INNOVATIONS 29 No1 2016

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Not only does driving increase the risk of
accidents, but driving for hours is also a waste of a
skilled technician’s time. Because certain automation
systems allow technicians to load up to seven pigs in
one trip, it means that they can spend less time on
the road.
Aiding the Emission Mission
A natural gas pipeline system is like a pressure
cooker: To open the trap and insert a pig, you
need to depressurize it first by letting out the
methane gas inside it. Methane is a greenhouse
gas regulated by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), and according to the
EPA, natural gas and petroleum systems are the
largest industry sources of methane emissions.
Automated pigging means that technicians
only have to allow methane into the atmosphere
one time per seven pigs, instead of each time they
launch a pig. Like the risk to injury, automating
this practice reduces emissions from pigging by up
to 85 percent.
Controlling emissions helps pipeline
companies comply with industry regulations
such as the Methane Challenge, an initiative
proposed by the EPA in July 2015 in response
to the Obama administration’s goal to reduce
methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
The Methane Challenge is part of the Natural Gas
STAR program, and is a voluntary way for oil
and gas companies to make general commitments
toward methane emission reduction, track their
progress, and receive recognition.
“One of the primary goals of the program is to
provide guidance in identifying and prioritizing
cost-effective ways to reduce emissions from oil
and natural gas operations,” as stated on the
EPA website. “There has been a good amount of
engagement and interest.”
To help companies lower emissions, the EPA
identifies certain procedures that require venting
gas. One such category is liquid unloading actions
during which gas is vented. Pigging falls into that
category.
Several companies have already signed up for
the program, including Hess, Kinder Morgan, and
Apache. One major benefit to these participants
is they will be recognized as leaders in reducing
emissions in the United States.
And the program benefits the industry as a
whole: By automating some procedures in order
to reduce methane emissions, pipeline companies
are also reducing risk to their employees. For
many companies, these factors will swing the cost/
benefit analysis in automation’s favor.
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Other Sources of Methane Emissions
Actions that require venting gas, like pigging, are
one way that the energy industry emits methane
into the atmosphere. The U.S. EPA has identified
other sources of methane emissions as well, such as
pneumatic controllers, equipment leaks, pneumatic
pumps, hydrocarbon storage tanks, reciprocating
compressors-venting, and centrifugal compressors-
venting.
The Methane Challenge program suggests
different ways to work with these sources to reduce
emissions. One example is using low- or no-gas bleed
pneumatic controllers, except in circumstances that
demand high-bleed controllers for safety reasons.
up to
85%reduced
methane
emissions
up to
85%reduced
operational
risk
32%
increased
throughput