Compressor stations are crucial for transporting natural gas through pipelines. They compress the gas to keep it moving, with stations placed every 40 to 100 miles. Skilled workers operate the machinery and monitor for safety. The gas undergoes a cleaning process before being compressed by pumps driven by turbines or engines.
A compressor station is a large structure that is an important part of the process of transporting natural gas from one location to another. Natural gas travels long distances through a network of massive pipelines &mdahs; to travel through this conduit, the gas must be under pressure. Compressor stations are placed at intervals along the pipelines where the natural gas is pressurized to keep it moving. They actually pump the gas through the pipeline by compressing it at certain distance intervals.
When a pipeline is built, compressor stations are also built along the route, usually every 40 to 100 miles (64 to 161 km). The action of the compressor station is actually what moves the gas. As the station compresses the gas, it pushes it into a small space. This gives it a very high pressure as it leaves the station and the gas moves by expanding through the tube and relieving the pressure. By the time it gets to the next station, it’s back to a much lower pressure, ready to be compressed again to continue its journey.
A compressor station typically runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to keep natural gas moving. The medium station is capable of handling up to 830 million cubic feet (23.5 million cubic meters) of natural gas. These stations have skilled workers operating the machinery and must be constantly monitored by highly trained personnel. Monitoring is extremely important to ensure the safety of workers and the surrounding area as natural gas can be dangerous and explosive if mishandled.
Natural gas enters the compressor station from the low pressure intake manifold. Subsequently it undergoes a cleaning process in liquid separators. Scrubbers, filters and strainers remove any impurities from natural gas such as dirt particles or liquid condensate. Natural gas must be in its gaseous state, but sometimes the liquid condenses due to temperature changes. The liquid is collected and stored for proper disposal or eventual sale.
From this point, the gas travels through the compressor station to the compressors, also known as pumps. Compressors are driven by motors known as prime movers. Turbines or electric motors can be used to drive centrifugal compressors, which compress gas by spinning it at high speed using a device such as a giant fan blade and then pushing it through a small outlet tube.
Another option is a reciprocating engine paired with a reciprocating supercharger, which works much like a huge car engine. The gas is compressed by giant pistons in cylinder cases on one side of the engine. Once compressed and pressurized, the natural gas leaves the compressor station and continues its journey.
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