature and pressure and on the four common quantity bases:

• mole;

• mass;

• volume (at the reference conditions of temperature and pressure); and

• energy (gross or net).

AnnexA provides example calculations for carbon dioxide emission factors on all the above bases and their uncertainties.

This standard requires use of complete compositional data in the form of mole fractions that, by definition, sum to unity. If this is not so then the raw mole fraction data is to be normalized and the normalized mole fractions and their uncertainties recalculated. Guidance on such data processing is provided in BSENISO6974‑1 and BSENISO6974‑2.

If the compositional data are incomplete, i.e. not all components have been determined, then it is for the user to establish the significance of the error caused by their omission and subsequent normalization.

NOTE One way to establish the significance of any omission is to determine how carbon dioxide emission factor changes when the mole fraction of an undetermined component is estimated to be unity minus the sum of all raw mole fractions.