Uncertainty in discrete-time integration — The case of static gas meters

We consider the evaluation of uncertainty in a particular case of discrete-time integration, i.e., that of static gas meters. We show that the current approach, which does not take correlations into account, can lead to underrating of the uncertainty associated with the estimate of the delivered volume. Now, a correct evaluation of uncertainty in the case e.g. of online measurements along large offshore pipelines is important in order to remove technical barriers to international trade. We focus our discussion on the practical example of gas meters, but the framework of uncertainty evaluation we provide is valid in general for all those measurements involving discrete-time integration, and has therefore a wide applicability.