Mitigate fugitive emissions with Fisher valve instruments and actuators.
Many upstream oil and gas sites are located in very remote areas. The control requirements at the well head and early separation sites are relatively simple, but they do require a source of pneumatic or electric energy to operate valves and other instruments. Since compressed air or power are often not available, many companies utilize pressurized natural gas to operate their pneumatic instruments and control valves. This solution works well but creates a problem.
Pneumatic instruments are designed to bleed air constantly, and they vent still more air as they operate the valves. When natural gas is used, it is continuously emitted in considerable quantities. When combined with the fugitive methane emissions associated with valve and pump seal leaks, the total amount of methane released at a remote well site can be significant.
Choosing Fisher products can help you mitigate fugitive emissions.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a major goal of every energy and chemical company. Of particular global interest is the reduction of methane because it is 25-30 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide. There is a way to satisfy environmental laws, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save money in the process.
One method to eliminate lost natural gas is upgrading the pneumatic components to low-bleed pneumatic components. All of the Fisher controllers, pressure pilots, and level controllers shown offer bleed rates below 6 standard cubic feet per hour (SCFH).
•Fisher 4660 high-low pressure pilot
In many cases, upgrading these components will reduce vented methane by a factor of eight to ten. If a typical pneumatic pressure controller was replaced with a low-bleed controller, such as the Fisher C1, the site would save yearly in recovered gas. Note that lower cost retrofit kits are available for some models to convert them to low bleed.
Recover natural gas by replacing the existing pneumatic components with all electric and/or electro-pneumatic low-bleed components. Improvements in solar energy panels and battery storage systems have enabled low-power electro-pneumatic devices to operate in remote areas, which was not previously possible in many cases.
These devices combine a zero-bleed electronic component with low-bleed pneumatics to further reduce methane venting and save fuel gas. All of the transducers, positioners and level controllers shown offer bleed rates below 6 SCFH, and inexpensive low-bleed retrofit kits are offered for some instruments.
•Fisher FIELDVUE DVC6200 positioner
If sufficient power is available, pneumatic control valve actuators can be replaced with all electric actuators, such as the Fisher easy-Drive electric actuator shown. The easy-Drive actuator can be retrofitted to a number of different installed valves, and it offers a means to achieve zero methane bleed for the entire site.
Case Study
Regulations may seem burdensome, but they often offer a unique opportunity to upgrade equipment and generate substantial savings.
