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This paper delves into the waste heat recovery potential and viability for application to gas pipeline drivers, both centrifugal and reciprocating. Most reciprocating engines in the gas pipelines have thermal efficiencies of 35% or less. Simple cycle gas turbines are even less efficient. I the 60s and 70s, several companies set up either electric co-generation facilities or steam driven compressors in an attempt to capture some of this lost energy. However, the high cost of providing the necessary water and the operating and maintenance costs of the steam plant equipment proved more expensive than just operating an additional gas fired unit and most of these facilities have been shut down as uneconomical. An important factor in the economic analysis was that fuel gas was often considered “free” as it was retained as a percentage of transport and any saving would ultimately have to be given back to the customer. The operating environment in the 21st Century is dramatically different. Today, we face increasing demand and ever tightening emissions requirements. In many cases, the emissions generated by incremental horsepower increases have to be offset with emissions reductions at existing facilities. Further, fuel gas is no longer universally “free” and future legislation addressing greenhouse gas emissions will require fleet wide improvements in fuel economy. These drivers bring new opportunity for small waste heat recovery plants operated in conjunction with pipeline facilities. Operationally, there have been dramatic improvements in water treatment technologies and steam plant technologies that promise to make small steam plants more affordable to operate. Further, non-utility owned co-generation facilities are now wide spread, providing a clear path for selling excess power back to the grid. Complementing these developments is the recent availability of a wide range of electric driven pipeline compression equipment. Today, there is a real opportunity to directly u
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