As the world tries to make its way to greener energy use, many countries are now using Natural Gas to generate electricity more cleanly than other fossil fuels. According to SoCalGas, 92% of the natural gas is delivered as energy after transmission, which means that only 8% is energy lost. As a major natural gas producer, that means Canada can jump on this cleaner energy train.
Canada: A Natural Gas Leader
Canada is the fourth-largest producer of natural gas globally, which is used for heating, selling to other countries such as the US, and is used for electricity generation. To understand how Canada is planning to switch to green energy, we must understand the importance of natural gas in Canada's transition. Many oil and gas sites in Canada are in remote locations, and to operate such a facility that produces and processes this energy source. They use an Integrated Power Generation System.
"Integrated power generation uses existing site gas flows to generate electricity near the point of use; the electricity generated is then used to power equipment for gas production and processing, motor drive residue compression, along with auxiliary equipment." - Exterran
Cleaner Power Generation with Natural Gas
Many companies use a combined cycle of power generation, which uses two ways to generate electricity. The first one is when it burns gas with highly pressurized air, which turns a turbine that produces electricity. The second one uses the heat from the burned gas to heat water, which creates steam, which rotates another turbine to generate MORE electricity.
Now you can see the advantage of such a system. You do not need to connect to a city power grid; you are self-sufficient while producing more gas for your consumers.
Added Benefits of Integrated Power Generation
Integrated power generation does more than make electricity, as Exterran reports:
• Reduces operation Expenses budget variability associated with fluctuating electricity prices
• Enhanced reliability from possible grid outages or lengthy in-service dates
• Improve plant flexibility
• Reduce operating costs
• Faster plant construction (IPG helps secure contracts quickly)
• Modular design allows simple site ramp-up
• Efficiency > 60% possible with the use of waste heat at gas plants
Conclusion
To Summarize, Canada is the 4th largest gas producer in the world and is using a brilliant way to transition into clean energy using natural gas. Companies are now generating electricity with gas to produce more gas with the integrated power generation systems.
Care to learn more about natural gas and power generation? Reach out to the 24/7 Compression & Belair Power teams today!
Compressor stations ensure natural gas gets to where it needs to go. With compressors playing such an important role, good reliable equipment can be hard and expensive to come by, and the purchasing of a used natural gas compressor can be the most cost-effective solution.
Why is a compressor station so important?
One of the most integral components of the natural gas transport system is the compressor station. Compressor stations are facilities located along a natural gas pipeline that compresses the gas to a specific pressure allowing it to travel through the pipe to its recipient. Depending on the region, compressor stations are located roughly every 60-100 Km.
Why buy a used natural gas compressor?
A used compression station will likely cost much less than a new one and it can function just the same. It's also more sustainable to reuse parts than buy new every time equipment is needed. That said, you'll want to keep a few things in mind when making your selection.
Look For Compression Efficiency
When looking into buying a used compressor, be aware of its compression efficiency. Depending on the type of compression used, efficiency can be analyzed using factors such as gas composition, suction pressure, temperature and discharge pressures and volume flow rate.
Find a Reliable Supplier
Find a reliable specialist machinery supplier. Generally, they will have “aged” equipment. This equipment usually is in good working condition and is still in its healthy duty cycle. With good servicing and maintenance, this equipment will operate efficiently, even though it is “aged” or used.
Buy Used from 24/7 Compression Today
As a reputable seller of natural gas compressors, we offer high-quality assurance on all our used equipment. Contact us to discuss a quote!
When it comes to the natural gas compression industry, there are always a series of obstacles to overcome. One major obstacle is how to balance cost and effectiveness in the overall design, functionality, and operation of your compression equipment. Here we discuss what to consider for compressor selection.
The Budget Balancing Act
Although the least expensive package will save money upfront, unwanted costs creep up later thanks to high levels of vibration, valve forces and ultimately, your downtime. Efficient packages will experience less downtime but prose a higher upfront investment. Let's unpack the two, and talk about what matters most during the compressor selection process.
24/7 Compression typically encounters two types of budgets.
1. The Capital Cost Captain
An engineer who's been tasked to install a piece of equipment as inexpensively as possible.
and
2. The Operational Cost Officer
An engineer who's been tasked to run and maintain installed equipment as inexpensively as possible.
The real question is, where's the sweet spot to draw the line between these two challenges, and how can we find a balance between cost/efficiency when it comes to compression package design? Let's take a look at a couple of different approaches.
A Two-Fold Approach
When quoting clients on a compression package, we start with the least expensive piece of equipment – from a major component and functionality standpoint — that will get the job done without any frills or fuss.
Then we review the most efficient package and pretend that cost isn't a factor.
Through the process of elimination, the trade-off begins. Following an initial design, a detailed analysis is done about how you can save without compromising functionality and where investments should be made to ensure dependability. Investing in dependability and longevity helps to solidify any ROI, but pinching pennies often turns out to be a false economy when it comes to key components.
Your Sweet Spot is Out There
When it comes to your compressor selection, you've got a plethora of possibilities to choose from among the thousands of possible components and configurations available on the market. Despite the complexities of your options, the key component to protect will always be your valves. This is done through reduced piston speeds and reduced valve velocities; the bonus with reduced piston speed comes lower unbalanced or shaking forces. Experience reveals that valve issues are a leading cause of service calls to the field, and downtime gets expensive. If your shaking forces are excessive and the volumetric efficiency is poor, the valves undergo excessive and unnecessary stresses that shorten their working lives.
Work With an Expert Today
When you think about it, so much of what we do revolves around prolonging the overall valve life. If you keep this at the forefront of your mind while selecting your compressors, you'll propel your efficiency and have much less downtime...which ultimately means a better ROI.
Care to learn more? Reach out to our team at 24/7 Compression today!