Need: The gas pipeline industry is faced with the addition and replacement of a significant amount of compression facilities to meet changing economic and regulatory constraints. Due to the large investment required, it is imperative that new facilities maintain their effectiveness over a long period of time. Also, because of the long lead times required to develop new technology and the rapidly changing pipeline operating environment, promising technologies need to be targeted early. Thus, gas pipeline companies will need an unbiased technical assessment of emerging technologies to identify those with the greatest potential.
Benefit: The overall objective of this study is to provide PRCI members with key information that will assist them in selecting equipment and promoting the development of new equipment and technologies for application in future pipeline compressor stations. This study will attempt to achieve the desired objectives by assessing the emerging technologies that can be expected to play key roles in determining the future state-of-the-art in pipeline compressor stations. While it is recognized that economics of the technology play an important part in the selection process, our search and evaluation of emerging technologies will not be constrained by this factor.
Result: SRI International (SRI) identified and evaluated more than 110 technologies that could have a significant effect on compressor stations over the next 20 years and beyond and selected 20 of these technologies, or in some cases groups of related technologies, as particularly important. The nine most important technologies that were selected for more detailed evaluation and are described in detail in the report should generally be able to be commercialized in the next 3 to 8 years.
