Justification of energy efficiency of the use of a trigeneration system for a compressor station

Abstract

Today, the efficiency of transportation of natural gas is of paramount importance. Within this framework, the design and operation of compressor stations are a key factor significantly influencing the operating costs of gas transmission companies. Such conditions are characterized by a growing level of complexity, not only the choice of gas compression technology, but also the integration of systems due to energy needs, including electricity, heat, and cooling. The problems associated with fossil fuel prices, resources and environmental impact have led to increased efforts to develop more efficient systems in recent decades. One way to do this is to create several outlets in one system, which are the simultaneous generation of energy, heat, and cooling from the combustion of natural gas. The aim of the article is to develop recommendations for the implementation of innovative trigenerative optimization of the compressor station. At the same time, as part of the study, an exergy analysis was applied, which is aimed at assessing the energy efficiency of the selected trigenerative system. The data obtained indicate the possibility of not only introducing the adopted trigenerative configuration, but also of its individual elements to improve the energy efficiency of the system as a whole.