A cost and environmental beneficial solution for delivering methane gas from natural and industrial sources.
Large quantities of methane gas are being disposed of by burning in flares or simply by discharging to the atmosphere. Neither of these disposal methods is economically or environmentally desirable. Typical sources of methane are onshore oilfields, disused coal mines and land-fill waste disposal sites. Methane is a valuable fuel but it is also a severe greenhouse gas 16 times more severe than carbon dioxide.
The methane produced from the above sources is often not utilised because they are located remote from main gas and electricity distribution infrastructure making traditional methods of utilisation, pipelines or high tension cables, non cost effective.
Methane can also be manufactured from organic waste in a low-cost process which turns organic waste into a valuable fuel gas plus saleable compost for agriculture or horticulture. This is a bio-fuel with a zero carbon dioxide footprint which can be distributed by VGP.
Gas Fuelling Technology Ltd has developed the VGP technology that transforms waste methane as described above into a very valuable fuel, reduces the greenhouse gas contribution significantly and delivers the gas to a point of use. The technology has been developed from many years experience in the offshore oil and gas industry, natural gas fuelled vehicle technology and in the transport and storage of methane and other industrial gases.
The principle of the VGP is to capture and process the gas at source, compress it to high pressure, 200 -300 Bar, and transport it to the point of use in specially designed gas transportation trailers or gas transportation modules. These system solutions are suitable for dealing with gas quantities ranging from as little as 50 standard cubic metres per hour (40,000 standard cubic feet per day) to over 2000 standard cubic metres per hour (1,700,000 standard cubic feet per day).
Typical capital cost of virtual gas pipelines can be recovered within 2 years from energy sales or fuel costs saved.
Equally valuable are the environmental benefits. It is becoming increasingly important to be able to demonstrate to regulatory authorities that all practical steps are taken to minimise the environmental impact of any industrial activity be it oil production or waste disposal. It is unlikely that future projects will be granted licences or permissions unless proposals include an acceptable method for dealing with by-product methane.
A further improvement to cost benefit and environment impact reduction will be available this year. It will be possible to provide HGV tractor units fuelled by methane to haul the gas transportation trailers or modules. The cost of the fuel will be minimal and the exhaust emissions will meet the requirements of the emissions regulations not scheduled to be enforced until 2010. The carbon dioxide footprint of the gas tractors will be 20% less than the equivalent diesel fuelled unit or zero if fuelled by bio-gas.
Gas Fuelling Technology Ltd's portfolio of services includes feasibility studies, cost benefit analyses, safety studies, project management from system design, equipment procurement, through to system installation, commissioning and training.
Some current work in progress includes virtual gas pipeline projects to transport gas from two UK onshore oilfields. Gas deliveries from one will average 1500 standard cubic metres per hour and the smaller, 60 standard cubic metres per hour. The gas will variously be used to fuel gas turbine generator sets, provide re-injection gas for storage or oilfield pressure maintenance and process heating.
Author
Gas Fuelling Technology Limited - www.gasfuellingtech.com