Natural Gas Compressor Stations – A Vital Component Connecting Energy to End Users

As you take a hot shower or prepare the evening meal, have you ever thought about the complexity of having gas at your beck and call? Have you ever considered what a privilege it is to turn up the thermostat in the winter and down in the summer at the business you have invested so much of yourself into over the years?

While compressor stations may not be at the forefront of your thoughts, they do play an integral role in providing energy for so many of our day-to-day conveniences. Here’s a short primer on their purpose and function in the energy industry.

Moving natural gas from its source via a network of pipelines to consumers requires a pass through of one or more industrial compressor stations.  As natural gas streams from a producing well through an intricate system of pipelines, factors such as friction, distance, and varying elevations and terrains cause the gas to decrease in speed and pressure.

Pressure is needed to push the gas through pipelines or else it would proceed at a trickle or even remain stagnant in the pipes.

An even flow is necessary for optimal operation. In many cases gas must be transported many hundreds of miles from its origination to commercial or residential end points. To alleviate these hindrances and overcome natural resistance along the way, pipelines are dotted with essential compressor stations.

These facilities maintain, stabilize, and regulate the flow and pressure as gas runs from one series of pipelines to another. Stations are strategically located along the utility highway of gas transport about every 40-70 miles as needed.

Upon entering a compressor station, the elimination process begins. Impurities such as soil, dirt, and water vapor that the gas picked up through its travels, are cleansed and removed.

A series of scrubbers and filters separate and eliminate unwanted solids and liquids from the gas, leaving a clean product in its stead. Once the gas is scrubbed, separated, and pressurized, compressor stations are also employed as storage units while the gas waits for the next chapter of its journey to homes and businesses across the country.

Since natural gas is colorless and without a distinct smell, gas companies add a rotten egg or sulfur odor, called Mercaptan, to the gas stream. The odor serves as an alert system to the possibility of a leak, either external in the pipeline, or internal in someone’s home. It’s considered a safe additive and an important safety mechanism.

Liquids (drip gas) are captured as part of the compression process and trucked elsewhere for use in motor blend gasoline. Flow is technologically regulated and restored to ensure gas is moving at optimum pressure throughout the pipeline.

This boost in pressure may require passing through more than one compressor in varying stages to achieve the desired pressure before advancing to the next segment of piping.

Heat is created as natural gas is compressed (aka regulating the pressure) and must be cooled at the compressor station in advance of finishing its travels. This is often accomplished with a closed coolant system (think: radiator in vehicles) or an aerial system.

Many compressor stations use some of the gas flowing through to fuel operations with piston engines or turbine units, resulting in an energy efficient process.

The long distances from wells to market are facilitated and reinforced by the crucial advantages that compressor stations offer. Natural gas is compressed and pushed through wide-diameter pipelines (24-48 inches) at an optimum pressure (800 to 1,200 psi) to ensure a regulated flow before it enters an Interstate Transmission System pipeline.

Transporters of natural gas via the intricate pipeline system serve as a crucial component for energizing America.

United Energy Corporation is reactivating its large Cotton Valley Natural Gas Compressor Station. This is one of several important connectors feeding into the Southern Star Gas Pipeline – an interstate gas transmission pipeline.

Geographically, it originated in Indian Territory, which eventually became Oklahoma. Southern Star has provided continuous service for over 100 years to America’s Heartland.

Southern Star owns and operates approximately 5,800 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska.

The addition of United Energy’s Cotton Valley Station offers a prime enhancement to transporting natural gas from wellheads to end users like yourself. Now when you take a shower or cook dinner, think about that!