Replacing Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps: Lessons Learned
Replacing Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps: Lessons Learned
Replacing Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps: Lessons Learned
Approximately 36,000 glycol dehydrators in the natural Most natural gas producers use triethylene glycol (TEG)
gas production sector are used to remove water from the gas dehydrators to remove water from the natural gas
gas. Most glycol dehydration systems use triethylene stream to meet pipeline quality standards. TEG is
glycol (TEG) as the absorbent fluid and rely on pumps to circulated through the dehydration system using pumps
circulate TEG through the dehydrator. Operators use two powered either by an electric motor or by a gas expansion
types of circulation pumps: gas-assisted glycol pumps, also piston or turbine driver. The latter is called a “gas
referred to as “energy-exchange pumps,” and electric assisted” or “energy-exchange” pump. In some operations,
pumps. a combination gas-assist/electric pump system may be
used.
Gas-assisted pumps are the most common circulation
pumps in remote areas that do not have an electrical The gas dehydration process includes the following
power supply. They are basically pneumatic gas driven elements:
pumps, specially designed to take advantage of the energy
of high-pressure natural gas entrained in the rich (wet) Wet natural gas is fed into a glycol contactor, where
TEG leaving the gas contactor. Additional high-pressure it bubbles up counter-current through “lean
wet production gas is necessary for mechanical advantage, TEG” (triethylene glycol without absorbed water) in
and therefore more methane rich gas is carried to the TEG the contactor tower trays.
regenerator, where it is vented with water boiled off of the
rich TEG. The mechanical design of these pumps places Lean TEG absorbs water and under pressure, some
wet, high-pressure TEG opposed to dry, low pressure TEG, methane from the natural gas stream-becoming “rich
separated only by rubber seals. Worn seals result in TEG.”
contamination of the lean (dry) TEG making it less
efficient in dehydrating the gas, requiring higher glycol Dry gas goes to the sales pipeline.
circulation rates. Typical methane emissions are about
1,000 cubic feet (Mcf) for each million cubic feet(MMcf) of A reboiler operating at atmospheric pressure
gas treated. regenerates the rich TEG by heating the glycol to
drive off water, absorbed methane and other
Replacing gas-assisted pumps with electric pumps contaminants, which are vented to the atmosphere.
increases system efficiency and significantly reduces
emissions. For example, a 10 MMcf per day dehydrator The regenerated (lean) TEG is pumped back up to
could save up to 3,000 Mcf of gas a year, worth $21,000. contactor pressure and injected at the top of the
contactor tower.
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Replace Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps
(Cont’d)
Installing a flash tank separator in the dehydration pressure gas) expands from contactor pressure (200
loop. to 800 psig) down to reboiler pressure (zero psig),
pushing against the driver side of the main cylinder
Replacing gas-assisted pumps with electric pumps. piston.
absorbed in the rich TEG from the contactor (about two TEG flows by pressure drop directly to the regenerator,
volumes for one) to provide mechanical advantage on the and contains only dissolved methane and hydrocarbons.
driver side. This means that a gas-assisted pump passes Exhibit 2 shows an example of an electric glycol pump
about three times as much gas to the regenerator as an assembly.
electric motor driven pump would. Furthermore, gas-
assisted pumps place high-pressure wet TEG opposite low- Using electric pumps as alternatives to gas-assisted pumps
pressure dry TEG in four locations with rings on the two can yield significant economic and environmental benefits,
pistons and “O-rings” on the central piston connecting rod including:
separating them. As the piston rings becomes worn,
grooved, or the O-rings wear, rich TEG leaks past, Financial return on investment through
contaminating the lean TEG. This contamination reduced gas losses. Using gas-assisted glycol
decreases the dehydrator’s capacity to absorb water and pumps reduces methane emissions by a third or
reduces system efficiency. Eventually, the contamination more. All of the wet production gas remains in the
becomes sufficient to prevent the gas from meeting system to be dehydrated and sold as product. In
pipeline specifications (commonly 4 to 7 lb of water per many cases, the cost of implementation can be
MMcf). recovered in less than 1 year.
As little as 0.5 percent contamination of the lean TEG Increased operational efficiency. Worn O-rings
stream can double the circulation rate required to in gas-assisted glycol pumps can cause contamination
maintain the same effective water removal. In some cases, of the lean TEG stream in the dehydrator, reducing
operators can over circulate the TEG as the dehydrator system efficiency and requiring an increase in glycol
loses efficiency, which in turn, can lead to even greater circulation rate, compounding the methane
emissions. emissions. The design of electric pumps eliminates
the potential for this contamination to occur and
Economic and Environmental Benefits thereby increases the operational efficiency of the
system.
Electric Pumps
Reduced maintenance costs. Replacing gas-
In contrast to gas-assisted pumps, electric motor driven assisted glycol pumps often results in lower annual
pumps have less design-inherent emissions and no maintenance costs. The floating piston O-rings in gas
pathway for contamination of lean TEG by the rich stream. -assisted pumps must be replaced when they begin to
Electric pumps only move the lean TEG stream; the rich leak, typically every 3 to 6 months. The need for this
replacement is eliminated when electric pumps are
Exhibit 2: Electric Drive Gear Pump employed.
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Replace Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps
(Cont’d)
4
Replace Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps
(Cont’d)
shutdowns can minimize installation costs. Exhibit 5: Estimate Methane Emissions from
Glycol Dehydrators1
Operation and maintenance costs
The primary operational cost of an electric pump is the Step 1: Calculate Emissions Factor
electricity needed to power the unit. In general, the Given: EF = Emission Factor (scf natural gas emitted/MMcf gas
kilowatt (kW) requirement to run a pump is nearly the processed)
same as BHP. For example, a 3.0 BHP pump would PGU = Pump Gas Usage (scf natural gas emitted/gallon of
require approximately 3.0 kW to operate. TEG)2
G = Glycol-to-Water Ratio (gallons of TEG/lb water
removed) 3
In 2006, the average cost of purchased electricity in the WR = Water Removed Rate (lb water removed/MMcf gas
commercial and industrial sectors ranged from $0.061 to processed)
$0.094 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) nationally; site-generated OC = Over Circulation Rate
electricity cost approximately $0.02 per kWh. If electricity Calculate: EF = PGU x G x WR x OC
costs are assumed to be approximately $0.075 per kWh,
the estimated cost for purchased power for the 3.0 BHP Step 2: Calculate Total Emissions
pump identified above would be $1,971 per year (3.0 kW x
Given: TE = Total Emissions
8,760 hrs/yr x $0.075/kWh). The cost for site generated
AF = Activity Factor (MMcf gas processed annually)
electricity would be about $525 per year (3.0 kW x 8,760
hrs/yr x $0.02/kWh). Calculate: TE = EF x AF
1
Calculation methods and standard values are presented in EPA’s Lessons
Typical maintenance costs for gas-assisted glycol pumps
Learned: Optimize Glycol Circulation and Install Flash Tank Separators in Glycol
range from $270 to $530 annually. Maintenance cost is Dehydrators.
primarily associated with internal O-ring replacements 2
Industry Rule-of-Thumb: 3 cubic-ft/gal for gas-assisted pump, 1 cubic-ft/gal
and related labor costs. Normally, these replacements are for electric pump; the difference being 2 cubic-ft/gal
3
Industry accepted Rule-of-Thumb: 3 gal TEG/lb water.
necessary once every three to six months.
(A) Estimate methane emissions from gas-assisted To estimate the over circulation ratio, use a 1:1 ratio (OC =
pump. 1) if there is no over circulation and a 2.1:1 ratio (OC = 2.1)
if over circulation is an issue. These ratios are based on the
Estimating emissions is a two-step process, which consists
average of measured ratios from 10 field units reported by
of calculating an emissions factor for the unit’s operational
5
Replace Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps
(Cont’d)
the Gas Research Institute. scf of natural gas per gallon of TEG.
Two examples of determining water removal (WR), Applying these data to the emissions factor formula results
emission factor (EF), and total emissions (TE) are provided in a range of 318 to 668 scf gas emitted for every MMcf gas
on the pages that follow. Each example shows a range of processed. Assuming the dehydrator processes 10 MMcf of
savings based upon the two different inlet assumptions. wet gas daily, the additional volume of the gas recovered
Example 1 presents a high-pressure gas stream, and would be 1,160 to 2,440 Mcf per year. Exhibit 6
Example 2 presents a low pressure stream. summarizes this example.
TE = EF x AF TE = EF x AF
= (318 to 668) x 10 = (1,030 to 2,170) x 10
= (3,180 to 6,680) scfd x 365 days/ = (10,300 to 21,700) scfd x 365 days/
year /1,000 scf/Mcf year /1,000 scf/Mcf
= 1,160 to 2,440 Mcf/year = 3,760 to 7,921 Mcf/year
6
Replace Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps
(Cont’d)
Exhibit 8: Economic Benefit of Replacing Gas-Assisted Glycol Pump with an Electric Pump—Low
Pressure Inlet Gas Example
b Including capital costs and installation cost, which is assumed to be 30 percent of the capital cost for this example.
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Replace Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps
(Cont’d)
economics, operators should consider the timing of any obtain a pump that is one size larger than normal.
replacements. Older gas-assisted glycol pumps, at the end This will allow for additional circulation capacity that
of their useful lives, are typically good candidates for can prove useful if the water content increases as the
replacement with an electric pump. Gas-assisted pumps field matures or “waters out.”
that might not be at the end of their useful life, but that
Glycol pumps, whether gas-assisted or electric,
represent only one element of a dehydration system.
Exhibit 9: Gas Price Impact on Economic Analysis Operators should consider the dehydration process as
a whole, including glycol composition, circulation
rates, contactor temperature and pressure, inlet gas
composition, dew point requirements, and reboiler
$3/Mcf $5/Mcf $7/Mcf $8/Mcf $10/Mcf temperatures.
Value of Gas
Saved
$11,280 $18,800 $26,320 $30,080 $37,600 Partners considering replacing gas-assisted pumps
with electric pumps should review the other
Payback Pe- opportunities for reducing methane emissions from
3 2 2 2 1
riod (months) dehydration systems. See EPA’s Lessons Learned:
Optimize Glycol Circulation And Install Flash Tank
Separators In Glycol Dehydrators.
Internal Rate
of Return
415% 729% 1042% 1199% 1512%
(IRR) Glycol dehydrators with flash tank separators might
not be good candidates for replacing the gas-assisted
NPV $35,384 $63,891 $92,397 $106,651 $135,157 pump, because most of the excess gas is recovered
and put to beneficial use or recycled.
have started to need more frequent maintenance as a Include reduction in methane emissions from
result of increased contamination, might also be good replacing gas-assisted glycol pumps with electric
candidates for replacement. pumps in annual reports submitted as part of the
Natural Gas STAR Program.
When assessing options for glycol pumps and dehydrators,
natural gas price may influence the decision making References
process. Exhibit 9 shows an economic analysis of installing
an electric pump on a low pressure glycol dehydrator at American Petroleum Institute. Specification for Glycol-Type Gas
different natural gas prices. Dehydration Units (Spec 12GDU). July 1993.
Lessons Learned American Petroleum Institute. Glycol Dehydration. PROFIT Training Series,
1979.
Installing electric pumps to replace gas-assisted glycol Ballard, Don. How to Improve Glycol Dehydration. Coastal Chemical
pumps can offer significant operational, environmental, Company.
and economic advantages. Natural Gas STAR partners
offer the following lessons learned: Collie, J., M. Hlavinka, and A. Ashworth. An Analysis of BTEX Emissions
from Amine Sweetening and Glycol Dehydration Facilities. 1998
Gas-assisted glycol pumps can often be cost- Laurance Reid Gas Conditioning Conference Proceedings, Norman,
effectively replaced with electric pumps if there is a OK.
readily available source of electricity.
Garrett, Richard. Making Choices—A Look at Traditional and Alternative
Electric pumps are available with varying Glycol Pump Technology
capabilities and efficiencies. Operators are
Gas Research Institute. Technical Reference Manual for GRI-GLYCalc TM
encouraged to work with various pump
Version 3.0 (GRI-96/0091).
manufacturers to find the most appropriate type.
Gas Research Institute and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In sizing an electric pump, operators might wish to Methane Emissions from Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps. January 1996.
8
Replace Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps
(Cont’d)
Tingley, Kevin. U.S. EPA Natural Gas STAR Program. Personal Contact.
9
Replace Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps
(Cont’d)
Appendix A
10
Replace Gas-Assisted Glycol Pumps With Electric Pumps
(Cont’d)
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Air and Radiation (6202J)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
October 2006
EPA provides the suggested methane emissions estimating methods contained in this document as a tool to develop basic methane emissions estimates only. As
regulatory reporting demands a higher-level of accuracy, the methane emission estimating methods and terminology contained in this document may not conform to
the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule, 40 CFR Part 98, Subpart W methods or those in other EPA regulations.
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