Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 8
FEATURE ARTICLE
Magnetics-Based Turboexpander Enables Energy Recovery from Pressure Letdown Stations
in Natural Gas Pipelines
By Freddie Sarhan, Vice President of Business Development, Calnetix Technologies
Magnetic technologies are being employed in a wide range of
applications to solve real-world problems involving high-speed
machinery, especially in hostile or difficult environments. In this
article, we will examine an interesting application: waste energy
recovery from pressure reduction in natural gas pipelines.
Natural gas is pressurized to facilitate transportation across
long distances through pipelines. The pressure must be stepped
down to lower levels for safe delivery through local-distribution
networks. Pressure reduction is most commonly accomplished
with mechanical regulating valves. These pressure letdown
devices (PLD) are generally effective but also waste a significant
amount of energy. Ideally, this kinetic energy can be captured
and converted into electrical energy using a generator loaded
turboexpander.
footprint and is the least reliable component of the system, entailing significant maintenance and downtime. This translates into
high capital costs and maintenance expenses.
Magnetics as Enabling Technology
Calnetix Technologies has leveraged its long expertise in
advanced magnetic technologies to create a new approach for
energy capture in natural gas PLD stations. This solution, called
the FreeSpin™ In-Line Turboexpander (FIT), has shown great
potential in test facility and field trials to provide a reliable and
cost-effective solution.
Turboexpanders are widely used for waste energy recovery in a
wide range of applications, including geothermal power, steam
pressure letdown, turbochargers, air separation, nitrogen and
helium liquefaction, gas turbine power recovery and more. But
conventional turboexpanders have shortcomings that have
proven to be a major barrier for widespread adoption in natural
gas PLD stations.
A conventional generator loaded turboexpander uses a large
gear box to reduce the speed of the expander turbine for
coupling to the synchronous generator. The mechanical gears
require a lubrication subsystem that includes an oil reservoir,
pump cooler, filters and piping, as well as dynamic seals to keep
the lubricant from leaking and contaminating the high-pressure
natural gas. The lubrication subsystem increases the installed
8
Magnetics Business & Technology * November/December 2020
Figure 1. Cutaway model of the FreeSpin™ Inline Turboexpander
www.MagneticsMag.com
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Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020
Editor’s Choice/ Features
Paragraf Strides toward Commercializing Graphene- Based Hall Effect Sensors for Highly Precise Magnetic Measurement
Magnetics-Based Turboexpander Enables Energy Recovery from Pressure Letdown Stations in Natural Gas Pipelines
Buildup of Littoral Naval Forces Brings New Attention to Underwater Magnetic Sensing
Tech Tips
Embedding Magnetics Achieves Reliability & Consistency, Part 2 of 3
Product News
Industry News
Events Calendar/ Advertising Index
Visions
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Cover2
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 3
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Editor’s Choice/ Features
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 5
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Paragraf Strides toward Commercializing Graphene- Based Hall Effect Sensors for Highly Precise Magnetic Measurement
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 7
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Magnetics-Based Turboexpander Enables Energy Recovery from Pressure Letdown Stations in Natural Gas Pipelines
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 9
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 10
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 11
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 12
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 13
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Buildup of Littoral Naval Forces Brings New Attention to Underwater Magnetic Sensing
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 15
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Embedding Magnetics Achieves Reliability & Consistency, Part 2 of 3
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 17
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 18
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 19
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Product News
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 21
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 22
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 23
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Industry News
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 25
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 26
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 27
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Events Calendar/ Advertising Index
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - 29
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Visions
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Cover3
Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2020 - Cover4
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