Industrial IoT for Gas Distribution and Metering
Full-stack Industrial IoT (IIoT) for gas distribution: ATEX sensors, controllers, smart metering and the IIoT Platform with AI microservices — from a single EU manufacturer.
VAD Gas IoT Solution serves DSOs, TSOs and municipal gas operators across the EU and CIS, with over 100,000 devices deployed. Every layer — sensors, controllers, smart meters and the IIoT Platform — is designed, manufactured and certified in the EU, engineered for ATEX Zone 1 hazards, EU Methane Regulation compliance and remote shutoff in under five minutes.
Why It Matters
Three pressures are reshaping gas distribution. Methane regulation is accelerating: the EU Methane Regulation 2024/1787, the US Methane Emissions Reduction Program (under the Inflation Reduction Act) and the Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0) framework all require operators to measure, report and reduce emissions with auditable data. Distribution grids are aging: the average European network is over 40 years old and commercial losses reach 5–8% across CEE utilities. IT landscapes are fragmented: utilities run dozens of disconnected SCADA, metering and billing stacks from different vendors, with no single source of truth and no real-time control.
The Problem
Gas utilities operate blind: 70+ corrector families, manual reads, no remote control, no audit trail.
Most gas utilities run fragmented metering nodes. Over 70 different volume corrector families are deployed across EU and CIS networks — Honeywell (including Elster and RMG), Itron, Dresser (Baker Hughes), RMA and dozens of local OEMs — each with its own protocol, firmware and service procedures. Manual reads happen once or twice a year, with no anomaly detection and no real-time visibility. Shutoff valves require on-site operation, with no remote control and no digital audit trail. Regulators, operators and consumers all share the same blind spot.
The Desired Outcome
From reactive operations to data-driven gas distribution with hourly telemetry, sub-five-minute valve action and full EU compliance.
VAD transforms reactive gas operations into data-driven distribution. Hourly telemetry with billing-grade data replaces manual reads taken once or twice a year. Time from anomaly to valve action collapses from hours or days to under five minutes. A complete EU-compliant digital record replaces the missing audit trail — every reading, alert and command logged.
Controller Family
Four devices cover every gas-network topology from the smallest node to a full regional depot.
VADTel-IIoTU3
Cellular telemetry module for natural gas volume correctors deployed in hazardous areas. Acquires corrector data and transmits it to the IIoT Platform over GSM, GPRS, LTE-M or NB-IoT.
VADTel-AIIoTU8
Cellular telemetry module for natural gas volume correctors in hazardous areas, with autonomous power supply (3.4-4.2 V, 8000 mAh). Acquires corrector data and transmits it to the IIoT Platform over GSM, GPRS, LTE-M or NB-IoT.
VADTel-AIoTU5
Cellular telemetry module for residential gas meters with smart-home integration. Transmits meter readings to the IIoT Platform over GSM, GPRS, LTE-M or NB-IoT.
VADTel-ValveLink
Valve-control unit for remote shutoff. Drives pneumatic or electric actuators, reads position feedback, interfaces with ATEX barriers for Zone 1 deployment and logs every operation to the cloud audit trail.
Smart Metering
VADTEL-MT G6-G25
Smart gas meter with micro-thermal measurement — no moving parts. Multiple flow ranges cover residential to commercial metering. Measures pressure, temperature and volume simultaneously, reports over GPRS or NB-IoT (optional LoRaWAN and RS-485), runs on a dual-battery architecture with > 6 years metrology and up to 10 years telemetry, and includes a built-in solenoid shut-off valve. MID-certified (2014/32/EU) to EN 17526:2021 for fiscal use.
| Flow Range | Value |
|---|---|
| G6 | 0.06 – 11 m³/h |
| G10 – G16 | 0.1 – 25 m³/h |
| G25 | 0.25 – 40 m³/h |
| Operation | −40 to +55 °C · IP65 |
| ATEX | II 2G Ex ib IIB T4 Gb X |
| Comms | GPRS / NB-IoT (opt. LoRaWAN, RS-485) |
| Battery | dual — > 6 yr metrology, up to 10 yr |
Electronic Counting Mechanism (ECM)
Digital counting head for mechanical gas meters. Retrofits to existing diaphragm meters, adds pulse and RS-485 output, and transforms legacy hardware into smart-metering nodes without replacement. Dual independent power supplies (metrology + telemetry), session-diversity transmission and AI leak detection during valve-open state.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Compliance | EN 1359:2017 · MID 2014/32/EU |
| Operation | −40 to +60 °C · UV-resistant |
| Comms | GSM / NB-IoT / LTE-M |
| Battery | LiPo 2000 mAh · 5 – 10 yr |
| Data saving | proprietary protocol, −70 % GSM load |
| Shutoff + AI | remote valve · leak anomaly detection |
ATEX Sensor and Edge AI
VADTel SENS
Cellular pressure and temperature sensor for direct deployment in Zone 1 hazardous areas. ATEX-certified to II 2G Ex d IIC T6 Gb X, sealed AISI 316L stainless steel housing, IP65, −40 to +85 °C. Connectivity over GSM, GPRS and NB-IoT. Autonomous battery-powered operation — three battery variants deliver approximately 2,000, 4,500 or 8,000 communication sessions respectively. Measurement intervals from five seconds to ten minutes. On-device Edge AI detects leak signatures, pressure drops and tamper events locally and reports only anomalies — saving bandwidth and extending battery life. Controllers stay in the safe zone and connect to Zone 1 sensor lines through Ex ib intrinsic-safety barriers.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| ATEX rating | II 2G Ex d IIC T6 Gb X |
| Zone | Zone 1 (direct installation) |
| Housing | IP65 · AISI 316L · M20 × 1.5 |
| Operation | −40 to +85 °C |
| Connectivity | GSM · GPRS · NB-IoT |
| Power | autonomous · 3 battery variants |
| Battery — Standard | ~2 000 communication sessions |
| Battery — Extended | ~4 500 communication sessions |
| Battery — Maximum | ~8 000 communication sessions |
| Pressure — gauge | 0 – 40 kPa (low-pressure networks) |
| Pressure — absolute | 160 / 400 / 600 kPa · 1.0 / 1.6 / 2.5 / 4.0 MPa |
| Pressure — custom | up to 60 MPa on request |
| Edge AI | leak · pressure · tamper classification |
Metering Node Assembly
The VAD metering node assembly bundles every component needed for remote gas metering and valve control into a single field-deployed kit. Kit contents include the ValveLink controller, Ex ib intrinsic-safety barriers for Zone 1 sensor lines, GSM antenna for cellular uplink, 12/24 V battery supply, pneumatic drive compressor, solenoid valve manifold, actuator position board, upstream and downstream pressure sensors and RS-485 external correctors. Typical deployments include gas distribution nodes, regulator stations, district reduction points and remote valve chambers.
Cloud Platform
IIoT Platform
The IIoT Platform is the cloud component of the VAD IIoT Ecosystem — a centralized environment for monitoring, control and analytics across the entire deployed fleet. The platform manages over 100,000 devices across 10+ countries, with multi-tenant architecture and role-based access control. Four core pillars: live fleet status and map view, trend analytics and historical archive, valve operations with audit trail, and compliance and regulatory reports. Full API reference available for third-party integration.
AI Microservices
The IIoT Platform includes 15 AI microservices organized into three pillars.
Detection — leak-signature analysis, pressure-anomaly detection, tamper and fraud detection, meter health and drift monitoring, and network-topology anomaly tracking.
Optimization — non-revenue methane analytics, load balancing, pressure-zone management, dispatch routing and maintenance scheduling.
Forecasting — demand prediction, battery-life forecasting, asset lifecycle modeling, emissions-trend forecasting and capacity planning.
The analytics view provides calendar-heatmap readings, communication-session statistics and battery voltage trends per node.
Remote Shutoff Workflow
Anomaly to valve close in under five minutes — with a complete audit trail.
Remote valve control operates as a three-step workflow with built-in safeguards.
Detect — the SENS Edge AI or the platform identifies an anomaly: pressure drop, leak signature, tamper.
Confirm — the operator reviews context, verifies role-based permissions and may require dual approval.
Execute — VADTel-ValveLink closes the actuator with real-time position feedback, and the audit log captures every event.
Scale and Languages
One architecture serves every scale.
Tier 1 (National) — one IIoT Platform with federated tenancy for national operators and multi-region holdings.
Tier 2 (Regional) — 10,000+ metering nodes per regional DSO or TSO.
Tier 3 (Depot) — 1,000 nodes per district depot or city operations team.
Tier 4 (Node) — a single cabinet or meter in field installation.
No re-platforming between tiers.
The IIoT Platform and its deliverables are localized in 18 languages.
Master — English.
Tier 1 (Core EU) — German, Slovak, Czech, Polish.
Tier 2 (Extended EU) — French, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Romanian, Dutch.
Tier 3 (Global) — Turkish, Arabic (RTL), Russian, Uzbek, Kazakh, Ukrainian, Chinese.
Localized deliverables include interface strings, installation guides, API documentation and product passports. The multi-tenant Companies view shows operators, DSOs and depots managed side-by-side on one IIoT Platform.
Security and Sovereignty
VAD is built for critical-infrastructure deployments with a four-layer defense across edge, transport, platform and storage.
Edge — signed firmware with secure boot, tamper-evident enclosures and ATEX intrinsic-safety barriers.
Transport — mutual TLS, per-device certificates and encrypted cellular tunnels.
Platform — role-based access control, hardened containers and full audit logging.
Storage — encryption at rest, geographic data residency and EU-sovereign hosting by default.
Proprietary source code throughout the stack. Source-code escrow available. Full IP transfer available for national operators.
Standards and Compliance
All VAD products are designed, manufactured and certified in the EU.
| Standard | Scope | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| ATEX | Hazardous-area sensors | II 2G Ex d IIC T6 Gb X |
| MID | Metrology directive | Fiscal-grade gas metering |
| CE | EU conformity | Product labeling per EU market |
| ISO 9001 | Quality management | Held |
| ISO 27001 | Information security | In progress |
| ISO 14001 | Environmental management | In progress |
| IP65 | Ingress protection | Field enclosures |
EU Declaration of Conformity per product. WEEE compliance and full product traceability.
Pilot Metrics
Every pilot delivers measurable outcomes within the first 90 days. Typical pilot KPIs include deployment time under 14 days per depot, non-revenue methane reduction measurable in that window, anomaly-to-action time under five minutes, commercial payback under 24 months and a compliance-ready data foundation for EU Methane Regulation reporting from day one. The IIoT Platform generates pilot reports on demand and delivers them in standard regulatory formats.
Commercial Models
VAD offers three commercial models to match any utility’s procurement and sovereignty requirements.
CapEx purchase — one-time hardware and platform license, with optional service contract. Fastest path to ownership.
OpEx subscription — monthly per-node subscription covering hardware, platform, updates and support. Predictable budget, zero upfront.
Full IP transfer — complete transfer of hardware designs, firmware and platform source code, with local-production support. Reserved for national operators requiring digital sovereignty.
Why VAD
Engineering industrial IoT since 1995 — 30+ years and 100,000+ devices deployed across 10+ countries. Four regional offices cover EU, MENA, Americas and Asia.
| Region | Address | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Europe · HQ | Konventná 6, 811 03 Bratislava, Slovakia | +421 910 411 379 · inbox@vadsro.eu |
| MENA | Standard Chartered Tower, L5, Emaar Sq., Dubai, UAE | +971 585 947 197 · inbox.mena@vadsro.eu |
| Americas | 305 Central Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07060, USA | +1 973 868 1855 · inbox.usa@vadsro.eu |
| Asia | Shota Rustaveli 45, Tashkent, Uzbekistan | +998 93 133 11 18 · inbox@utesol.uz |
Contact
One ecosystem. Every gas network. Full control.
Next step — Pilot scope workshop. 90 minutes · online or on-site · outcomes: scope and commercial.
- Company
- V.A.D. Technical Engineering and Investment s.r.o., Bratislava, Slovakia, EU
- IIoT Platform
- iot.vadsro.eu · API reference
- Web
- vadsro.eu / solutions / gas-iot
- inbox@vadsro.eu — sales and technical support