Case Study of Relief Analysis of Compressor Stations

Abstract

A compressor station is a facility which helps the transportation process of natural gas from one location to another. Compressor stations include several key component parts, the primary being the actual compressor unit, either centrifugal or reciprocating. They also typically include scrubbers, strainers or filter separators which remove liquids, dirt, particles, and other impurities from the natural gas. This study will give an overview of the relief analysis conducted for multiple compressor stations. The relief analysis was system based as opposed to relief device based so as to identify any unprotected systems that may need overpressure protection. It will discuss the overpressure scenarios identified for these systems. It will provide some general statistics on the total number of applicable overpressure scenarios. It will give a detailed breakdown of the various concerns found including, but not limited to, undersized devices, unprotected systems, installation concerns, data needs, and documentation discrepancies. The study will discuss possible mitigation solutions for these concerns.