February 17, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute’s (SwRI) Metering Research Facility (MRF) has received ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for natural gas flow calibration, which confirms compliance with international testing and calibration standards. As a result, SwRI is now certified by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) to offer highly specialized calibration services to a broad range of energy sector clients, including natural gas pipeline operators, flow meter manufacturers and power plants.
“As one of the only ISO/IEC 17025-accredited recirculating, natural gas flow laboratories in the world SwRI is setting a new standard for high-accuracy testing and calibration in the industry,” said Adam Hawley, who manages SwRI’s MRF.
Flow meters are critical energy industry tools that measure the flow rate of gas moving though a pipeline or distribution system. They are essential to several key functions including operations, billing and safety.
The MRF is a world-class, high-accuracy, high-technology flow measurement facility for flow meter development, calibration, research and testing. The MRF’s high-pressure loop allows SwRI to provide highly accurate and repeatable tests under a wide range of actual field conditions.
“SwRI is unique in this field because the MRF is one of the few laboratories in the world with a recirculating flow loop that can perform this type of testing using natural gas, ” said Matthew Godush, an assistant program manager in SwRI’s Fluids Engineering Department. “This accreditation allows us to offer customized operating conditions to our clients that completely replicate real-world conditions.”
The ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation now allows SwRI to serve a broader range of clients with internal policies or regulatory obligations requiring them to use accredited labs. This includes companies with global operations or strict quality assurance standards, as well as international businesses in regions where national regulations require accreditation.
The rigorous accreditation process required SwRI’s facility to meet over 100 specific requirements to prove that it operates at the highest standard for testing and calibration laboratories. These requirements include measurement accuracy, reliability and traceability as well as proven quality management, staff competency and risk mitigation. The SwRI facility offers field-realistic flow meter calibration services in an impartial, independent and confidential manner required by the standard and the natural gas industry. A2LA will periodically audit MRF operations to ensure ongoing compliance.
For more information, visit Metering Research Facility or contact Joanna Quintanilla, +1 210 522 2073, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166.