More compressor efficiency in a natural gas pipe line

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Pipe Line Industry; (United States)

OSTI ID:6091086

If a company wants to burn its own product to deliver it, the operation has to be highly efficient; anything wasted is lost profit. Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. and Trunkline Gas Co. both ship natural gas through 17,500 miles of pipe line from the Mid-Continent and Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes area. In 1985, approximately 250 compressor engine units on the pipe line system burned natural gas for a total energy cost of about $70 million. The company launched a modernization and automation program that year to improve profits by better management and control of its pipe line. Since the pipe line business is capital intensive, keeping operating costs down is critical. Real savings would result only by optimizing the efficiency of the engines and compressor used to move gas to the marketplace, the John Alholm, vice president of engineering. Minimizing operating costs involved tradeoffs. When demand was low, for example, operating one or two compressors per station was efficient. When demand peaked, however, every compressor in the station was committed. The key was to balance demand versus engine performance by using the most efficient engines all the time and the least efficient engines only when needed. The modernization program utilized production and market-demand data to control the operation of individual compressor stations.

• OSTI ID: 6091086
• Journal Information: Pipe Line Industry; (United States), Journal Name: Pipe Line Industry; (United States) Vol. 74:1; ISSN 0032-0145; ISSN PLINA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
032000* -- Natural Gas-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
COMPRESSORS
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS COMPRESSORS
GAS FUELS
GASES
MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
PIPELINES
TRANSPORT