Elster Q.Sonic plus Ultrasonic Gas Flow Meter
Overview
The Elster Q.Sonic plus ultrasonic gas flow meter is a high-precision measurement instrument engineered by Elster-Instromet, a Honeywell company, for custody transfer and high-accuracy fiscal metering of natural gas across transmission and distribution networks. Built around a patented six-path reflective ultrasonic architecture, the Q.Sonic plus delivers metering performance that satisfies the most demanding requirements of gas transmission system operators, LNG terminals, gas processing facilities, and industrial gas consumers throughout the oil and gas sector. Its rugged meter body is designed for decades of maintenance-light operation in harsh outdoor and process environments.
In Oman and across the wider GCC region, operators managing cross-border pipelines, custody transfer stations, and gas distribution hubs rely on instruments like the Q.Sonic plus to maintain measurement integrity and regulatory compliance. Seven Star LLC supplies the Elster Q.Sonic plus ultrasonic gas flow meter to customers across Muscat, Sohar, Salalah, and the broader Sultanate of Oman as an experienced supply partner for Honeywell Elster process instrumentation, ensuring genuine equipment, full documentation, and factory-backed support for every unit delivered.
Measurement and Operating Principle
The Q.Sonic plus measures gas flow using the transit-time ultrasonic method across six acoustic paths arranged in a patented reflective configuration: four swirl-correcting paths with double reflection and two additional single-reflection paths. This multi-path arrangement compensates for flow profile distortion, swirl, and asymmetry caused by upstream piping configurations, allowing the meter to maintain rated accuracy even with reduced straight-run requirements compared to simpler ultrasonic or mechanical meter designs. Ultrasonic pulses are transmitted and received by matched pairs of transducers, and the difference in transit time between upstream and downstream pulses is used to calculate the average gas velocity along each acoustic path.
Diagnostic data from all six paths is continuously cross-checked by the meter’s internal electronics, allowing operators to detect transducer drift, fouling, or profile disturbance long before it affects measurement accuracy. The meter reports typical uncertainty of 0.5% under zero-flow calibration, 0.2% with high-pressure calibration, and as tight as 0.1% when linearized against a reference standard – performance suitable for fiscal and custody transfer applications where every fraction of a percent carries direct commercial value.
Engineering Design of the Elster Q.Sonic plus
The Q.Sonic plus is available in sizes from 3 inches to 24 inches, with sizes up to 56 inches available on request, making it suitable for everything from mid-size distribution laterals to major transmission trunk lines. The meter body is offered in ASME 300 to 600 pressure ratings, with others on request, and is manufactured to a standard process temperature range of -40°C to +60°C, with an extended range option of -40°C to +80°C. An MID process temperature range of -40°C to +55°C is also available for installations subject to European Measuring Instruments Directive requirements.
Electrical and communication interfaces are comprehensive: two serial RS232/RS485 ports, one Ethernet port, two frequency outputs, two digital I/O channels, two 4–20 mA analog outputs, and a USB port for local configuration and data retrieval. Configuration, diagnostics, and calibration verification are handled through Elster’s EnSuite PC software, which provides real-time access to path velocities, speed of sound comparisons, and signal quality indicators for each acoustic path. The meter is designed, tested, and certified in accordance with OIML R137, ISO 17089 Accuracy Class 1, AGA Report No. 9, and the EU Measuring Instruments Directive (MID), giving operators internationally recognized assurance of metrological performance.
Key Features
- Patented 6-path reflective ultrasonic technology for superior flow profile compensation
- Size range from 3 in to 24 in, up to 56 in on request
- Pressure ratings ASME 300 to 600, others on request
- Typical uncertainty as low as 0.1% with linearization
- Compliant with OIML R137, ISO 17089 Accuracy Class 1, AGA9, and MID
- EnSuite software for configuration, diagnostics, and calibration checks
- Dual RS232/RS485, Ethernet, USB, frequency, digital, and 4–20 mA analog interfaces
- Robust meter body suited to demanding outdoor transmission environments
Industrial Applications
The Elster Q.Sonic plus is deployed extensively in natural gas custody transfer stations, cross-border pipeline metering, gas transmission compressor stations, city gate stations, and LNG regasification terminals, where its high accuracy and low pressure drop directly support fiscal and commercial gas measurement. Its wide turndown ratio and multi-path diagnostics also make it well suited to gas processing plants and large industrial consumers who need continuous, verifiable flow data for allocation and process control purposes.
For operators in Oman’s expanding gas transmission and export infrastructure, including facilities tied to Sohar and Salalah’s industrial and petrochemical zones, the Q.Sonic plus offers a metrologically defensible solution for fiscal metering agreements between producers, transporters, and buyers. As a trusted supplier of Honeywell Elster products, Seven Star LLC supports these projects with meters supplied on request and technical application guidance throughout the Sultanate of Oman and the wider GCC.
Technical Specifications
| Model | Elster Q.Sonic plus |
| Measurement Principle | 6-path reflective ultrasonic transit-time |
| Size Range | 3 to 24 in; up to 56 in on request |
| Pressure Rating | ASME 300 to 600 (others on request) |
| Process Temperature (Standard) | -40°C to +60°C |
| Process Temperature (Extended) | -40°C to +80°C |
| Typical Uncertainty | 0.1% (linearized) to 0.5% (zero-flow calibration) |
| Communication Interfaces | 2x RS232/RS485, Ethernet, USB, 2x frequency, 2x digital, 2x 4–20mA analog |
| Configuration Software | EnSuite |
| Compliance | OIML R137, ISO 17089 Class 1, AGA9, MID |
| Manufacturer | Elster-Instromet (Honeywell) |
| Process Temperature (MID) | -40 °C to +55 °C |
| Ambient Temperature | Standard: -40 °C to +60 °C; Extended and MID: -40 °C to +55 °C |
| Repeatability | <= 0.05% |
| Power Supply | 24 VDC (18 to 30 V), 10 to 20 W |
| Hazardous Location Approvals | ATEX II 2 G Ex d ia [ia] IIB+H2 T6 Gb; IECEx Ex d ia [ia] IIB+H2 T6 Gb; CSA Class I, Division 1, Groups B, C and D T6; FM Class I, Division 1, Groups A to D T6 |
| Ingress Protection | IP66 (NEMA 4X) |
| Communication Protocols | Modbus (ASCII, RTU, TCP/IP), UNIFORM, UNIFORM Series IV 4-Path Compatibility Mode, MMS, built-in web server |
| Display | 4.3 in graphical colour display, 7 capacitive soft keys, LEDs |
Order Your Elster Q.Sonic plus Today
Contact Seven Star LLC to request a quotation, technical datasheet, or sizing consultation for the Elster Q.Sonic plus ultrasonic gas flow meter. As a trusted Honeywell Elster supplier serving Muscat, Sohar, Salalah, and the greater Sultanate of Oman, Seven Star LLC supplies instrumentation on request with manufacturer documentation and technical support for custody transfer and gas measurement projects across the GCC.
Hazardous-Area Approvals and Power Supply
Display, Protocols and Diagnostics
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- Datasheet Elster Q.Sonic plus Ultrasonic Gas Flow Meter Datasheet Download
Elster product families listed here
The Elster flow meter on this page is the Q.Sonic plus, a multipath ultrasonic gas meter for custody transfer measurement, listed together with a USM display unit. Flow computers come from two device series. The enCore series is represented by the enCore FC1 and the enCore ZM1. The gas-net series is represented by the gas-net F1 flow computer and the gas-net D2, a data forwarding unit for the DSfG station interface used in German-standard gas metering systems.Where Elster gas metering equipment is used
Elster gas meters and flow computers work at transmission and distribution metering stations, city gate and pressure reduction stations, power plant and industrial fuel gas inlets, and gas storage sites. The flow computer converts measured volume to base conditions using pressure, temperature and gas quality data, records the fiscal archives and passes data to the SCADA system. Operators in the GCC meet this equipment mainly on fiscal and allocation metering skids.Ordering Elster meters and flow computers: what we need
For an ultrasonic meter: nominal size, pressure rating and flange standard, flow range, gas composition, operating pressure and temperature, the metrological approval required and the flow calibration expected. For a flow computer: device type, the serial number and software version of the existing unit, the I/O boards fitted, the meters and transmitters connected, the conversion and compressibility method (for example AGA 8) and the communication protocols. A photo of the type plate and the parameter printout shorten the check against the manufacturer's documentation considerably.Browse Elster products by category: Flow Computers, Flowmeters, Industrial Communications.
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