Gas Compressors | Gas Compression | Natural Gas | Midstream Oil and Gas

Gas Compressors, Gas Gathering, Gas Processing, Stranded Gas
and Midstream Oil and Gas Services

Gas compressors are mechanical devices that increase the pressure of the (natural) gas by reducing its volume.

Our "Integrated" CHP Systems (Cogeneration and Trigeneration) Plants
Have Very High Efficiencies, Low Fuel Costs & Low Emissions

The Effective Heat Rate is Approximately
4100 btu/kW & System Efficiency is 92% Plant.

The CHP System below is Rated at 900 kW and Features:
(2) Natural Gas Engines @ 450 kW each on one Skid with Optional
Selective Catalytic Reduction system that removes Nitrogen Oxides to "non-detect."

Amine plants provide H2S removal as well as CO2 removal from natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons. The process involves both absorption and chemical reactions.

Amine, is the shortened form of " Mono Ethanol Amine" or MEA. MEA removes H2S or acid gases through a chemical reaction with hydrogen sulfide or carbon dioxide which forms a salt compound (see Gas Sweetening diagram below).

When the MEA has absorbed the H2S ( and carbon dioxide) it is referred to as " rich" MEA.

When the acid gases have been removed from the mono ethanol amine it's called lean MEA

Flare Gas Recovery, Waste to Fuel and Vapor Recovery Units can be located in hundreds of applications and locations. At a Wastewaster Treatment System (or Publicly Owned Treatment Works - "POTW") gases from the facility can be captured from the anaerobic digesters, and manifolded/piped to one of our onsite power generation plants, and make, essentially, "free" electricity for your facility's use. These associated "biogases" that are generated from municipally owned landfills or wastewater treatment plants have low btu content or heating values, ranging around 550-650 btu's. This makes them unsuitable for use in natural gas applications. When burned as fuel to generate electricity, however, these gases become a valuable source of "renewable" power and energy for the facility's use or resale to the electric grid.

Additionally, if heat (steam and/or hot water) is required, we will incorporate our cogeneration or trigeneration system into the project and provide some, or all, of your hot water/steam requirements. Similarly, at crude oil refineries, gas processing plants, exploration and production sites, and gasoline storage/tank farm site, we convert your facility's "waste fuel" and environmental liabilities into profitable, environmentally-friendly solutions.

A fractionation plant - also referred to as a gas fractionation plant is a facility that separates mixtures of light hydrocarbons into individual, or industrially pure, substances.

Fractionation plant are an integral part of gasoline plants, gas processing plant, gas refineries, and chemical and petrochemical processing plants. The raw materials of gas fractionation plants are composed mainly of hydrocarbons containing one to eight carbon atoms per molecule. The separation process at the gas fractionation plant of the hydrocarbon mixtures is performed by fractional distillation in "column distillers."

The process for separating natural gasoline in a gas fractionation plant includes preheating of the natural gasoline in a heat exchanger and feeding it to a "propane column." The propane vapors are next "condensed" in a condenser-cooler which then flows to a a reflux vessel where the propane vapors exit from the top part of the column. Some of the propane is returned to the top of the column as a "reflux" and the excess propane is drawn off in the form of a finished product.

After preheating, the liquid from the bottom of the column is fed for further separation by the same method into the next column, where a mixture of butanes is separated from the liquid in the form of overflow, and the gasolines exit from the lower part of the column. The separation of butanes into isobutane and normal butane, as well as gasoline into isopentane, normal pentane and hexanes, continues in the same type process. approximate pure-substance content after processing of natural gasoline is approximately:

Picture of a gas processing and fractionation plant which includes: propane column, stabilization column,
isobutane column, condenser-coolers, preheaters for bottom of column, heat exchangers and coolers

Improvements in the technological system of fractionation plants are designed to reduce capital expenditures and power costs and to automate monitoring and control systems by means of electronic computers and by the installation of chromatographic product quality analyzers on flow lines.

Gas compressors are mechanical device that increase the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. Gas compressors are responsible for moving the natural gas from the oil or natural gas production well to homes and businesses via natural gas pipelines and gas compression stations.

Natural gas compression utilizes gas compressors which are mechanical devices that increase the pressure of the (natural) gas by reducing its volume so as to move the natural gas from one point to another.

A gas fractionation plant is a facility that separates mixtures of light hydrocarbons into individual, or industrially pure, substances. Gas fractionation plants are an integral part of gasoline plants, gas processing plant, gas refineries, and chemical and petrochemical processing plants. The raw materials of gas fractionation plants are composed mainly of hydrocarbons containing one to eight carbon atoms per molecule. The separation process at the gas fractionation plant of the hydrocarbon mixtures is performed by fractional distillation in "column distillers."

Gas Gathering systems are the physical facilities that accumulate and transport natural gas from a well to an acceptance point of a transportation pipeline are called a gas gathering system.

Gas Gathering lines are small-diameter pipelines move natural gas from the wellhead to the gas processing plant or to an interconnection with a larger mainline pipeline. Transporting natural gas from the wellhead to the final customer involves several physical transfers of custody and multiple processing steps. A natural gas pipeline system begins at the natural gas producing well or field. Once the gas leaves the producing well, a gas gathering system directs the flow either to a gas processing plant or directly to the mainline transmission grid, depending upon the initial quality of the wellhead product.

The processing plant produces pipeline-quality natural gas. This gas is then transported by pipeline to consumers or is put into underground storage for future use. Storage helps to maintain pipeline system operational integrity and/or to meet customer requirements during peak-usage periods.

Transporting natural gas from wellhead to market involves a series of processes and an array of physical facilities. Among these are:

Natural Gas Processing plants separate the various hydrocarbons and natural gas liquids from the pure natural gas (methane or CH4) to produce what is known as 'pipeline quality' natural gas. Natural gas pipeline companies have requirements on natural gas they buy from producers which is why the natural gas processing plants are located where they are, and why they separate the ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes from the methane. Natural gas liquids or NGLs include ethane, propane, butane, iso-butane, and natural gasoline.

The principal service provided by a gas processing plant to the natural gas mainline transmission network is that it produces pipeline quality natural gas. Natural gas mainline transmission systems are designed to operate within certain tolerances. Natural gas entering the system that is not within certain specific gravities, pressures, Btu content range, or water content level will cause operational problems, pipeline deterioration, or even cause pipeline rupture.

Gas processing plants are also facilities designed to recover natural gas liquids from a stream of natural gas that may or may not have passed through lease separators and/or field separation facilities. These facilities also control the quality of the natural gas to be marketed. Several types of gas processing plants, employing various techniques and technologies to extract contaminants and natural gas liquids, are used to produce pipeline quality "dry" gas. At many processing plants the primary objective is the production of dry gas (demethanizing). Any remaining natural gas liquids extraction stream is directed to a separate plant to undergo what is referred to as a "gas fractionation" process.

But a number of natural gas processing plants do include these gas fractionation plants where saturated hydrocarbons are removed from natural gas and separated into distinct parts, or "fractions," such as propane, butane, and ethane. Essentially, natural gas is methane, a colorless, odorless, flammable hydrocarbon gas (CH₄). Also present in natural gas production, especially that in association with oil production, are a number of petroleum gases. They include (in addition to ethane, propane and butane) ethylene, propylene, butylene, isobutane, and isobutylene. They are derived from crude oil refining or natural gas fractionation and are liquefied through pressurization.

As oil and natural gas is produced from the underground reservoirs, the reservoir pressure or bottom-hole pressure begins to fall. As the reservoir's pressure declines, the production of oil and natural gas declines. Gas Reinjection, through the use of gas compressors, is a method to re-charge or re-pressure the underground reservoir, to increase the production of oil and/or natural gas. Natural gas is not always the "gas" that is utilized in the re-injection process. Once the reservoir's pressure is increased, and production begins increasing.

The above information regarding "gas reinjection" is not to be confused with "gas lift." "Gas lift" is the process wherein gas is injected into the annulus of the well rather than the underground reservoir. After crude oil has been pumped out of the reservoir, the natural gas is once again recovered. This is particularly beneficial where "heavy crude" oil is found. The primary differences between "light" crude oil and "heavy" crude oil is the viscosity and ability to be pumped. The lighter the crude oil, the easier it is to pump and flow.

Sulfur exists in natural gas and is known as hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Natural gas is usually considered "sour" if hydrogen sulfides content exceeds 5.7 milligrams of H2S per cubic meter of natural gas. The process hydrogen sulfide removal from sour gas is commonly referred to as "gas sweetening."

The primary process for sweetening "sour" natural gas ("sour" natural gas contains H2S or hydrogen sulfides) is quite similar to the processes of glycol dehydration and NGL absorption. In this case, however, amine solutions are used to remove the hydrogen sulfide. This process is known simply as the 'amine process', or alternatively as the Girdler process, and is used in 95 percent of U.S. gas sweetening operations. The sour gas is run through a tower, which contains the amine solution. This solution has an affinity for sulfur, and absorbs it much like glycol absorbing water. There are two principle amine solutions used, monoethanolamine (MEA) and diethanolamine (DEA). Either of these compounds, in liquid form, will absorb sulfur compounds from natural gas as it passes through. The effluent gas is virtually free of sulfur compounds, and thus loses its sour gas status. Like the process for NGL extraction and glycol dehydration, the amine solution used can be regenerated (that is, the absorbed sulfur is removed), allowing it to be reused to treat more sour gas.

Although most sour gas sweetening involves the amine absorption process, it is also possible to use solid desiccants like iron sponges to remove the sulfide and carbon dioxide.

Sulfur can be sold and used if reduced to its elemental form. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow powder like material, and can often be seen in large piles near gas treatment plants, as is shown. In order to recover elemental sulfur from the gas processing plant, the sulfur containing discharge from a gas sweetening process must be further treated. One sulfur recovery process is called the "Claus" process, and involves the use of thermal and catalytic reactions to extract the elemental sulfur from the hydrogen sulfide solution.

Glycol dehydration is used in the production and processing of natural gas by using a liquid desiccant that removes water from natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGL).

H2S, or Hydrogen Sulfide, is a hazardous and corrosive element found in oil and natural gas which needs to be removed from the hydrocarbon before the oil or natural gas can be sold. The hydrogen sulfides are usually removed in a mid-stream gas processing facility by either iron sponges or amine plants.

What is a Heater Treater?

A "Heater Treater" is used in the oil and gas production process and is used to removes water and gas from the produced oil - and to improve its quality for sale into a crude oil pipeline or for other transport. A heater treater typically combines the following components inside the heater treater: a heater, free-water knockout, and oil and gas separator.

A JT Plant, or "Joule-Thomson" plant operates as a gas processing plant in that the JT Plant operates through a natural gas pressure differential causing the temperature to fall significantly, thereby making the natural gas liquids (propane, butane, and natural gasoline) within the natural gas stream, to "condense" and fall out of the natural gas stream.

The purpose of a JT Plant is to condense the heavier natural gas liquids from the natural gas stream to meet that specific natural gas pipeline's "pipeline quality gas" specifications thereby making the natural gas saleable to downstream end-users/customers. The natural gas liquids that are produced from the JT plant are stored in tanks for eventual sale as propane, butane and natural gasoline.

Master Limited Partnership (MLPs) are limited partnerships that are publicly traded on a securities exchange.

MLPs combine the tax benefits of Limited Partnerships with the liquidity and protection/oversight of a publicly traded security.

Master Limited Partnerships are limited by regulation to apply to specific businesses - most notably - natural resources, including; oil and natural gas extraction and transportation.

To qualify for MLP status, a partnership must generate at least 90 percent of its income from "qualifying" sources/resources. For many Master Limited Partnerships, this includes activities related to the production, processing or transportation of oil, natural gas and coal.

Master Limited Partnerships pay their investors through Quarterly Required Distributions or QRDs. The amount of the QRDs is stated in the contract between the Limited Partners (the investors) and the General Partner (the managers). Failure of the General Partner to pay the quarterly required distributions constitutes a default of the MLP Agreement.

Due to the stringent provisions on Master Limited Partnerships and the QRD, the majority of all Master Limited Partnerships are pipeline businesses, and natural gas companies engaged in the "midstream" oil and natural gas sector, which generated a reliable and steady income from the oil and natural gas sector.

Because MLPs are a partnership, there is no corporate income tax at either the state or federal level. The Limited Partners (investors) are able to record a pro-rated share of the investment in the Master Limited Partnership's depreciation on their personal income tax filings which further reduces their (that year's) tax liabilities. This is the primary benefit of Master Limited Partnerships and provides MLPs relatively inexpensive funding and capital costs. Simultaneously, this makes Master Limited Partnerships unattractive to "tax-deferred funds" that are unable to utilize this tax savings advantage. To encourage tax-deferred investors, MLPs set up new corporation holding companies for their Limited Partner's claims which can then issue equity.

In most new Master Limited Partnerships, the General Partner starts out with a small stake or position in the company - typically in the 2% to 5% range. However, the MLP receives "incentive distributions" from the net income after the Quarterly Required Distributions. As the incentive distributions are normally paid in the form of increased equity claims this allows the General Partner to attain an increasingly greater percentage of ownership in the company over time.

Midstream Assets include those assets and services that link the supply side of the value chain within the industry, to the demand side for for these energy commodities.

The Midstream Assets and the Midstream Oil and Gas sector is the bridge between the energy producers and the energy end-users and - therefore, can only be as strong as the weakest link or bridge within the midstream oil and gas sector.

The downstream sector usually refers to crude oil refineries and the selling and distribution of natural gas and products derived from crude oil. These products include Liquefied Petroleum Gas or "LPG," gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, and other fuel oils, as well as asphalt and petroleum coke.

There are periods of time in peak periods of natural gas use, that a natural gas company (pipeline or LDC) may not be able to keep up with these peak demand periods. Natural gas storage is a way to help provide for the natural gas reserves or natural gas supplies that are needed during these peak demand periods. Having strategically-located natural gas storage capabilities can assist natural gas pipelines or LDCs provide the natural gas supply when their customers demand.

Recent governments studies conclude that demand for clean-burning natural gas has continued to rise. In the last 20 years, natural gas consumption has risen nearly 25%.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates there are over 2,100 Trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of "technically recoverable natural gas" reserves in the United States, as reported in the EIA's 2010 Annual Energy Outlook. In 2009, the United States used just over 22 Trillion cubic feet of natural gas, making the U.S. one of the global leaders in natural gas consumption. This means the U.S. has enough natural gas supply to last about 100 years.

With greater demand comes greater need to be able to store natural gas. In the past 20 years, natural gas storage has increased less than 5%. This creates a serious constraint that can impact our nation by failing to keep up with natural gas supply and demand. Existing natural gas storage facilities will not be able to keep up with the demand for natural gas during increasingly greater periods of increasing demand, which could cost all consumers of natural gas billions of dollars.

There is a critical need for new high-volume natural gas storage facilities to meet the escalating demand for natural gas which will provide predictability of natural gas supply and reduce or eliminate volatility of natural gas prices during peak periods. Natural gas storage "balance" the load - or supply and demand requirements of all natural gas consumers and provides the "cushion" needed for large supplies of natural gas to serve all consumers during periods of peak demand.

Natural gas storage can take place in a number of underground natural gas facilities. From the time the natural gas is produced, it may be stored temporarily in underground natural gas storage facilities that may be one or more of the following; depleted oil or natural gas fields/reservoirs, salt dome caverns/salt dome storage or former aquifers.

Most of the natural gas storage in the U.S. takes place in naturally-occurring natural gas or oil reservoirs that have been depleted through production. An underground gas storage facility must contain enough “base gas” or “cushion gas” that provides adequate pressure to re-produce and extract the natural gas.

As natural gas is produced from either a natural gas well, or from an oilwell which contains "associated gas," the natural gas must be treated or processed before it can be sold/injected as "pipeline quality gas" and then be used at a home or business as a fuel.

Natural gas treating or processing, takes place at gas processing plants to remove the impurities and other hydrocarbons other than the methane itself, or CH4.

The by-products and impurities of natural gas that must be treated or processed include; ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, pentane, isopentane and higher molecular weight hydrocarbons, as well as H2S or elemental sulfur, carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor and sometimes helium and nitrogen.

NGL, or natural gas liquids fractionation plants purpose is to separate the mixed natural gas liquids stream into separated products. These natural gas liquids that are separated by heat at NGL Fractionation plants include; ethane, propane, normal butane, isobutane and natural gasoline.

Toward the end of the gas processing process and natural gas treating process, wherein the "raw" natural gas (methane or CH4) is readied for sale as "pipeline quality gas," the recovery of the valuable natural gas liquids (NGL) takes place. In many gas processing facilities, a cryogenic plant - which provides low-temperature distillation that recovers the natural gas liquids. The residue gas from the NGL recovery process, is the purified pipeline quality gas that is sold via pipeline and sent so end-users such as LDCs (local distribution companies - or natural gas utility) for distribution via natural gas mains in their cities and markets.

Other NGL recovery methods include an NGL fractionation "train" which typically consists of three distillation towers in a series. The series occurs in the following order:

The overhead product from the deethanizer is ethane - after which the bottoms flow to the depropanizer. The overhead product from the depropanizer is propane and the bottoms then flow to the debutanizer. The overhead product from the debutanizer is a mixture of normal butane and iso-butane. The bottoms products are a C5+ mixture. Most cryogenic plants, however, do not include fractionation due to economic reasons. Therefore the NGL stream is then transported as a mixed product to separate, standalone fractionation plants that are located near refineries or chemical plants that need these NGLs feedstock.

"Pipeline Quality Gas," is the purified and processed form of natural gas (CH4, natural gas or methane) that has had impurities, natural gas liquids and contaminants such as H2S (hydrogen sulfide) removed to meet "pipeline quality" requirements. This makes the natural gas useable to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Raw biogas, in order to become Biomethane or Pipeline Quality Gas, must for from "Biogas to Biomethane" wherein the impurities and contaminants of the biogas are removed. This process of biogas purification to biomethane is also called "Gas Sweetening." The impurities and contaminants of biogas that need to be removed to then have Biomethane or Pipeline Quality Gas include; carbon dioxide (CO2), water, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and Siloxane. Some of the Biogas to Biomethane technologies include; iron sponge, water scrubbing, membrane separation, pressure swing adsorption (PSA), and mixing with higher quality gases.

Stranded Gas, also referred to as "stranded natural gas," refers to natural gas that has been discovered but has not, or will not be developed due to their location or the economics of getting the natural gas delivered to the marketplace.

Did you know that approximately 40% of the world's available natural gas reserves are classified as stranded gas?

The Department of Energy estimates that there are 3,000 Tcf of stranded gas world-wide!

Stranded gas may be stranded - or become stranded in the future, for several reasons;

* the nearest natural gas pipeline may be too far from the well in terms of the economics of running a new pipeline.
* the volume of natural gas produced may not be of sufficient quantities for the natural gas pipeline company.
* the quality of the natural gas produced may not meet the "pipeline quality gas" specifications of the natural gas pipeline
company.
* the amount of natural gas produced from the well may decline over the years to amounts that do not meet the natural gas
pipeline's minimum amounts among other reasons.

One of our solutions for oil and gas companies with stranded gas is to use the stranded gas as fuel that generates clean electricity with one of our "gas to power" solutions using gas turbine generators. Our affiliated company manufactures gas turbine gensets For as little as $785/kW (plus shipping costs and any related set-up costs) you could be generating revenues with one of our gas turbine generators!

Natural gas pipelines have transported natural gas safely, reliably, and economically to the marketplace whenever large reservoirs of natural gas are found in locations where there were existing pipelines. Even for new natural gas fields, where there are large reservoirs and supplies of natural gas, pipelines were laid to transport the natural gas to markets. However, natural gas supplies from easy to find, and easy to produce fields have been on the decline. This leaves the "stranded gas" from the fields that have not been developed due to the economics, location, or the supply was not large enough. Stranded gas wells and reservoirs are becoming increasingly attractive opportunities as we can make the stranded gas a new profit center for your company.

We can help your company turn unproductive, zero revenue stranded gas assets into economic cash flows and a new source or revenues. Stranded gas wells with a nearby electric transmission line with a minimum production of approximately 70,000 cubic feet of natural gas per day - can become a new profit center with our assistance!

Do you have a minimum of 400 mcf/day from your stranded gas well? If yes, we can install an affiliated company's gas turbine generator and generate about 1.0 MW of electricity, 24 x 7 x 365.

We can take stranded gas gas wells that have been plugged & abandoned years ago, and make them productive and profitable by taking the stranded gas and placing one or more of our power plants at or near the site - and using the stranded gas as the fuel to generate power, selling the electricity to the electric grid - thereby creating a new profit center from shut-in wells. Shut-in natural gas wells can be made productive, with new revenues from generating our gas to power solutions. Or, if there is a nearby commercial or industrial operation that needs hot water or steam, we can develop a cogeneration power plant as well, selling them the thermal energy and the power to the electric grid.

It's much easier to transport electrons long distances, than it is to transport natural gas long distances.

Alternatively, depending on the location, we may be able to place LNG equipment near Stranded Gas wells and convert the natural gas to Liquefied Natural Gas, and then transport the LNG to a nearby market.

We provide Flare Gas Recovery, Vapor Recovery Units and "Stranded Gas" solutions. We offer turnkey, "vendor-neutral" power/energy project development products and services. Unlike most companies, we are equipment supplier/vendor neutral. This means we help our clients select the best equipment for their specific application. This approach provides our customers with superior performance, decreased operating expenses and increased return on investment.

The Upstream Oil and Gas segment is a term that refers to the searching, drilling and production of crude oil and natural gas. The Upstream Oil and Gas segment is also known as the "exploration and production" or "E&P" segment.

The Upstream Oil and Gas segment includes; exploring for potential underground (or underwater) oil and natural gas fields (or reservoirs), drilling of exploratory wells, and operating/producing the oil and natural gas wells that "pay" with crude oil and/or natural gas.

A vapor recovery unit is a device that captures or recovers valuable volatile organic compounds and other rich gas streams that may otherwise be a significant environmental pollutant or hazardous air pollutant. A well designed vapor recovery unit can pay for itself in less than 3 years and simultaneously mitigate a company's exposure to environmental liabilities.

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