Natural Gas – A cleaner and cost-effective solution
More and more companies have started to use natural gas generators for power generation. It is a cleaner-burning fuel than diesel, with lower exhaust emissions and cheaper. Aggreko uses “Lean Burn” technology to squeeze more power and efficiency from generators, providing up to 50% fuel savings (compared to diesel).
In their push to optimize field operations, companies continually look for new ways to boost their long-term production while keeping costs down and minimizing environmental impacts. In-field power generation is one area receiving particular attention in this regard.
Our industry-leading gas generators are more versatile and flexible in gas fuel type:
- Associated petroleum gas (APG)
- Compressed natural gas (CNG)
- Liquefied natural and petroleum gas (LNG and LPG)
- Stranded or flared gas* subject to gas analysis
- Also, tolerance to a broad methane index (MI) range
The benefits of rental natural gas generators
Among the benefits that natural gas-fueled generator systems provide over conventional diesel systems is their economic advantage in the long term:
- 40-45% fewer costs to operate than diesel units, primarily because of the fuel savings
- Long run times between service intervals, maximizing field uptime
- Option to use field-proven, lean-burn technology to meet the most demanding emissions guidelines at both federal and state levels
- Rich-burn technology can handle high-Btu gas that would otherwise be flared or left stranded.
- Can deal with intermittent supplies of natural gas and automatically switch to another fuel option, if necessary, without causing delays or interruptions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that natural gas produces 85% fewer emissions than diesel and has a 25% lower carbon footprint.
Natural gas power generation for the Oil and Gas industry
In the Mississippian Lime play, an operator developed assets in remote areas without grid power and had to be prepared to scale up when wells started producing. A power solution that would afford more efficient growth plans as needed
Aggreko developed a scalable, temporary natural gas power solution to address different growth phases and shifting drilling locations. First, as the wells were coming online initially, a mobile natural gas generator utilizing well gas was installed.
Once overhead power lines were installed, 40 small generator sets were removed and replaced with a single micro-grid, powered by four 1.3 MW natural gas generators. These generators hooked directly into the operator’s well gas and were connected to the overhead power lines.
This approach brought reliable and consistent power to the developing field. It could easily be replicated as needed as drilling locations shifted. The central power plant design included built-in redundancy and uptime comparable to the grid. The natural gas fueling option delivered power at a fuel savings of roughly 75%, compared with diesel.
Emergency rentals
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused massive power outages and floods across the United States. The Siphon Tunnel project, a $250 million infrastructure investment to put a new water siphon between Brooklyn and Staten Island, NY, was entirely flooded with saltwater, causing a complete loss of power and severe damage to the equipment.
The construction team needed an immediate power and low-emission solution. Therefore, we designed a comprehensive solution of three 1.3 MW natural gas generators with transformers and distribution to ensure uninterrupted power for the emergency systems.
In the absence of grid infrastructure, the configuration served as a temporary substation utilizing two gas generators as prime power and the third as a backup. These generators operated in parallel, providing 3.9 MW of continuous operation to the site. Due to natural gas generators, we could give an estimated cost savings of $125,000 per month in fuel over two years (or $3,000,000 throughout the whole project).
Natural gas generators for turnarounds
A Mid Continent refinery (195,000 BPD) identified the need for a significant amount of temporary power during a turnaround. Previously it had always relied on diesel generators. However, there was recognition from the site’s environmental leaders that this would create additional emissions, something the plant management was keen to avoid.
The natural gas generators used for this turnaround reduced NOx emissions by over 80%, which was very important for the refinery as they consistently operate close to their permitted limits.
The application saved $250,000 in fuel costs and avoided the logistical hassle of frequent diesel fuel deliveries. The customer also benefited from using Aggreko Remote Monitoring which provided 24/7 live monitoring of the generator throughout the complete turnaround by trained technicians.
Virtual Pipelines
There is little doubt that Virtual Pipelines will be a crucial enabler in the Energy Transition and will position gas as the transition fuel.
Virtual Pipelines are bringing gas to areas without access to it, displacing other more carbon-intensive and expensive liquid fuels in the process.
At Aggreko, we are already LNG, CNG, and LPG ready. While CNG and LPG have been available for some time, we are actively involved in the rapidly-developing small-scale LNG supply value chain. We are working to enable it wherever possible.
We operate in North America with excellent LNG fuel suppliers and have multiple projects running on LNG through Virtual Pipelines.
Outside North America, the supply chain is not as mature or still non-existent. In those areas, we are actively working to:
- Stimulate and develop the necessary supply chains in different regional markets
- Identify the key players and suppliers
- Position ourselves to be able to help our customers get the volumes they will need as soon as it’s available
We also have virtual pipeline projects in South America, Nigeria, Spain, and Australia and work in most areas LNG, LPG, or CNG is available.
We are ready to work with you country-by-country on your individual needs to enable Virtual Pipeline projects where possible.