NGL Storage. 4

[Frank1344]

Hello Friends,

We have been asked to design a 60" underground pipe to store NGL.

Is this common?

I always think we need to use a spherical vessel for storing NGL.

Does anyone have any experience with this subject?

Appreciate any help.

 

[BigInch]

This came up a few months ago. NGL as opposed to LNG, right?

IMO it can be done a lot easier in the pipeline option, if you keep pressure above the VP at all times.

We are more connected to everyone in the world than we've ever been before, except to the person sitting next to us. Lisa Gansky

 

[JLSeagull]

Natural Gas Liquids is some ethane, propane, butane etc. pulled outoff gas and sold etc. NGL could be kinda like propane thus ambient temp at pressure toward -40 deg F/C if vapor. Pulling liquid out of gas includes some processing below -150 deg F (turb-expansion) for the separation of gas from those heavier components at liquid and under pressure.

Liquified Natural Gas or LNG is about 90+ % methane. Liquid methane gets a bit colder that I could imagine as I am not a super-cold experienced kinda person like Liquified Natural Gas.

Caverns exist for propane and LNG.

NPS 60 may be a method of avoiding ASME vessels etc.

 

[BigInch]

I think this will be primarily only a butane and propane mixture with possibly some small percentages of heavier sides, so vapor pressures arn't as high as methane and much easier to keep at lower pressures, without the lower temperatures. Burying the tank should help keep it near 100 psig at 70F, so that's not a problem for 60" diameter pipe. You could still design for much higher pressures as well if the gas enters hotter than that. Basically just a longer than normal buried bullet tank. I'd keep it at a temperature that would maintain 100-150 psig backpressure on the tank, draw from near bottom, vaporizing it downstream of a backpressure control valve. Is that what you had in mind Frank?

We are more connected to everyone in the world than we've ever been before, except to the person sitting next to us. Lisa Gansky

 

[brimmer]

It is not common as far as I know. The company I am currently with has some of these, 42" - 48", underground. Were built as a cheaper way to strore smaller quantities of NGL (hold raw NGL's) built to pipeline code, rather than go vessel / bullet option / code. One item to consider in the future is how the company will inspect this, may want to design some sort of access that comes above ground now, otherwise there will be limited ways to complete inspection in the future.

 

[Frank1344]

Thank you Gent's.

These are all I wanted to hear from you and appreciate sharing with me.

It looks we need to do some research/homework inhouse before executing the actual project.

Frank

 

[BigInch]

IMO, they should use the B31.3 code, not .4 or .8. Its the shape of a pipeline, but thats where the similarities stop.

We are more connected to everyone in the world than we've ever been before, except to the person sitting next to us. Lisa Gansky