Question for Natural Gas pipeline guys

[STGS]

Just curious how you guys keep hydrates from forming as the gas is being sent down the line. As we circulate gas out of a well and it flows through our chokes we often have to induce glycol into our manifold as we get gas up to the surface to keep it from icing over and plugging off chokes. Do you guys just regulate the flow rate to prevent this or is it not as big a problem on land.

Most gas goes through a series of treating and processing before making it to any end users/consumers. These processes often include dehydration to remove water vapor and cryogenic processing to extract natural gas liquids (NGLs). These elements often contribute to hydrates. Line pressure and flow rates are also relevant to avoiding hydraulic issues across the system(s).

[PYBUCK]

Just curious how you guys keep hydrates from forming as the gas is being sent down the line. As we circulate gas out of a well and it flows through our chokes we often have to induce glycol into our manifold as we get gas up to the surface to keep it from icing over and plugging off chokes. Do you guys just regulate the flow rate to prevent this or is it not as big a problem on land.

Wellhead gas and residue gas are different. Residue gas is dry, and has been processed in a fractionator or cryo plant to remove all heavy hydrocarbons and water. Well head gas is wet and has to be treated with glycol to prevent hydrates.

[Landrover]

What would happen to the NG pressure if you lived in a neighborhood where 20+ people added backup NG generators? Do you think there would be enough pressure to supply that much NG that'd be needed?

I'm curious b/c I've been talking to my neighbors and I'm pretty sure there will be at least 20 homes that have a NG backup generator installed after this. One neighbor works for Cummins and his sales department is working on getting a bulk deal setup for everyone.

Heck , we have more than twenty on 3 blocks in my neighborhood.....zero issues. Works beautifully.

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[kmitchl]

Just curious how you guys keep hydrates from forming as the gas is being sent down the line. As we circulate gas out of a well and it flows through our chokes we often have to induce glycol into our manifold as we get gas up to the surface to keep it from icing over and plugging off chokes. Do you guys just regulate the flow rate to prevent this or is it not as big a problem on land.

Heat the gas or dry the gas to a acceptable level and it does not form hydrates. The gas in delivery pipelines has been through a gas plant to strip out the ethane, propane and butane.

[Redbone]

We store gas underground in the salt dome under high pressure, 2000-2500psi. When removing from the storage to deliver it the pipeline it goes through a pressure cut, so 2500 down to 800ish. The pressure cut causes a decrease in the temp and makes all the hydrates freeze. We inject methanol into the gas the break up the frozen hydrates and then run the gas through a glycol dehydration unit to get it to pipeline quality of gas moisture level wise.

[stickerpatch59]

Compressors that run on natural gas. We burn our own product to compress it and send it on down the line.

thank you guys for what you do!!

[dbaio1]

NG has some vulnerability as well. For example the Haynesville shale had production froze in. Flow went from 800,000 MMBtu to 200,000 and some pipelines went Force Majeure on certain systems. All shales reduced by over 8bcf per day yesterday. Demand is up to 140bcf/d when normal is just under 100bcfd, storage withdrawal est 350-400 Bcf next week.

IMHO a couple things are evident.

ERCOT needs to be gutted and rebuilt along with the PUC that was in charge of oversight of ERCOT.

It's pretty evident to me the ERCOT plan for rolling blackouts to sustain the grid during extreme situations is an utter failure. I would like to see this plan available to the public and supporting information that shows how it was tested to be effective. Bottom line if you had a true plan then there should NOT be people who never once lost power during this event. I know several that NEVER lost power.

The corruption within government that spends billions upon billions on renewable energy that can never compete without huge subsidies is at the core of this problem. It has reduced the ability to invest in NG generation. Not to mention none of that renewable energy can exist without fossil fuels.

Thank a liberal friend and don't let them off easy. The **** storm is just starting.

[texansfan]

IMHO a couple things are evident

NG has some vulnerability as well. For example the Haynesville shale had production froze in. Flow went from 800,000 MMBtu to 200,000 and some pipelines went Force Majeure on certain systems. All shales reduced by over 8bcf per day yesterday.
.

ERCOT needs to be gutted and rebuilt along with the PUC that was in charge of oversight of ERCOT.

Thank a liberal friend and don't let them off easy. The **** storm is just starting.

Why thank liberals for a reliable fossil fuel not being reliable?
What do liberals have to do with the lack of planning by ERCOT/PUC?

Don't blame someone else when you dropped the ball.

[Muddy Bud]

Thanks for the input. Lots of folks don’t know what it takes to actually get the gas into actual daily production including myself and I’ve been drilling for it over 20 years.

[softpoint]

I'd get a propane generator long before a I'd get natural gas. A 250 gallon propane tank would last through most emergencies, and wouldn't be dependent on yet another public utility. But I'm rural, and can't get natural gas at my home anyway, I also have my own well, and heat my house with a wood fire place,(with an insert) so life was pretty normal through all this. A small gasoline generator was ready to be hooked up to the water well, but wasn't needed.

[dbaio1]

Why thank liberals for a reliable fossil fuel not being reliable?
What do liberals have to do with the lack of planning by ERCOT/PUC?

Don't blame someone else when you dropped the ball.

Liberals are at the core of pushing renewable energy and trying to kill fossil fuels by regulations. Investment in fossil fuel generated power has suffered. That's why.

[Traildust]

Liberals are at the core of pushing renewable energy and trying to kill fossil fuels by regulations. Investment in fossil fuel generated power has suffered. That's why.

Yup. You'd have to have your head up your arse to not see that.

[hpdrifter]

Heat the gas or dry the gas to a acceptable level and it does not form hydrates. The gas in delivery pipelines has been through a gas plant to strip out the ethane, propane and butane.

and hexane, iso-butane, penta-butane, CO2,.......everything except methane. Well, maybe trace amounts of all hydrocarbons, but it has been scrubbed of almost everything leaving 99.00%+ of methane.

[hpdrifter]

Liberals are at the core of pushing renewable energy and trying to kill fossil fuels by regulations. Investment in fossil fuel generated power has suffered. That's why.

Exactly, the idiots can't add 2+2. Who is going to invest in a business that the leftist communist are trying their darnedest to destroy and are producing legislation to eliminate?

[mzurovec]

We haul it in carbon fiber tube trailers and have done a ton of support projects through this storm including a half dozen HEB's (to power their standby generators) along with a number of residential areas across the state. I wish we could have done a lot more but hauling high pressure gas on ice isn't a great fit.

It would be nice if ERCOT would entertain stand alone natural gas backup storage for times like this as we do a ton of that up in the Northeast, including for Long Island.