Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable

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Eastern Gas
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EGCR News

Technical Tuesday: State of the Art

State of the Art changes faster than a water bug running across whiskey… if you don’t appreciate where the industry started, how can you be grateful for where we are? These pictures are from an engine that has been abandoned for many years, but there are many facilities still running controls from the same era or even before this. Want to learn about the new stuff, the old new stuff, the newer old stuff, or the really old stuff? Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, September 14-16, 2021 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA or contact us for more information.

Old engine gauges
Old engine levers

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CH4 Facts: LNG Imports

Our last post talked about LNG exports and you might be wondering if the US imports more than we export. It’s a great question. We again turned to the “Statistical Review of World Energy” for our research, and here’s what we found. Want to know more? Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, September 14-16, 2021 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Reference: bp Statistical Review of World Energy 2020 p.40 Natural gas: Inter-regional trade Table

Technical Tuesday: Performance Control Devices

What are Performance Control Devices? Is an unloader the same as a deactivator? And how do they affect the performance of my unit? Learn all about it at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, September 14-16, 2021 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. https://www.egcr.org

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CH4 Facts: LNG Exports

CH4 Facts

There has been a great deal of talk and infrastructure built around exporting natural gas to other countries… but do you know where? BP publishes an annual report called the “Statistical Review of World Energy.” The graphic below (page 43 of the report) shows major importers to the given areas. Most of the US exports are headed to Europe. Want to know more? Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, September 14-16, 2021 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. www.EGCR.org

Graph of LNG Exports

Source: bp Statistical Review of World Energy 2020 page 43

Technical Tuesday: Fluid Heating

Tired of fighting cold equipment on startups? Have a unit that leaks so bad it looks like a city fire hydrant cracked open in the summertime for kids to play in? Fluid heating can be an affordable way to address some of those concerns. By keeping the fluids warm, many of the leaks present when the engine is offline won’t occur, and it prevents a safety hazard caused by fluids on the walking surfaces. Keeping the engine warm can also positively impact the starting reliability of the unit. Want to learn more about how to reliably maintain your units? Meet the vendors, see product demonstrations, attend classes, and talk with expert users at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable Conference, September 14-16, 2021 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

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CH4 Facts: Fossil Fuels

Natural Gas is composed of 1 carbon element and 4 Hydrogen elements, and the chemical equation is CH4. The gas is shipped from producers to consumers through a myriad of pipelines spread across the US. In this series of posts, we hope to relay information about the natural gas industry regionally and globally. We are often presented with data relaying the potential hazards of fossil fuel use, but those publications never view the facts through a balanced lens that compares advantages to hazards. We are going to present you with some data supporting the use of fossil fuels. If you have a specific question, send us a message or drop a comment, then plan to join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, September 14-16, 2021 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. www.EGCR.org

Source: US Energy Information Administration. EIA – Natural Gas Pipeline Network – U.S. Natural Gas Pipeline Network Map

Technical Tuesday: Fuel Quality

Wet gas is an oxymoron, and your fuel systems hate it too. Fuel quality is often the source of mechanical woes. Scrubbers, drop out tanks, and filter separators are our most effective defense, but the maintenance costs for the equipment is often the first line item to hit the chopping block. Meet the experts on “keeping it clean,” see product demonstrations, attend classes, and talk with expert users at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, September 14-16, 2021 in Pittsburgh, PA. See Event Information

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Technical Tuesday: Power Cylinders

What do you do when your power cylinders can’t hold their water? Depends… No, that won’t work. There are several repair methods, but they will vary based on cost and longevity of the repair. This image shows machining to oversize the ID of the frame to allow for the installation of an oversized OD of the power cylinder. This method relocates but completely restores the integrity of the sealing surfaces. Want to learn about the other methods? Meet the vendors, see product demonstrations, attend classes, and talk with expert users at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable Conference, September 14-16, 2021 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

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Technical Tuesday: Borescope Inspection

“How did the borescope inspection on the turbo go?”
“The Impeller is starting to look more like a repeller.”

Borescope inspection on turbines, turbochargers, blower and pumps are a great inspection and troubleshooting method. We can tell you where to look, when to look, how to look and what set-up will work best. Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, September 14-16, 2021 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA or contact us for more information.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Safety Systems

Safety systems can be a pain when they cause nuisance shutdowns, but they are worth their weight in gold when needed. This is a starting air valve failure on a Worthington ML-7 with no eutectics or pressure shutdowns on the system. Once the valve began leaking combustion gases, it melted and consumed the valve. Then it torched a hole through the header. The building shutdown on fire detection. Want to learn more about safety systems and how to maintain them? Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on September 14-16, 2021 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.