What happens to natural gas at a compressor station?

Natural gas enters a compressor station through station yard piping and is passed through scrubbers and filters to extract any liquids and remove solids or other particulate matter that may be in the gas stream (Figure 1).

What is a compressor station natural gas?

Compressor stations are large industrial facilities that maintain the flow and pressure of natural gas by receiving gas from the pipeline, re-pressurizing it, and sending it back into the pipeline system. (Pump stations do the same thing for oil.)

Can you use an air compressor for natural gas?

An air compressor is designed to compress AIR, not natural gas. You cannot safely use an air compressor in natural gas service. The main function of the compressor is to compress the gas like air, hydrogen, nitrogen, refrigerant etc. The compressor compresses the gas and increases its pressure.

Why are compressor stations used on natural gas pipelines?

Compressor stations enable the natural gas itself to travel through the pipelines which is crucial to the natural gas transport system. They also allow the gas to be rerouted into storage areas during periods of low demand.

Are natural gas compressor stations safe?

Are natural gas compressor stations safe? Yes. Natural gas transmission compressor stations must be engineered, constructed, operated and maintained in accordance with Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration safety standards.

How is natural gas pumped?

Natural gas companies drill thousands of feet into the earth and use big wells and pumps to bring it to the surface. Then they send the gas to your town through gas mains buried underground. Utility companies bring it to your house in smaller pipes.

How far should you live from a compressor station?

All known chemicals that are released from compressor stations do not need to be measured and reported according to regulations. We do know that compressor stations emit cancer-causing chemicals into the air as part of normal operations, and these can travel as far as 5-miles away, depending on weather conditions.

How do you compress natural gas?

“Compress” – pressurize Like any kind of gas, natural gas can be pressurized using a compressor. Its volume is thereby becoming significantly smaller. Natural gas is traditionally compressed to a pressure from 200 to 250 bars, which gives a 200-250-fold volume contraction.

How many natural gas compressor stations are there in the US?

The U.S. interstate natural gas pipeline network relies on more than 1,200 natural gas compressor stations to maintain the continuous flow of natural gas between supply area and consumers.

How does a CNG compressor work?

Natural Gas Compressors work by mechanically increasing gas pressure in stages (or steps) until it reaches the desired delivery point. The starting pressure and the desired ending pressure will determine how many stages a compressor will have.

What pressure is natural gas?

A common operating pressure for natural gas appliances is around 7 inches of water column (WC) or re-stating this in equivalent measure, that’s 14.9 millibars or 1743 Pascals or Pa, or about 0.25 psi (pounds per square inch) or about 4 ounces of pressure per square inch.

Are compressor stations loud?

“We found that five out of six homes that we monitored which were located within 750 meters of a compressor station had combined outdoor average sound levels greater than 55 decibels over a 24 hour period,” said Ms. Boyle.

What is difference between air compressor and gas compressor?

A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. An air compressor is a specific type of gas compressor. Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transport the fluid through a pipe.

What is CNG booster compressor?

The “B” series compressor uses hydraulic pumping elements, making it suitable to work with a very wide range of suction pressure without a pressure regulation valve. It is particularly suited for trailer unloading at daughter stations (booster)

How loud is a natural gas compressor station?

Although the noise level generated by a compressor station can be brief and abrupt, its startling effect can be annoying. The noise level near a compressor station can be up to 100 decibels whereas the usual nighttime noise level in many rural areas is around 35 decibels.

What are the types of gas compressors?

Types of compressors

• Centrifugal compressors.
• Diagonal or mixed-flow compressors.
• Axial-flow compressors.
• Reciprocating compressors.
• Rotary screw compressors.
• Scroll compressors.
• Diaphragm compressors.
• Miscellany.

How does booster compressor work?

A booster system is a piece of equipment used to increase or amplify the air pressure coming from an existing compression system by passing it through additional compression stages. Booster air compressors can raise existing air pressures between 80 – 150 psig to as much as 2000 psig.

How does a gas booster work?

Gas boosters achieve higher pressures by use of shop air pressure acting upon an air driven piston area that is much larger than the outlet high pressure gas piston.