Gas Utility Company Supplies Remote Communities with Natural Gas Using Portable Off-Grid Solution
Introduction – Challenge
A leading gas utility company in Canada supplies Natural Gas to more than 1 million customers in almost 300 communities; however, they faced the challenge of supplying remote communities with Natural Gas.
Despite that the company operates an extensive network of Natural Gas pipelines and infrastructure, these remote communities were inaccessible for traditional solutions like installing pipelines.
Our team worked with the customer on their challenging requirements and came up with a portable, off-grid solution that helps the company to transport Natural Gas from nearby transmission pipelines to those remote communities.
The solution proposed by IMW Engineering team included an integrated package that incorporates a CNG compressor, enclosed control system, gas dryer, and hoses to fill Gas Transport Modules (GTM) that can be hauled to the remote communities to supply them with Natural Gas.
The design that IMW provided offered an optimized solution that significantly reduced travel time and costs, while ensuring a reliable and steady supply of Natural Gas.
The gas utility company deployed two of our portable, off-grid solutions in different locations, and the results were impressive.
The communities that once struggled to access Natural Gas now had a steady supply, and our customer was able to expand its services to even more remote locations.
Customer Requirement
Inlet Pressure
| PSIG (barg) | 60 to 110 (4.2 to 7.6) |
Flowrate
| SCFM (Ncm/hr) | 488 to 854 (783 to 1,370) |
Discharge Pressure
| PSIG (barg) | 4,500 (310) |
Stages
| No. | 4 |
Cooling System
| – | Air Cooled |
Conformance
| – | ASME / NFPA 52 / NFPA 70 |
Design Temperature
| °F (°C) | -40 to 113 (-40 to 45) |
Imw solution - contribution
Portable and Off-Grid Solution
IMW provided a unique solution that was portable and off-grid, enabling our customer to transport Natural Gas to remote locations without the need for an extensive infrastructure. This solution reduced travel time, costs and their carbon footprint, making it a more efficient option for the customer.
Integration of Key Components
The solution included a single CNG compressor integrated with an enclosed control system, gas dryer, and connection hoses, making it a one-stop solution for the customer. This integration of key components made it easier for the gas utility company to manage the supply of Natural Gas to remote communities.
Cold Environment Capabilities
Although the remote location is located in Northern Canada with a very harsh winter conditions. The solution that IMW provided was designed to operate in extreme cold environments (-40 °C) the cold environment capabilities of the package guaranteed a continuous operation of the equipment in the lowest ambient temperatures to ensures a steady supply of Natural Gas.
