Abstract
A big amount of the pressure energy content in the natural gas distribution networks is wasted in throttling valves of pressure reduction stations (PRSs). Just a few energy recovery systems are currently installed in PRSs and are mostly composed of radial turboexpanders coupled with cogeneration internal combustion engines or gas-fired heaters providing the necessary preheating. This paper clarifies the reason for the scarce diffusion of energy recovery systems in PRSs and provides guidelines about the most feasible energy recovery technologies. Nine thousand PRSs are monitored and allocated into 12 classes, featuring different expansion ratios and available power. The focus is on PRSs with 1-to-20 expansion ratio and 1-to-500 kW available power. Three kinds of expanders are proposed in combination with different preheating systems based on boilers, heat pumps, or cogeneration engines. The goal is to identify, for each class, the most feasible combination by looking at the minimum payback period and maximum net present value. Results show that small size volumetric expanders with low expansion ratios and coupled with gas-fired heaters have the highest potential for large-scale deployment of energy recovery from PRSs. Moreover, the total recoverable energy using the feasible recovery systems is approximately 15% of the available energy.
Highlights
The natural gas network is designed to achieve an acceptable compromise between cost of infrastructure and cost of the energy spent to pressurize the gas
This paper clarifies the reasons behind the poor diffusion of energy recovery systems installed due to the large consumption of natural gas of internal combustion engines (ICEs) that involves a primary energy consumption that in the gas distribution networks, and provides useful guidelines about the features of the pressure reduction stations (PRSs) that make the installation of specific energy recovery technologies convenient
This paper clarifies the reasons behind the poor diffusion of energy recovery systems installed in the gas distribution networks, and provides useful guidelines about the features of the pressure reduction stations (PRSs) that make the installation of specific energy recovery technologies convenient
Summary
The natural gas network is designed to achieve an acceptable compromise between cost of infrastructure and cost of the energy spent to pressurize the gas. Just a small fraction of the pressure energy of the natural gas is effectively utilized to keep it in motion while the rest is usually wasted in pressure reduction stations (PRSs). These stations subdivide the distribution network into subsystems working at decreasing pressure levels as the gas gets closer to the final users. To guarantee the availability of natural gas at the various extraction points and make the interaction possible between subsystems operating at different pressure levels, the natural gas network is equipped with various pressure reduction stations (PRSs). The scientific literature agrees that one of the most feasible energy recovery technologies for PRSs is the radial turboexpander-generator
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