D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 15, § 2354
Bell Provers
Authority: Unless otherwise noted, the authority for this chapter is Paragraph 21 of §8 of An Act Making appropriations to provide for the expenses of the District of Columbia for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and fourteen, and for other purposes, approved March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 977); as amended by §2 of the Public Utilities Amendment Act of 1989, D.C. Law 8-47, D.C. Code §43-501 (1990 Repl. Vol.). Source: Final Rulemaking published at 35 DCR 7938, 7940 (November 4, 1988); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 60 DCR 7 (January 4, 2013).District of Columbia, Office of the Secretary
2354.1 Each natural gas corporation testing meters with bell provers shall do the following:
- (a) Own and maintain, or have access to, one or more approved bell type meter provers of appropriate size, and all other equipment necessary to test meters, which shall be installed in the meter room;
- (b) Provide the means to maintain the temperature of the liquid in the bell provers at substantially the same level as the air temperature in the prover room. The maximum difference in temperature shall not be more than two degrees Fahrenheit (2° F.);
- (c) Maintain each bell prover in good condition and correct adjustment and shall be accurate within plus or minus three tenths of one percent (± 0.3%) at each point used in testing meters; and
- (d) A bell prover shall be calibrated at least once every three (3) years. If moved or disassembled, the accuracy of a bell prover shall be determined by using one or more of the methods as follows:
- (1) By comparison to a one (1) cubic foot standard calibrated by the National Bureau of Standards;
- (2) By strapping with a calibrated tape whose accuracy is traceable to the National Bureau of Standards; or
- (3) By comparison to an approved transfer standard for a bell in excess of five cubic feet (5 ft.3).
2354.2 Each natural gas corporation testing meters by standards other than bell provers shall do the following:
- (a) Gas corporations having meters which are too large for testing on a five cubic foot (5 ft.3) bell prover may test the meters by other approved methods and by use of approved working standards;
- (b) The approved working standards shall be maintained in good condition and correct adjustment, shall have a high degree of repeatability, and shall be capable of determining the actual proof of the meter under test to within plus or minus five tenths of one percent (± 0.5%) at rates of flow between fifteen percent (15%) and one hundred percent (100%) of rated capacity of the meter under test; and
- (c) The approved working standards shall be tested for accuracy by comparison with an acceptable standard at least once every three (3) years.
2354.3 Each standard shall be accompanied at all times by a certificate or calibration card, duly signed and dated, on which are recorded the corrections required to compensate for errors found at the customary test points at the time of the last previous test.
SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 35 DCR 7938, 7940 (November 4, 1988).